This is an exhaustive, but on-going, list of authors and illustrators born in or associated with the state of New Jersey.
Children’s Authors/Illustrators
A
Lori Anzalone (Illustrator) – Alligator at Saw Grass Road, www.lorianzalone.com/index.htm
B
Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen– The Worst Twelve Days of Christmas; Hampire!; Chicks Run Wild; Tightrope Poppy the High-Wire Pig, and many others, www.sudipta.com, sudipta@sudipta.com
Laura T Barnes – Twist and Ernest; Teeny Tiny Ernest; Ernest and the BIG Itch; Ernest and Elston; Ernest’s Special Christmas; http://barnesyardbooks.com/
Jennifer Vogel Bass (Maplewood, NJ) – Edible Colors; Edible Numbers.
Robert J Blake (Author and Illustrator) – Painter and Ugly; Little Devils; Swift; Carousel Cat; Santa Paws: The Picture Book; Togo, and others, http://www.robertjblake.com/ akiak3@yahoo.com
Judy Blume (Elizabeth, NJ) – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret; Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing; and many others for children, teens and adults, http://www.judyblume.com
Linda Bozzo – Discover Dogs with the American Canine Association series; Funny Bone Joke series; Imagining the Future series; My First Pet series and Amazing Working Dog series from the American Humane Association, http://www.lindabozzo.com, writerlindabozzo@cs.com
Dr. Vanita Braver – Teach Your Children Well series. http://drvanitabraver.com
Pat Brisson – Sometimes We Were Brave; Melissa Parkington’s Beautiful, Beautiful Hair; I Remember Miss Perry; The Best and Hardest Thing; Don’t Cramp My Style: Stories About “That” Time of the Month (both YA), and many others, http://www.enter.net/~brisson/ brisson@enter.net, www.patbrisson.com
Jen Bryant (grew up in Flemington, NJ) – The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus; A Splash of Red: the Art and Life of Horace Pippin; A River of Words: the Story of William Carlos Williams; and others. http://www.jenbryant.com
Rachelle Burk – Tree House in a Storm, http://www.rachelleburk.blogspot.com/
Gretchen Burman (South Orange, NJ) – The Adventures of Ooga and Zeeta, http://www.character-u.com
Robert Byrd (Illustrator) – Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village; Kubla Khan: the Emperor of Everything; Leonardo Beautiful Dreamer, and others, http://www.robertbyrdart.com/, rbyrdart@yahoo.com
C
Eileen Cameron – G is For Garden State: A New Jersey Alphabet; and others. http://www.eileencameron.com
Gina and Annette Cascone – Deadtime Stories for Kids series, http://www.agcascone.com
Tami Charles (Newark, NJ) – Like Vanessa; Fearless Mary: The True Adventures of Mary Fields, American Stagecoach Driver; Becoming Beatriz (YA), https://tamiwrites.com
Matt Cieslik – Dante and the Kamryn Explore the Pine Barrens.
Alida Durham Clemans (born in Westfield, NJ) – Until the Ocean Freezes; www.alidadurhamclemans.com
Jay Cooper (Maplewood, NJ) – illustrated Bot: the Most Annoying Robots in the Universe; https://www.jaycooperbooks.com/
Alida Durham Clemans (grew up in Westfield, NJ) – Until the Ocean Freezes, https://www.alidadurhamclemans.com/
Daryl Cobb – Mr. Moon; Do Pirates Go to School?; and others, http://authorvisitsbydarylcobb.com/ darylcobb@darylkcobb.com
Melanie Conklin (South Orange, NJ) – Counting Thyme, https://www.melanieconklin.com/
Floyd Cooper (1956 – 2021) (Illustrator) – Grandpa’s Face; Coming Home; Brown Honey and Broomwheat Tea; I Have Heard of a Land; and many others, www.floydcooper.com
Sharon Creech – The Unfinished Angel; Hate That Cat; Walk Two Moons; Love That Dog; Absolutely Normal Chaos; Ruby Holler; Chasing Redbird; Bloomability, and many others. http://www.sharoncreech.com/index.html
J.A. Culican – Keeper of the Dragons series, https://www.jaculican.com
Margery Cuyler – The Little Dump Truck; Bullies Never Win; I Repeat, Don’t Cheat; The Battlefield Ghost; and many others, www.margerycuyler.com margery.cuyler@verizon.net
D
Debbie Dadey– (Furlong, PA) – Mermaid Tales series; Keyholders series; Bailey School Kids series; and others, http://www.debbiedadey.com/ dsdadey@aol.com
Paula Danziger (1945 – 2004, grew up in Metuchen, NJ) – Amber Brown series; The Cat Ate My Gymsuit; Can You Sue Your Parents for Malpractice; P.S. Longer Letter Later, and many others.
Sayantani Dasgupta – (Ohio and NJ) – The Serpent’s Secret: Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond, Game of Stars (Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond #2), http://www.sayantanidasgupta.com
Lorraine Dey (Illustrator) – A Sweater for Duncan; The Rain Forest Party, www.deystudio.com, info@deystudio.com
Mike Dawson (Author/Illustrator) – The Fifth Quarter; The Fifth Quarter: Hard Court (graphic novels), https://mikedawsoncomics.com/
Barbara DiLorenzo – One Thursday Afternoon, Renato and the Lion; Quincy: The Chameleon Who Couldn’t Blend In, http://www.barbaradilorenzo.com/
Michael Dooling (Author/Illustrator) (Audubon, NJ) – Young Thomas Edison; The Amazing Life of Benjamin Franklin; and others. www.michaeldooling.com
Ty Drago (Cherry Hill, NJ) – Undertakers series; Phobos (Adult), http://www.tydrago.com
Ellen Dreyer – Amazing Bridges; Big Bend; Grow, Tree, Grow!; The Glow Stone (YA) and others, www.ellendreyer.com, ellen@ellendreyer.com
Ilene Dudek – Little Ant series, https://littleantstories.com
E
Richard Egielski (Author and Illustrator) – The Sleepless Little Vampire; Hey Al; Tub People series; Buz; Jazper; and many others, www.richardegielski.com/ richard@richardegielski.com
Pamela Erens (Maplewood, NJ) – Matasha; erenswriter@gmail.com
Doris Ettingler (Illustrator) – A Book for Black-Eyed Susan; The Orange Shoes; G is for Garden State; Pilgrim Cat and others, http://dorisettlinger.com/, mcfad@comcast.net
F
Lisa Falkenstern (author/illustrator) (Califon, NJ) – Professor Whiskerton Presents Steampunk ABC; A Dragon Moves In; Busy Tree
Beth Ferry (lives in NJ) – Fox & Rabbit graphic novel series (Fox & Rabbit Celebrate; Fox & Rabbit; Fox & Rabbit Make Believe); www.bethferry.com
Alison Ashley Formento – This Tree Counts!; These Bees Count!; This Tree, 1, 2, 3, www.alisonashleyformento.com, aformento@optonline.net
G
Mandy Gonzalez (Maplewood, NJ) – Fearless series (Fearless, Boulevard of Dreams), https://mandygonzalez.com/
Diane Goode (Author and Illustrator) – When I Was Young in the Mountains; My Mom is Trying to Ruin My Life; President Pennybaker, and many others, www.dianegoode.com, goodedog@mac.com
Theanne Griffith –The Magnificent Makers: How to Test a Friendship; The Magnificent Makers: Brain Trouble; The Magnificent Makers: Riding Sound Waves, https://www.theannegriffith.com/
Adam Gustavson (illustrator) – Rock & Roll Highway: The Robbie Robertson Story; Jingle Bells: How the Holiday Classic Came to Be; Lost and Found; Mind Your Manners, Alice Roosevelt!; Better Than You; Snow Day! and many others www.adamgustavson.com
Dan Gutman – The Genius Files series; The Baseball Card Adventure series; My Weirder School series and many more, www.dangutman.com, dangut@comcast.net
H
Shari Halpern (illustrator) – Dinosaur Parade; Construction Kitties; I Love Bugs!; I Love Trains!; I Love Trucks!; I Love Planes!; The Apple Pie Tree; and many others www.sharihalpern.com
Leeza Hernandez (Author/Illustrator) – Dog Gone!; Cat Napped; Never Play Music Right Next to the Zoo; and others. www.leezaworks.com
Lee Bennett Hopkins (1938-2019) (grew up in NJ) – Been to Yesterdays: Poems of a Life; Dizzy Dinosaurs: Silly Dino Poems; I Remember: Poems and Pictures of Heritage (selector); School People (selector); Marvelous Math: A Book of Poems (selector); and many many others, https://leebennetthopkins.com
Lenny Hort (Fort Lee, NJ) – The Boy Who Held Back the Sea; Did Dinosaurs Eat Pizza?: Mysteries Science Hasn’t Solved; DK Biography: George Washington; DK Biography: Nelson Mandela and others.
Dar Hosta (Author and Illustrator) – If I Were A Tree; Mavis & Her Marvelous Mooncakes; I Love the Alphabet; I Love The Night, www.darhosta.com, darhosta@mac.com
Wade and Cheryl Willis Hudson, authors and editors – We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices, editors; AFRO-BETS ABC Book; and many others, https://www.wadehudson-authorpublisher.com/ https://cherylwhudson.weebly.com/
I
Patricia Intriago – Dot, www.intriagodesign.com/dot, Intriago@optonline.net
J
Darlene Beck Jacobson – Wishes, Dares and How to Fight a Bully; Wheels of Change, http://www.darlenebeckjacobson.com
Paul B. Janeczko (1945-2019, born in Passaic, raised in Wood-Ridge, NJ) – The Proper Way to Meet a Hedgehog and Other How-To Poems; The Death of the Hat; Firefly July; A Foot in the Mouth; Requiem: Poems of the Terezin Ghetto (YA); World’s Afire (YA) and many others, https://www.paulbjaneczko.com
K
Sonya Kimble-Ellis (Union, NJ) – Math Puzzlers; Traditional African American Arts & Activities; Beyonce: Entertainer; Sandcastle Kids: A Mayan Adventure, https://www.sonyakimble-ellis.com
Daniel Kirk – Library Mouse series, Elf Realm series; Honk Honk! Beep Beep!; Dogs Rule and many others, www.danielkirk.com, danielkirkbooks@live.com
Colleen Kosinski (Cherry Hill, NJ) – A Promise Stitched in Time; Lilla’s Sunflowers, https://colleenrowankosinski.com
L
Tara Lazar (Somerset County, NJ) – 7 ate 9; The Monstore; www.taralazar.com
Joshua S. Levy – Seventh Grade vs. the Galaxy, https://www.joshuasimonlevy.com/sgvtg/ , https://twitter.com/joshuaslevy?lang=en
E.B. Lewis (Illustrator) – Each Kindness; Coming on Home Soon; Talkin’ About Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman; and many others, www.eblewis.com/, eblewisstudio@yahoo.com
Ai-Ling Louie (lived in NJ) – Astronaut Kalpana Chawla, Reaching for the Stars;Yo-Yo and Yeou-Cheng Ma, Finding Their Own Way; Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story From China; and Vera Wang, Queen of Fashion, info@dragoneagle.com, Ai-Ling@dragoneagle.com
M
Pooja Makhijani – Mama’s Saris, Under Her Skin: How Girls Experience Race in America (adult), https://www.poojamakhijani.com/
Ann Malaspina – Finding Lincoln; Yasmin’s Hammer; Phillis Sings Out Freedom: The Story of George Washington and Phillis Wheatley, www.annmalaspina.com
Mike Malbrough (lives in NJ) – Love Is Here; Marigold Bakes a Cake, and others; https://www.mikemalbrough.com/
Peter Maloney (Hackensack, NJ) – One Foot, Two Feet; Redbird at Rockefeller Center, and others with illustrator Felicia Zekauskas.
Veronica Mang (Jersey City, NJ) – Secret Spy Society series; https://www.veronicamang.com/
Wil Mara (Pompton Lakes, NJ) – National Geographic Readers: Trucks, and many books for adults and teens. http://www.wilmara.com
Johnny Marciano (lives in NJ) – Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat series, and others; https://jillgrinbergliterary.com/book_author/john-marciano/#:~:text=Johnny%20Marciano%20is%20a%20New,the%20Witches%20of%20Benevento%20series.
Nan Marino – Hiding Out at the Pancake Palace; Neil Armstrong Is My Uncle and Other Lies Muscle Man McGinty Told Me, www.nanmarino.com, nanmarino@yahoo.comPatricia Ann Marshall – Tilly’s Tree, www.PatriciaAnnMarshall.com, www.tillystree.com
Ann M. Martin – The Baby-Sitters Club series; A Corner of the Universe, among many others, https://www.macmillanspeakers.com/speaker/ann-m-martin/
Joe McGee – Peanut Butter & Santa Claus; Peanut Butter & Brains; Peanut Butter & Aliens, and others, http://www.joemcgeeauthor.com/
Nicole Melleby – Hurricane Season, https://www.nicolemelleby.com
Jennifer J. Merz – That Dancing’ Dolly; Playground Day, www.jennifermerz.com
Charles Micucci (Author and Illustrator) – The Life and Times of the Ant; The Life and Times of the Peanut; and others, micge7@verizon.netSharee Miller (Author and illustrator) – Michelle’s Garden: How the First Lady Planted Seeds of Change; Princess Hair; Don’t Touch My Hair!; The Shai and Emmie series (illustrator), https://www.shareemiller.com
Katrina Moore (lives in NJ) – One Hug; Grandpa Grumps; Tiny Houdini series; Sometimes Love ( out Summer, 2022); www.katrinamoorebooks.com
Richard T. Morris (Maplewood, NJ) – Two Brothers, One Tail; Bear Came Along; Fear the Bunny; Sheep 101; This is a Moose, and others.
Denise Mortensen – Bug Patrol; Good Night Engines/Wake Up Engines (flip/board book version); Wake Up Engines; Ohio Thunder; Good Night Engines, www.denisemortensen.com, denise@denisemortensen.com
Valerie Munro (Sparta, NJ) – Down the Swale; Journey to Nagwanis, https://www.facebook.com/OfficialValerieMunro/
Jim Murphy – An American Plague; The Great Fire; Blizzard; The Crossing
How George Washington Saved America; and many others, www.jimmurphybooks.com/ jimmurphybooks@gmail.com
Matt Myklusch – Seaborne #1: The Lost Prince and The Jack Blank trilogy (The Accidental Hero; The Secret War; The End of Infinity) mattmyk@me.com, www.mattmyklusch.com
N
Aliya King Neil (East Orange, NJ) – Keep Your Head Up and other books for adults; aliyasking@gmail.com
Trina Hakes Noble (Author and Illustrator)- The People of Twelve Thousand Winters; The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash and others in the series; The Legend of the Cape May Diamond and others, http://trinkahakesnoble.com/index.html , trinka-studio@comcast.net
O
John O’Brien (Delran, NJ, Illustrator) – Washington D.C. from A – Z, and others, http://johnobrienillustrator.com/
Diane Ochiltree (lives in PA, outside Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area) – Lull-a-Bye, Little One; Sixteen Runaway Pumpkins; Don’t Cramp My Style: Stories About “That” Time of the Month (YA) and others, http://www.ochiltreebooks.com/, contact info on website.
P
Margie Palatini – Hogg, Hogg and Hog; Lousy Rotten Stinkin’ Grapes; The Perfect Pet; Goldie and the Three Hares; Bad Boys; and many others, www.margiepalatini.com, contact info on website.
Herman Parish – Amelia Bedelia, Cub Reporter; Amelia Bedelia’s First Vote; Amelia Bedelia Makes a Friend; and others, www.HermanAndAmelia.com, Herman.Parish@Gmail.com
Barbara Park (1947-2013, born in Mount Holly, NJ) – Junie B. Jones series
Wendy Pfeffer – A Log’s Life; What’s it Like to Be a Fish?; From Tadpole to Frog; The Longest Day: Celebrating the Summer Solstice; Wiggling Worms at Work; and others, http://www.author-illustr-source.com/wendypfeffer.htm, wenpfeffer@aol.com
R
Anica Mrose Rissi (Princeton, NJ) – Love, Sophia on the Moon, The Teacher’s Pet, Hide and Don’t Seek: And Other Very Scary Stories, and Anna, Banana series, http://www.anicarissi.com
Karen Romagna – Voyage, https://www.scbwi.org/members-public/karen-romagna
Jim Romer – Bobby’s Biggest Bubble, http://www.arrrggghhh.com
John Rosano – Molly Monkey: Farmward Bound
S
Ian Schoenherr (Author and Illustrator) – Cat & Mouse; Pip & Squeak; Sleepyhead Bear; and others, www.ianschoenherr.com/about.html, ian@ianschoenherr.com
John Schoenherr (Illustrator and Author) (1935 – 2010) – Owl Moon; Julie of the Wolves; Dune & Children of Dune (both Adult); Beaver Moon, Rebel Bear and others.
Corey Rosen Schwartz (Warren, NJ) – The Three Ninja Pigs, Goldi Rocks & The Three Bears and the Ninja Red Riding Hood; Twinderella, A Fractioned Fairy Tale; Hensel and Gretel: Ninja Chicks, http://www.coreyrosenschwartz.com/
Brian Selznick (Author and Illustrator) – (grew up in East Brunswick, NJ) – Wonderstruck; The Invention of Hugo Cabret; The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins; and many others, http://www.theinventionofhugocabret.com/about_brian_bio.htm
Drew Sheneman– Don’t Eat That; Nope!, http://www.drewsheneman.net
Lena Shiffman – (Illustrator) – Keeping a Christmas Secret; My First Book of Words; Dancing with Manatees; and others, http://www.lenashiffman.com, lenashiffman@embarqmail.com
Jessie Sima (author/illustrator) – Spencer’s New Pet; Love, Z; Snow Pony and the Seven Miniature Ponies; Not Quite Narwhal, https://www.jessiesima.com
Robert J. Skead – Something to Prove: The Story of Satchel Paige vs. Joe DiMaggio; Patriots, Redcoats & Spies; Submarines, Secrets & a Daring Rescue; Safe at Home: A Baseball Card Mystery; Elves series, and others, https://robertskead.com/
Loren Spiotta-DiMare (Califon, NJ) – Sergeant Reckless: Hero War Horse, and others, http://www.LorensReadingRoom.com
Gennady Spirin (Illustrator) – The Greatest Dinosaur Ever; Frog Song; Life in the Boreal Forest. www.gennadyspirin.com
Nancy Springer (born in Montclair, lives in PA) – Enola Holmes series; My Sister’s Stalker (YA); Possessing Jessie (YA); I Am Mordred; and many others, www.nancyspringer.info
Pam Curtis Swallow – Groundhog Gets a Say; Melvil and Dewey Gone Fishin’; It Only Looks Easy; and others, http://www.pamelacurtisswallow.com/, Pam@PamelaCurtisSwallow.com
Scott Swift – The Traveling Salesman’s Darktime Tales series
Sue Truesdell (Illustrator) – A Moose That Says Moo; Chicken Said, “Cluck!”; Betsy Byars’s I Can Read series featuring the Golly sisters.
V
Audrey Vernick – Teach Your Buffalo to Play Drums; Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten?; She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story; Brothers at Bat, www.audreyvernick.com audrey@audreyvernick.com
Susan Verrico – Privateer’s Apprentice, https://www.facebook.com/SusanVerricoAuthor
Nancy Viau – Samantha Hansen Has Rocks In Her Head, and others www.nancyviau.com
Alidis Vicente (lives in NJ) – The Coqui and the Iguana; alidisv@gmail.com
W
Laurie Wallmark (Ringoes, NJ) – Hedy Lamarr’s Double Life: Hollywood Legend and Brilliant Inventor; Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code; Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine, https://www.lauriewallmark.com/
Meg Walters (lives in NJ) – author and illustrator – I Can Wash Up! Helping Kids Develop Healthy Habits; World Cup Women; Lucy Loves Sherman’s Beach; Lucy Loves Sherman; http://www.crazydogdesign.com/
J. A. White – Nightbooks; Shadow School #1: Archimancy; The Thickety series, http://jawhitebooks.com/
Dinah Williams (Cranford, NJ) – Abandoned Amusement Parks; Secrets of Walt Disney World; Haunted Hollywood; Spooky Cemeteries, and others, http://www.dinahwilliams.com/
Cynthia Chapman Willis – Dog Gone; and Buck Fever, www.cynthiawillis.com, mailbox@cynthiawillis.com
Kay Winters – Pete and Gabby: The Bears Go to Town; This School Year Will Be THE BEST!; The Teeny Tiny Ghost; and others. www.kaywinters.com, authorK@aol.com
Janet S. Wong – A Suitcase of Seaweed and Other Poems; You Just Wait: A Poetry Friday Power Book; Twist: Yoga Poems; Minn and Jake’s Almost Terrible Summer and many others, https://www.janetwong.com
Sung J. Woo – Everything Asian, www.sungjwoo.com
Y
Thomas F. Yezerski – Meadowlands: A Wetlands Survival Story; Pinch and Dash Make Soup; Mrs. Muddle’s Holidays and others, http://www.thomasfyezerski.com/
Z
Donna M. Zappala – What Kind of Turtle Am I?; Gabby and the Tooth Fairy; Albert’s Perfect Pet
Felicia Zekauskas (Hackensack, NJ), (Illustrator) – One Foot, Two Feet; Redbird at Rockefeller Center, and others with author Peter Maloney.
Harriet Ziefert – Robin, Where are You?; Mighty Max; A New Coat for Anna; Sleepy Dog; Pete’s Chicken; and many others.
Additional Children’s Authors/Illustrators
For additional authors see: The NJ Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, https://newjersey.scbwi.org/
The KidLit Authors Club – Authors from NJ, PA, MD and VA, http://www.kidlitauthorsclub.com/
Teen Authors
A
Maria E. Andreu – The Secret Side of Empty, http://www.mariaeandreu.com
M.C. (Megan) Atwood – The Devils You Know; Ice Cream Summer (children); Stay in the Game, and others, http://mc-atwood.com
B
Karen Bao (born in CA and raised in NJ) – Dove Chronicles series, https://www.karenbao.com
Beth Ann Bauman – Jersey Angel; Rosie and Skate; and Beautiful Girls (Adult); http://bethannbauman.com/
Charlotte Bennardo – Sirenz; www.charlottebennardo.com
Edward Bloor (born in Trenton) – Tangerine; Crusader; Story Time; London Calling; Taken and others; www.edwardbloor.net, ebloor@edwardbloor.net
Kristine Bowe – Seers: a Novel, info@kristinebowe.com
C
Jared Caracciolo – Evan & the Land of Letin: A Heart Afire, http://jcaracciolo.journoportfolio.com
Eireann Corrigan – Splintering; Ordinary Ghosts; Accomplice; You Remind Me of You: a Poetry Memoir
Michelle Courtney – The Garden City Rules: Kat’s Tale, https://www.goodreads.com/MBenn
Sarah Crossan (lived in NJ for some years) – Breathe; Resist; The Weight of Water, Moonrise and others.
E
M. K. England (lived in NJ) – The Disasters, http://www.mkengland.com
F
Robin Friedman – Nothing; The Girlfriend Project; The Importance of Wings; and others, www.robinfriedman.com
G
Margie Gelbwasser – Inconvenient; Pieces of Us, www.margiewrites.com
Alissa Grosso – Popular; Ferocity Summer, http://alissagrosso.com/
H
Sandy Hall – Been Here All Along; Signs Point to Yes; A Little Something Different, www.sandyhallwrites.com
J
Kosoko Jackson (lives in Jersey City, NJ) – Yesterday is History, https://kosokojackson.com
George M. Johnson (grew up in Plainfield, NJ) – We Are Not Broken (publishing Sept. 2021); All Boys Aren’t Blue, https://iamgmjohnson.com
K
Kate Kaynak – Ganzfield Books series: Minder, Adversary, Legacy, Accused, Operative, Soulmate http://www.katekaynak.com/ kate@katekaynak.com
Marc Klein (born in NYC but raised in Margate, NJ) – The In-Between; https://www.marckleinauthor.com/
Bob Krech – Rebound; Love Puppies and Corner Kicks, www.bobkrech.com, bob@bobkrech.com
L
Claire Legrand – Sawkill Girls, Empirium Trilogy: Furyborn, Kingsbane, The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls (children), and others for middle grade and YA, http://www.claire-legrand.com/
David Levithan – Boy Meets Boy; Will Grayson, Will Grayson; Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist; Wide Awake; and many others, http://www.davidlevithan.com
April Lindner – Jane; Love, Lucy; Catherine, http://aprillindnerwrites.blogspot.com/p/about.html
David Lubar (born in NJ, now lives in PA) – Dunk; Sleeping Freshman Never Lie; Hidden Talents and others for children and teens www.davidlubar.com, david@davidlubar.com
M
Megan McCafferty – Bumped; Thumped; Sloppy Firsts; Second Helpings; Charmed Thirds; Fourth Comings; Perfect Fifths, and others, www.meganmccafferty.com/
Joyce McDonald – Swallowing Stones; Shades of Simon Gray; Devil on My Heels; Don’t Cramp My Style: Stories About That “Time” of the Month, and others, www.joycemcdonald.net
Katlin MacHugh – Tormented; Ugly: The Story of a Bullied Girl (middle grade), http://www.KateMacHugh.com
Alfred C. Martino – Pinned; Over the End Line; Perfected by Girls, www.alfredmartino.com, acm7673@msn.com
Wendy Mass – A Mango Shaped Space; Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life; 11 Birthdays; and many others, www.wendymass.com, wendy@wendymass.com
Keri Mikulski (Wildwood, NJ) – Head Games; Screwball; Change Up and others.
Walter Dean Myers (1937 – 2014, Jersey City) – All the Right Stuff; Dopesick; Monster; and many others, www.walterdeanmyers.net
N
Daniel Nayeri – Everything Said is Untrue (a true story), https://www.danielnayeri.com/
Gwyn English Nielsen – From Footlights to Flashlights: Ten Conceptual Plays That Reach and Teach Teens, http://www.gwynenglishnielsen.com
O
Sheri Perl Oshins – The Economics of a Rock Concert, https://newjersey.scbwi.org/author-spotlight/author-spotlight-march-2014-sheri-perl-oshins/
Micol Ostow (born NYC, raised in NJ) – The Day Before (Riverdale); Amity; Family; Emily Goldberg Learns to Salsa; So Punk Rock (and Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother) and others, http://www.micolostow.com
P
Carol Plum-Ucci – Following Christopher Creed; The Body of Christopher Creed; What Happened to Lani Garver; The She; and others, http://carolplumucci.com/, contact info on website.
Q
Michael Quick (born in Philly, raised in NJ) – Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock; Boy21; Sorta Like a Rock Star; The Silver Linings Playbook (Adult) and others matthewquickwriter.com/
R
Sabrina Ramoth – The Bruel Witch series; Souls and Shadows, https://sabrinaramoth.com
Debbie Rigaud (grew up in East Orange, NJ) – Simone Breaks All the Rules and others; https://www.debbierigaud.com/
Ann Rinaldi (August 27, 1934 – July 1, 2021) – The Second Bend in the River; A Break With Charity; Hang A Thousand Trees With Ribbons; and many more. www.annrinaldi.net, Info@annrinaldi.net
Anica Mrose Rissi (Princeton, NJ) – Nobody Knows But You, Always Forever Maybe, http://www.anicarissi.com
Paul Rudnick (born Piscataway, NJ) – It’s All Your Fault; Gorgeous, http://paulrudnick.com/secret/
S
Kieran Scott (aka Kate Brian, Emma Harrison) – Shadowlands & sequel Hereafter; Private & Privilege series; Geek Magnet; She’s So Dead to Us, and its sequels; and others, http://www.kieranscott.net
Nisha Sharma – Radha & Jai’s Recipe for Romance; My So-Called Bollywood Life; and other adult books, https://www.nisha-sharma.com/
Eric Smith (born Elizabeth, NJ) – Jagged Little Pill; You Can Go Your Own Way; Battle of the Bands; Don’t Read the Comments; The Girl and the Grove; The Geek’s Guide to Dating; https://www.ericsmithrocks.com/
V
Yvonne Ventresca – Pandemic; Black Flowers, White Lies, https://yvonneventresca.com
W
J.L. Willow – Missing Her; The Scavenger (Adult), https://jlwillow.com/
G. Willow Wilson (born Morris County, NJ) – Ms. Marvel graphic novel series, and others for adults, https://gwillowwilson.com/
Z
Natalie Zaman – Sirenz, nataliezaman@blogspot.com/, natalie_zaman@yahoo.com
Adult Authors
A
Mitch Albom – Tuesdays With Morrie and others, https://www.mitchalbom.com/
Joel Allegretti – The Plague Psalms; Father Silicon, http://www.joelallegretti.com/
Paul Auster (born in Newark, lives in Brooklyn) – Book of Illusions, and others
B
Amiri Baraka (1934 – 2014) – http://www.amiribaraka.com
Linda J. Barth – Bridgetender’s Boy (children), New Jersey Originals: Technological Marvels, Odd Inventions, Trailblazing Characters and More (Adult) and others for adults, http://www.lindajbarth.com
Christian Bauman (born Easton, grew up in NJ) – http://www.christianbauman.com/
Cathy Bao Bean – The Chopsticks-Fork Principle: A Memoir and Manual, info2@cathybaobean.com, http://www.cathybaobean.com
Thomas Belton – Protecting New Jersey’s Environment: From Cancer Alley to the New Garden State
Peter Benchley (1940 – 2006) – Jaws, and many others
Joseph G. Bilby – New Jersey Goes to War and others
Gordon Bond (Union Township) – North Jersey Legacies: Hidden History from the Gateway to the Skylands (New Jersey); James Parker: A Printer on the Eve of Revolution
Lester R Brown (born in Bridgeton) – World on the Edge: How to Prevent Environmental and Economic Collapse, and many others
Edna Buchanan (born in Paterson, lives in Miami) – A Dark and Lonely Place; The Corpse Had a Familiar Face, and many others, http://www.ednabuchanan.com/
Margaret Thomas Buchholz – New Jersey Shipwrecks: 350 Years in the Graveyard of the Atlantic (2004), and others, www.margaretbuchholz.com, lbipooch@comcast.net
C
Carol Higgins Clark – Regan Reilly series, http://carolhigginsclark.com/
Mary Higgins Clark – www.maryhigginsclark.com/
Mary Jane Clark – To Have and To Kill; Dying for Mercy, and many others http://www.maryjaneclark.com/
Harlan Coben – Stay Close; Live Wire; Caught; Long Lost; Shelter (YA), and many others, http://www.harlancoben.com/
Stephen Colbert (born Washington DC, lives in NJ) – I Am America (And So Can You!) and others
James Fenimore Cooper (1789–1851)
Norman Cousins (1912–90)
Stephen Crane (1871–1900) – The Red Badge of Courage
John T. Cunningham
D
Virginia DeBerry with Donna Grant – What Doesn’t Kill You; Gotta Keep on Trying’; Trying’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made and others, www.deberryandgrant.com, deberryandgrant@gmail.com
Junot Diaz (emigrated to Parlin as a child) – The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, and other works, www.junotdiaz.com, junot@mit.edu
Mark Di Ionno – The Last Newspaperman (A Novel), http://www.plexuspublishing.com
E
Janet Evanovich (born in South River) – Stephanie Plum series and others, www.evanovich.com
F
Frank J. Ferry (Ventnor, NJ) – Nucky: The Real Story of the Atlantic City Boardwalk Boss
Thomas James Fleming – The Perils of Peace; The New Dealers War; Everybody’s Revolution: A New Look at the People Who Won America’s Freedom; Liberty Tavern and others, http://www.thomasflemingwriter.com/
Dorothea Benton Frank – Porch Lights; Lowcountry Summer; Folly Beach, and others http://www.dotfrank.com/index.html
G
Jon Gertner – The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation, jongertner@gmail.com, http://jongertner.net/
Elizabeth Gilbert (born in CT, now lives in NJ) – Eat Pray Love; Committed; The Last American Man, and others, http://www.elizabethgilbert.com
Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997)
H
David A. Hart and John P. Calu – Trenton: a Novel; http://www.trentonthenovel.com/the-authors/
John W. Hartmann (Lawrenceville, NJ) – Jacket: The Trials of a New Jersey Criminal Defense Attorney
Christine Hughes – Three Days of Rain; Operation One Night Stand; and two YA novels (Torn; Darkness Betrayed) https://christine-hughes.com
K
J.M. Kelly – Tommy Ails: Good for What Ails You; In Search of Leadership, or Sailing with Roland; The Lost Treasure, A Bobby Holmes Mystery (children), http://www.jmkellyauthor.com
Christina Baker Kline – Bird in Hand; The Way Life Should Be and others www.christinabakerkline.com
L
Fran Lebowitz – The Fran Lebowitz Reader; Mr. Chas and Lisa Sue Meet the Pandas, and others
Arthur S. Lefkowitz – The Long Retreat: The Calamitous Defense of New Jersey, 1776; George Washington’s Indispensable Men; Bushnell’s Submarine; Benedict Arnold’s Army and many others
Donna Leon (born in NJ, lives in Venice) – Commissario Brunetti novels, and others, www.donnaleon.net/
Sam Lipsyte (born NYC, raised in NJ) – The Ask; Venus Drive; Home Land; Subject Steve, and others
Maxine N. Lurie, Ph.D – Mapping New Jersey: An Evolving Landscape (edited with Peter Wacker and Michael Siegel), The Encyclopedia of New Jersey (edited with Marc Mappen), and A New Jersey Anthology.
M
John McPhee – The Pine Lands; Silk Parachute, and many others
Norman Mailer (1923–2007)
Marc Mappen, Ph.D. – Prohibition Gangsters: The Rise and Fall of a Bad Generation; There’s More to New Jersey Than the Sopranos; Edited with Maxine Lurie, The Encyclopedia of New Jersey; Jerseyana: The Underside of New Jersey History, and more, http://www.marcmappen.com/, mmappen@gmail.com
Wil Mara (Manasquan, NJ) – Fallout; Frame 232; The Gemini Virus; Wave; and many others, including many for young readers; www.wilmara.com
George R. R. Martin (Bayonne, NJ) – A Song of Fire and Ice series (Game of Thrones; A Clash of Kings; A Storm of Swords; A Feast for Crows; A Dance with Dragons; The Winds of Winter (forthcoming); A Dream of Spring (forthcoming)), and many others, http://www.georgerrmartin.com
Patricia A. Martinelli – True Crime: New Jersey; pmartin53@comcast.net
James McBride (lives part-time in NJ) – Deacon King Kong: a Novel; The Good Lord Bird; The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother, and others, https://www.jamesmcbride.com/
Holly Metz (Hoboken, NJ) – Killing the Poormaster: A Sage of Poverty, Corruption, and Murder in the Great Depression, http://www.hollymetz.net/
O
Joyce Carol Oates (born in NY, lived in Princeton) – Mudwoman; A Fair Maiden; A Widow’s Story: A Memoir; Sexy (YA), and many others
P
Dorothy Parker (1893–1967)
Brad Parks – Faces of the Gone; Eyes of the Innocent, http://www.bradparksbooks.com/
Sharon Kay Penman (born NYC, grew up and lives in NJ) – Welsh Princes trilogy (Here Be Dragons; Falls the Shadow; The Reckoning); The Plantagenet series (When Christ and His Saints Slept; Time and Chance; Devil’s Brood; Lionheart; A King’s Ransom); The Sunne in Splendour; The Queen’s Man; and others; http://www.sharonkaypenman.com
Tom Perrotta (born in NJ) – Election; Little Children and many others, www.tomperrotta.net/
Paul Evans Pedersen Jr. – The Legendary Pine Barrens: New Tales from Old Haunts, http://www.plexuspublishing.com
Denine W. Phillips – Don’t Give Up on That Dog!: Raising a Germain Shepherd Dog: The Many Lessons Learned
Danielle Pitter (Avenel, NJ) –Reality Check (poetry book collection), https://www.daniellepitter.com/; https://poetrybooksya.com/
R
Karen F. Riley (New Egypt, NJ) (died April 21, 2013) – Images of America: The Pine Barrens of New Jersey; Voices in the Pines: True Stories from the New Jersey Pine Barrens; Whispers in the Pines: The Secrets of Colliers Mills
Patricia Robinson – Wonderwalks, the Trails of the New Jersey Audubon and the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail.
Michael Aaron Rockland – Looking for American on the NJ Turnpike; What’s Your Exit? A Literary Tour Through NJ, and others.
Phillip Roth (1933 – 2018, Newark, NJ) – American Pastoral; Goodbye Columbus and many others
S
Eileen Harrison Sanchez (lives in NJ) – Freedom Lessons: A Novel; https://www.eileensanchez.com/
Karen L. Schnitzspahn – Jersey Shore Food History: Victorian Feasts to Boardwalk Treats and others
Patti Sheehy (grew up in Yardley, PA, lives in NJ) – The Boy Who Said No: An Escape to Freedom; Stalked, the Boy Who Said No. http://www.pattisheehy.com
Herb Segars (author/photographer) – Beneath the Garden State: Exploring Aquatic New Jersey, hsegars@gotosnapshot.com, http://www.gotosnapshot.com/index.htm
Ntozke Shange (born in NJ) – Some Sing, Some Cry; Betsey Brown, and other works
Ted Sherman and Josh Margolin – The Jersey Sting: A True Story of Crooked Pols, Money-Laundering Rabbis, Black Market Kidneys, and the Informant Who Brought It All Down, tedandjosh@thejerseysting.com
Megan Smolenyak (Haddonfield, NJ) – Who Do You Think You Are? The Essential Guide to Tracing Your Family History; Hey, America Your Roots are Showing, and others http://megansmolenyak.com/contact.html
Jon Stewart – Earth (The Book): A Visitor’s Guide to the Human Race, and others
T
Jayanti Tamm – Cartwheels in a Sari: A Memoir of Growing Up Cult, www.jayantitamm.com
Dr. William Truran – Sussex and Wantage (Images of America series) and others
V
Richard Veit – Stranger Stop and Cast an Eye: New Jersey’s Historic Cemeteries and Graveyards Through Four Centuries (with Mark Nonestied), http://bluehawk.monmouth.edu/~rveit/
W
Mary Walton (Ocean Grove, NJ) – A Woman’s Crusade: Alice Paul and the Battle for the Ballot; Car: A Drama of the American Workplace, http://www.marywaltonwriter.com
Gordon T. Ward – Ghosts of Central Jersey: Historic Haunts of the Somerset Hills, www.gtwservices.com
William Carlos Williams (1883–1963)
Edmund Wilson (1895–1972)
Alexander Woollcott (1887–1943)
Kevin Woyce (Lyndhurst) – Jersey Shore History and Facts, kevinwoyce@hotmail.com, http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/kevinwoyce, www.kevinwoyce.com
Other Resources
For a list of authors in Hunterdon County, see the listing of local authors on the Clinton Book Shop’s website http://www.clintonbookshop.com/local-authors
Wikipedia article on Writers from New Jersey http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Writers_from_New_Jersey
Compiled by
Sharon Rawlins
Youth Services Specialist
Library Development Bureau
New Jersey State Library
srawlins@njstatelib.org