Charles Ardai
Encyclopedia
Charles Ardai is an entrepreneur
, writer
, editor
, and television producer
. He is best known as founder and CEO of Juno
, an Internet company, and founder and editor of Hard Case Crime
, a line of pulp-style paperback crime novels.
Ardai's writing has appeared in mystery magazines such as Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, gaming magazines such as Computer Gaming World
and Electronic Games
, and anthologies such as Best Mysteries of the Year and The Year's Best Horror Stories
. Ardai has also edited numerous short story
collections such as The Return of the Black Widowers, Great Tales of Madness and the Macabre, and Futurecrime.
His first novel, Little Girl Lost, was published in 2004 and was nominated for both the Edgar Allan Poe Award by the Mystery Writers of America
and the Shamus Award
by the Private Eye Writers of America;
his second, Songs of Innocence, was called "an instant classic" by the Washington Post,
selected as one of the best books of the year by Publishers Weekly
,
and won the Shamus Award. Both books were written under the alias Richard Aleas and have been optioned for the movies by Universal Pictures. Ardai previously received a Shamus nomination for the short story Nobody Wins and he received the Edgar Award
in 2007 for the short story The Home Front.
Ardai's third novel, Fifty-to-One, was published in November 2008. It was the fiftieth book in the Hard Case Crime series and the first to be published under Ardai's real name.
His fourth novel, Hunt Through the Cradle of Fear, is part of a pulp adventure series he created in 2009, describing the globetrotting exploits of a modern-day explorer named Gabriel Hunt. Authorship of all the books in this series is credited to Gabriel Hunt himself.
In 2010, he began working as a writer and producer on the SyFy television series Haven
, inspired by the Hard Case Crime novel The Colorado Kid
by Stephen King
. The first episode of Haven aired on July 9, 2010.
In addition to his writing and publishing activities, Ardai serves as a managing director of the D. E. Shaw group. Ardai attended Columbia University
, where he graduated summa cum laude in 1991. He graduated from Hunter College High School
in 1987.
Ardai is married to writer Naomi Novik
. They live in Manhattan.
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
, and television producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
. He is best known as founder and CEO of Juno
Juno Online Services
Juno is an Internet service provider based in the United States. It is a subsidiary of United Online, which also owns NetZero and Kmart's BlueLight internet service.-History:...
, an Internet company, and founder and editor of Hard Case Crime
Hard Case Crime
Hard Case Crime is an American imprint of hardboiled crime novels founded in 2004 by Charles Ardai, also known as the founder of the Internet service Juno Online Services, and Max Phillips....
, a line of pulp-style paperback crime novels.
Biography
A New York native and the son of two Holocaust survivors, he told NPR in a May 2008 interview that the stories his parents told him as a child "were the most grim and frightening that you can imagine" and gave him the impression "there was a darker circle around a very small bit of light," something that enabled him to relate to his own characters' sufferings.Ardai's writing has appeared in mystery magazines such as Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, gaming magazines such as Computer Gaming World
Computer Gaming World
Computer Gaming World was a computer game magazine founded in 1981 by Russell Sipe as a bimonthly publication. Early issues were typically 40-50 pages in length, written in a newsletter style, including submissions by game designers such as Joel Billings , Dan Bunten , and Chris Crawford...
and Electronic Games
Electronic Games
Electronic Games was the first video game magazine published in the United States and ran from 1981 to 1994. It was co-founded by Arnie Katz and Bill Kunkel, and is unrelated to the subsequent Electronic Gaming Monthly.-External links:* *...
, and anthologies such as Best Mysteries of the Year and The Year's Best Horror Stories
The Year's Best Horror Stories
The Year’s Best Horror Stories was a series of annual anthologies published by DAW Books from 1971 to 1994 under the successive editorships of Richard Davis from 1971 to 1973, and, after a two year hiatus, Gerald W. Page from 1976 to 1979, and Karl Edward Wagner from 1980 to 1994. The series was...
. Ardai has also edited numerous short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
collections such as The Return of the Black Widowers, Great Tales of Madness and the Macabre, and Futurecrime.
His first novel, Little Girl Lost, was published in 2004 and was nominated for both the Edgar Allan Poe Award by 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....
and the Shamus Award
Shamus Award
The Shamus Award is awarded by the Private Eye Writers of America for the best detective fiction genre novels and short stories of the year....
by the Private Eye Writers of America;
his second, Songs of Innocence, was called "an instant classic" by the Washington Post,
selected as one of the best books of the year by Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
,
and won the Shamus Award. Both books were written under the alias Richard Aleas and have been optioned for the movies by Universal Pictures. Ardai previously received a Shamus nomination for the short story Nobody Wins and he received the Edgar Award
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
in 2007 for the short story The Home Front.
Ardai's third novel, Fifty-to-One, was published in November 2008. It was the fiftieth book in the Hard Case Crime series and the first to be published under Ardai's real name.
His fourth novel, Hunt Through the Cradle of Fear, is part of a pulp adventure series he created in 2009, describing the globetrotting exploits of a modern-day explorer named Gabriel Hunt. Authorship of all the books in this series is credited to Gabriel Hunt himself.
In 2010, he began working as a writer and producer on the SyFy television series Haven
Haven (TV series)
Haven is a supernatural drama television series loosely based on the Stephen King novel The Colorado Kid. The show, filmed on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, Canada, is an American/Canadian co-production. The one-hour drama premiered on July 9, 2010, on Syfy...
, inspired by the Hard Case Crime novel The Colorado Kid
The Colorado Kid
The Colorado Kid is a mystery novel written by Stephen King for the Hard Case Crime imprint, published in 2005. The book was issued in one paperback-only edition by the specialty crime and mystery publishing house. The third-person narrative concerns the investigation of the body of an...
by Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
. The first episode of Haven aired on July 9, 2010.
In addition to his writing and publishing activities, Ardai serves as a managing director of the D. E. Shaw group. Ardai attended Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, where he graduated summa cum laude in 1991. He graduated from Hunter College High School
Hunter College High School
Hunter College High School is a New York City secondary school for intellectually gifted students located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. It is administered by Hunter College, a senior college of the City University of New York. Although it is not operated by the New York City Department of...
in 1987.
Ardai is married to writer Naomi Novik
Naomi Novik
Naomi Novik is an American novelist. She is a first-generation American; her father is of Lithuanian Jewish ancestry, and her mother is an ethnic Pole. She studied English Literature at Brown University, and holds a Master's degree in Computer Science from Columbia University...
. They live in Manhattan.