Alex Kava
Encyclopedia
Alex Kava is an American author
of psychological suspense
novel
s.
Growing up in the country of Silver Creek
, Nebraska
, Sharon Kava fantasized about becoming a writer. Her parents, although they understood the value of education, had a tremendous work ethic. Reading was seen as frivolous unless required as schoolwork. As a teenager, Kava wrote short stories on the backs of calendars, sharing them only with her younger brother and hiding them in a shoe box under her bed.
Kava earned an art scholarship to attend college. To pay living expenses, she worked in a nearby hospital’s central supply department collecting and sterilizing all of the basins, instruments, and equipment from surgery, pathology and the morgue. In 1982 she graduated magna cum laude from College of Saint Mary
in Omaha
, Nebraska
with a B.A.
in art
and English
.
After graduating, Kava held a variety of jobs, mostly in advertising
and marketing
. Starting her own graphic design
firm, Square one, she designed food packages and logos for national corporations, wrote brochures and newsletters, created a line of greeting card
s and directed TV and radio commercials. In 1992 she returned to her alma mater as its director of public relations.
Kava quit her public relations position in the summer of 1996, wanting to dedicate more time to writing fiction and getting published. To pay the bills, she resurrected Square One, refinanced her home, maxed out her credit cards, and even took on a newspaper delivery route. Her first novel was published in 2000. At that time, she chose to use the first name "Alex" professionally in order to disguise her gender, though she now includes photos and other identifying information on book jackets and in publicity materials.
Alex Kava is a member of the Mystery Writers of America
, Sisters in Crime
, and International Thriller Writers
. Her books have sold over 3 million copies worldwide. She is published in 22 countries and has made the Best Selling Lists of the following countries: Poland, Australia, Germany,the United Kingdom, and Italy.
Maggie O'Dell
Stand-Alones & Short Stories
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of psychological suspense
Suspense
Suspense is a feeling of uncertainty and anxiety about the outcome of certain actions, most often referring to an audience's perceptions in a dramatic work. Suspense is not exclusive to fiction, though. Suspense may operate in any situation where there is a lead-up to a big event or dramatic...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s.
Growing up in the country of Silver Creek
Silver Creek
-United States:*Silver Creek, Alpine County, California, a former settlement in Alpine County*Silver Creek, Plumas County, California, a former settlement in Plumas County...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, Sharon Kava fantasized about becoming a writer. Her parents, although they understood the value of education, had a tremendous work ethic. Reading was seen as frivolous unless required as schoolwork. As a teenager, Kava wrote short stories on the backs of calendars, sharing them only with her younger brother and hiding them in a shoe box under her bed.
Kava earned an art scholarship to attend college. To pay living expenses, she worked in a nearby hospital’s central supply department collecting and sterilizing all of the basins, instruments, and equipment from surgery, pathology and the morgue. In 1982 she graduated magna cum laude from College of Saint Mary
College of Saint Mary
College of Saint Mary is a Catholic women's college located in Omaha, Nebraska. , there were 820 undergraduates and 243 graduate students.The academic programs at Saint Mary are primarily career-focused, with majors offered in fields such as medical technology, business administration, and nursing....
in Omaha
Omaha
Omaha may refer to:*Omaha , a Native American tribe that currently resides in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Nebraska-Places:United States* Omaha, Nebraska* Omaha, Arkansas* Omaha, Georgia* Omaha, Illinois* Omaha, Texas...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
with a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
and English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
.
After graduating, Kava held a variety of jobs, mostly in advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
and marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
. Starting her own graphic design
Graphic design
Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
firm, Square one, she designed food packages and logos for national corporations, wrote brochures and newsletters, created a line of greeting card
Greeting card
A greeting card is an illustrated, folded card featuring an expression of friendship or other sentiment. Although greeting cards are usually given on special occasions such as birthdays, Christmas or other holidays, they are also sent to convey thanks or express other feeling. Greeting cards,...
s and directed TV and radio commercials. In 1992 she returned to her alma mater as its director of public relations.
Kava quit her public relations position in the summer of 1996, wanting to dedicate more time to writing fiction and getting published. To pay the bills, she resurrected Square One, refinanced her home, maxed out her credit cards, and even took on a newspaper delivery route. Her first novel was published in 2000. At that time, she chose to use the first name "Alex" professionally in order to disguise her gender, though she now includes photos and other identifying information on book jackets and in publicity materials.
Alex Kava is a member of the Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America is an organization for mystery writers, based in New York.The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday....
, Sisters in Crime
Sisters in Crime
Sisters in Crime is an organization that has 3,600 members in 48 chapters world-wide, offering networking, advice and support to mystery authors. Members are authors, readers, publishers, agents, booksellers and librarians bound by their affection for the mystery genre and their support of women...
, and International Thriller Writers
International Thriller Writers
International Thriller Writers, Inc., was founded October 9, 2004, at a meeting at Bouchercon World Mystery and Suspense Conference in Toronto, Canada. Six months later, some 150 authors with more than one billion books sold worldwide had joined the organization as founding members.Co-founders...
. Her books have sold over 3 million copies worldwide. She is published in 22 countries and has made the Best Selling Lists of the following countries: Poland, Australia, Germany,the United Kingdom, and Italy.
Books
Alex Kava's novels include her series with FBI Profiler Maggie O'Dell as well as other stand alone stories. Kava is fascinated with true life crimes and includes details from her various crime expert sources. She was the Guest of Honor at the Mayhem In The Midlands 2008 Mystery Conference, held in Omaha, NE.Maggie O'Dell
- A Perfect Evil (2000)
- Split Second (2001)
- The Soul Catcher (2002)
- At the Stroke of Madness (2003)
- A Necessary Evil (2006)
- Exposed (October 2008)
- Black Friday (September 2009)
- Damaged (July 2010)
- Hot Wire (July 2011)
Stand-Alones & Short Stories
- One False Move (2004) (One Book One Nebraska Reads Project for 2006)
- Goodnight, Sweet Mother in Thriller (2006) (anthology including a short story by Alex Kava)
- Whitewash (May 2007)
External links
- Official website with newsletter and contests.
- Alex Kava at the Internet Book List http://www.iblist.com