Authors and Illustrators Born in or Associated with New Jersey

An exhaustive, but on-going, list of authors and illustrators born in or associated with the state of New Jersey.

Disclaimer
This list is an informational resource of published and contemporary authors, poets, and illustrators who were born in, have lived in, or currently live in New Jersey.

Inclusion in this list does not constitute an endorsement by the NJ State Library. This list contains links to other sites. When you follow a link to another site, you are no longer on the NJ State Library website and are subject to the privacy policies and other practices of the new site.

Please notify us if there is an issue with a site linked from this list. If you are a NJ author/illustrator interested in being included in this list, email Sharon Rawlins at youthservices@njstatelib.org.

Additional Resources

For additional authors see: The NJ Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, https://www.scbwi.org/regions/newjersey

Wikipedia article on Writers from New Jersey http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Writers_from_New_Jersey

Children’s Authors/Illustrators

A

Alliah L. Agostini (Lives in NJ) – Great Idea, Malia! Alliah L. Agostini | Author

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/

Melissa Prince-Barry (Livingston, NJ ) – A Family Full of Love https://www.melissaprincebarry.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

Ben Brashares (Montclair, NJ) – Westfallen; Being Edie Is Hard Today; The Great Whipplethorp Bug Collection https://www.facebook.com/ben.brashares/

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

Melissa A Campesi (lives in NJ) – Imagine Song; I am an English-Language Learner https://www.melissacampesi.com/

Gina and Annette Cascone – Deadtime Stories for Kids series, http://www.agcascone.com

Olivia de Castro (Verona, NJ) illustrator – Great Idea, Malia! Olivia DE CASTRO — The CAT Agency

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

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://melanieconklin.substack.com/

Britteny Cooper  (lives in NJ) Mama Says I’m Fine (out 5/5/26); Stand Up! 10 Mighty Women Who Made a Change https://womens-studies.rutgers.edu/people/core-faculty?view=article&id=572:cooper-brittney&catid=66:core-faculty

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

Jay Cooper (Maplewood, NJ) – illustrated Bot: the Most Annoying Robots in the Universe; https://www.jaycooperbooks.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. https://www.sharoncreech.com/

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

Paul Czajak (Farmingdale, NJ) – Monster and Me series; Trees Make Perfect Pets: A Story About Nature, Plants And Gardening For Kids and others https://www.paulczajak.com/

D

Debbie Dadey (Furlong, PA) – Mermaid Tales series; Keyholders series; Bailey School Kids series; and others, http://www.debbiedadey.com/ dsdadey@aol.com

Arielle D. Dance (West Orange, NJ ) – Dearest One www.drarielledance.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

Mike Dawson (Author/Illustrator) – The Fifth Quarter; The Fifth Quarter: Hard Court (graphic novels), https://mikedawsoncomics.com/

Lorraine Dey (Illustrator) – A Sweater for Duncan; The Rain Forest Party, www.deystudio.com, info@deystudio.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

Tova Friedman (Highland Park, NJ ) – The Daughter of Auschwitz

G

Donna Gephart (lives in South Jersey) – Abby, Tried and True; The Paris Project; In Your Shoes; Lily and Dunkin; Death by Toilet Paper; How to Survive Middle School; and others https://www.lonnilanemarketing.com/contact/

Jon Gibbs (lives in NJ) – Abraham Lincoln Stole my Homework; Fur-Face and others www.jongibbs.org

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

Jennifer L. Grazioso (lives in NJ) – Lucy Lu, Where Are You? https://www.facebook.com/LucyLuWhereAreYouSeries/

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/ 

Margaret Gurevich (Fair Lawn, NJ) – Yasha’s Amazin’ Bar Mitzvah; Ain’t It Funny and others https://margiewrites.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

Harry Harvey (Jersey Shore) – The Summer My Grandmother’s Yard Tried to Kill Me  https://www.harryharveyauthor.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

Nancy B. Kennedy (Hopewell Borough, NJ) – Women Win the Vote! 19 for the 19th Amendment www.nancybkennedy.com 

Nadia Khan (Nutley, NJ) – Zoey Wonders Why https://www.zoeywonderswhy.com  

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

Andrea J. Loney – Abby in Orbit series  http://andreajloney.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/

Dawn Maloney (Belleville, NJ) – The Sandcastle; The Big Blue Fish Books By Dawn Maloney – Dawn Til Dusk Cosmetics

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.com

Patricia 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.net

Sharee 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

Liz Montague (lives in NJ) – School for Unusual Magic series; Maybe an Artist; Camp Frenemies series; Jackie Ormes Draws the Future https://lizatlarge.org/

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.denisemortensenart.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, https://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.

Mary Beth Paradise (Lives in NJ) – Beach Santa https://www.mbparadise.com/ 

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

Jason Linwood Patterson (Montclair, NJ) – Blue, Barry & Pancakes series https://www.danandjason.net/ 

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

Lisa Rogers (Born in Long Branch, grew up in West Long Branch, NJ) – Woody’s Words: Woodrow Wilson Rawls and Where the Red Fern Grows; 16 Words: William Carlos Williams and “The Red Wheelbarrow”; Hound Won’t Go, and others. lisarogerswrites.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

Andria W. Rosenbaum (lives in NJ) – Our Class is a Country https://www.andriawarmflashrosenbaum.com/index.htm

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

Jaclyn Sinquett (Brick, NJ, Illustrator) – I Love Blueberries!; Meatballs for Grandpa; Proud Mouse; Loud Mouse; How to Get Your Octopus to School and others https://www.jaclynsinquett.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

Kate Szegda (NJ Native) – Pharmacy Girl kate@kateszegda.com

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, 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; email 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

Teen Authors

A 

Charity Alyse (lilves in NJ) – Other Side of the Tracks https://www.austensshelf.com/

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.

D

Jennifer Salvato Doktorski (lives in NJ) – Finding Normal; The Summer After You and Me; Famous Last Words and others https://jendoktorski.com/

E

M. K. England (lived in NJ) – The Disasters, http://www.mkengland.com

F

Kristina Forest (lives in NJ) – Heartsick, Zyla & Kai  and others https://www.kristinaforest.com/

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

Erica George (lives in NJ) – Witty in Pink; The Edge of Summer and Words Composed of Sea and Sky. https://ericageorgewrites.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

Ava Reid (raised in Hoboken, NJ) – A Theory of Dreaming;  Fable for the End of the World; A Study in Drowning and others https://avasreid.tumblr.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/

T

Talia Tucker Solo Stan; Rules for Rule Breaking  https://www.talia-tucker.com/, email talia@talia-tucker.com

Pryanka Taslim (lives in NJ) – The Love Match; Always Be My Bibi https://priyankataslim.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, https://www.thomasflemingwriter.com/

Dorothea Benton Frank – Porch Lights; Lowcountry Summer; Folly Beach, and others http://www.dotfrank.com/index.html

G

Debra Galant (Glen Ridge, NJ) – Fear and Yoga in New Jersey https://us.macmillan.com/author/debragalant

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)

Ron Goldberg (Paterson native) – Next Year In Paterson: Tales of the Great Assimilations https://rongoldbergauthor.com/

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

Yoojin Grace Wuertz (Princeton, NJ) – Everything Belongs to Us https://yoojingracewuertz.com/bio-yoojin-grace-wuertz/