Chelsea Cain
Encyclopedia
Chelsea Snow Cain was born February 5, 1972 in Iowa City, Iowa
, to Mary Cain and Larry Schmidt.
, where she attended Lowell Elementary School, Fairhaven Middle School and Sehome High School
. She spent the school year in Bellingham with her mother and the summers in Florida
with her father and stepmother and stepbrother.
Cain left Bellingham after high school to study political science at the University of California
at Irvine, where she wrote for the New University newspaper and became the opinion editor. After graduating in 1994, she attended the graduate school of journalism at the University of Iowa
.
While at Iowa, she wrote a weekly column for The Daily Iowan. Her master’s thesis at the University of Iowa became Dharma Girl, a memoir about Cain's early childhood on the hippie commune. One of her professors presented it to several editors for review, and Seal Press picked it up as Cain's first published work. She was 24 years old.
She traveled across the United States on book tour with Dharma Girl, living for a brief period in Portland, Oregon
and then in New York City. After a year stint in New York, she returned to Portland, and edited an anthology for Seal Press titled Wild Child: Girlhoods in the Counterculture.
, 2004), Confessions of a Teen Sleuth (Bloomsbury
, 2005), and Does this Cape Make Me Look Fat? Pop-Psychology for Superheroes (Chronicle Books, 2006), which Cain co-wrote with her husband. Cain also composed a weekly column for Portland’s alternative newspaper, The Portland Mercury
, and started contributing to Portland’s major daily, The Oregonian
in 2003 when she left marketing behind to focus on writing full-time. Her last column with The Oregonian was posted on December 28, 2008.
She wrote her first thriller Heartsick in 2004, while pregnant with her daughter. It was published on September 4, 2007, and was an instant New York Times Bestseller. Sweetheart and Evil at Heart, the second and third in the series, respectively, are also New York Times bestsellers.
Cain is married to Marc Mohan, a video store owner and film reviewer for The Oregonian. They have one daughter, Eliza.
Cain and her family currently reside in Portland, Oregon.
She was also nominated for the British ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards
, in the Breakthrough Author category, and a featured alternate for Book of the Month Club
, Literary Guild, Doubleday Book Club, Mystery Guild, QPB.
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, to Mary Cain and Larry Schmidt.
Early life
Cain spent her early childhood on a hippie commune outside of Iowa City. Her father resisted the Vietnam draft and her parents lived underground for several years. In 1978, she moved with her mother to Bellingham, WashingtonBellingham, Washington
Bellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the twelfth-largest city in the state. Situated on Bellingham Bay, Bellingham is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia...
, where she attended Lowell Elementary School, Fairhaven Middle School and Sehome High School
Sehome High School
Sehome High School is a public school in Bellingham, Washington, located approximately north of Seattle and south of Vancouver, B.C.. The school serves students mainly from the western and southwestern sections of the City of Bellingham and is a part of the Bellingham School...
. She spent the school year in Bellingham with her mother and the summers in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
with her father and stepmother and stepbrother.
Cain left Bellingham after high school to study political science at the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
at Irvine, where she wrote for the New University newspaper and became the opinion editor. After graduating in 1994, she attended the graduate school of journalism at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
.
While at Iowa, she wrote a weekly column for The Daily Iowan. Her master’s thesis at the University of Iowa became Dharma Girl, a memoir about Cain's early childhood on the hippie commune. One of her professors presented it to several editors for review, and Seal Press picked it up as Cain's first published work. She was 24 years old.
She traveled across the United States on book tour with Dharma Girl, living for a brief period in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
and then in New York City. After a year stint in New York, she returned to Portland, and edited an anthology for Seal Press titled Wild Child: Girlhoods in the Counterculture.
Career
After working as a Creative Director at a PR firm in Portland for several years, Cain began writing humor books in her spare time, including The Hippie Handbook: How to Tie-Dye a T-Shirt, Flash a Peace Sign, and Other Essential Skills for the Carefree Life (Chronicle BooksChronicle Books
Chronicle Books is a San Francisco-based American publisher of books for adults and children.The company was established in 1968 by Phelps Dewey, an executive with Chronicle Publishing Company, then-publisher of the San Francisco Chronicle. In 1999 it was bought by Nion McEvoy, great-grandson of...
, 2004), Confessions of a Teen Sleuth (Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury
-Places:* Bloomsbury is an area in central London.* Bloomsbury , related local government unit* Bloomsbury, New Jersey, New Jersey, USA* Bloomsbury , listed on the NRHP in Maryland...
, 2005), and Does this Cape Make Me Look Fat? Pop-Psychology for Superheroes (Chronicle Books, 2006), which Cain co-wrote with her husband. Cain also composed a weekly column for Portland’s alternative newspaper, The Portland Mercury
The Portland Mercury
The Portland Mercury is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Portland, Oregon. It serves to chronicle the ever-changing Portland music scene, and generally includes interviews, commentaries, reviews, and concert dates...
, and started contributing to Portland’s major daily, The Oregonian
The Oregonian
The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...
in 2003 when she left marketing behind to focus on writing full-time. Her last column with The Oregonian was posted on December 28, 2008.
She wrote her first thriller Heartsick in 2004, while pregnant with her daughter. It was published on September 4, 2007, and was an instant New York Times Bestseller. Sweetheart and Evil at Heart, the second and third in the series, respectively, are also New York Times bestsellers.
Cain is married to Marc Mohan, a video store owner and film reviewer for The Oregonian. They have one daughter, Eliza.
Cain and her family currently reside in Portland, Oregon.
Accolades
- Named Best Fiction of 2009...So Far by Amazon, Evil at Heart
- Booklist STARRED Review, Evil at Heart
- Named 6th Best Book of the Year (2008) by Stephen King in Entertainment Weekly, Heartsick and Sweetheart
- Amazon Mystery/Thriller of 2007 for Heartsick
- Named one of Four Hot Authors for Fall 2007 by Entertainment Weekly
- Heartsick optioned as a Major Motion Picture in September 2007
- Booksense 76 Pick for Heartsick
- Barnes & Noble Developing Writer Pick for Heartsick
- NYTBR Editor’s Choice for Heartsick and Confessions of a Teen Sleuth: A Parody
- Heartsick translated into over 20 languages
- Sweetheart translated into 13 languages and counting
She was also nominated for the British ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards
ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards
The Crime Thriller Awards is a British awards ceremony dedicated to crime thriller fiction. The inaugural event was held on 3 October 2008 at the Grosvenor Hotel, hosted by comedian and Jonathan Creek actor Alan Davies. It was televised on ITV3 on 6 October...
, in the Breakthrough Author category, and a featured alternate for Book of the Month Club
Book of the Month Club
The Book of the Month Club is a United States mail-order book sales club that offers a new book each month to customers.The Book of the Month Club is part of a larger company that runs many book clubs in the United States and Canada. It was formerly the flagship club of Book-of-the-Month Club, Inc...
, Literary Guild, Doubleday Book Club, Mystery Guild, QPB.