Jacquelyn Mitchard
Encyclopedia
Jacquelyn Mitchard is an American
journalist and author.
She is the author of the best-selling novel The Deep End of the Ocean
, which was the first selection for Oprah's Book Club
, on September 17, 1996. Other books by Mitchard include The Breakdown Lane, Twelve Times Blessed, Christmas, Present, A Theory of Relativity
, The Most Wanted, Cage of Stars
, No Time to Wave Goodbye, Second Nature - A Love Story, and Still Summer.
, Illinois
, Mitchard is the daughter of a plumber and a retail clerk. She studied creative writing for three semesters under Mark Costello
(author of The Murphy Stories) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
.
She became a newspaper reporter in 1979, eventually achieving a position as lifestyle columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
newspaper. Her weekly column, The Rest of Us: Dispatches from the Mother Ship, appeared in 125 newspapers nationwide until she retired it in 2007. Mitchard is a contributing editor for PARADE
, and Wondertime
, and is featured regularly in Reader's Digest
, Good Housekeeping
, Hallmark, Real Simple, More Magazine, and other publications.
Mitchard married Dan Allegretti, a reporter for The Capital Times, and the couple had three children (Robert, Daniel, and Martin). Dan also had a daughter, Jocelyn, from a previous marriage. After 13 years of marriage, Allegretti died of cancer at the age of 45 in 1993.
After the death of Allegretti, while working freelance for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and a part-time public relations position at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
, she started writing her first novel, The Deep End of the Ocean
. The idea for the story had come to her in a dream in the summer of 1993. She is an alum and distinguished fellow of the Ragdale Foundation
, an artist's colony in Lake Forest, Illinois
, where she went to write the first two chapters on the encouragement of author Jane Hamilton
. After finishing the first six chapters, 70 pages, she received a contract with Viking Press
in December 1994, for that book and a second one to be written later (The Most Wanted).
Bolstered by being featured by Oprah, the novel sold close to 3 million copies by May 1998. It has been Mitchard's only #1 New York Times Bestseller, on the list for 29 weeks, including 13 weeks at number 1. The book had originally reached number 14, but after being selected by Winfrey, sales jumped. The paperback would spend 16 weeks on the list. The film rights were sold to Mandalay
Entertainment, and the story later became a feature film starring Michelle Pfeiffer
.
But all of her other novels have been bestsellers as well as garnering critical acclaim—particularly for The Most Wanted, Cage of Stars and The Breakdown Lane. The Most Wanted was nominated for Britain's Orange Prize for Fiction
and Cage of Stars for Britain's Spread The Word Prize.
In 2004 Mitchard published her first book for children and young adults. Her first children's picture book, Baby Bat's Lullaby, appeared in 2004 from HarperChildren's. Her two middle-grade novels, also published by HarperChildren's, Starring Prima!: The Mouse of the Ballet Jolie, and Rosalie, My Rosalie: The Tale of a Duckling appeared in 2004 and 2005. Her second children's picture book, Ready, Set , School!, appeared in 2007.
Now You See Her, Mitchard's first Young Adult novel, was published in 2007 by HarperTeen. All We Know of Heaven (HarperTeen) appeared in spring 2008, and the first in a series of Young Adult mysteries, The Midnight Twins (Razorbill/Penguin), based on the bewildering clairvoyant gift of twins Mallory and Meredith Brynn, debuted in summer 2008.
Mitchard lives south of Madison, Wisconsin
, on 110 acre (0.4451546 km²) of farmland now planted as prairie, with her husband, Christopher Brent (an artist-carpenter) and their nine children: Rob, Dan, Marty, Francie, Maria, Will, Atticus, Merit, and Marta.
Mitchard and local thespian J. Patrick performed together in the theatre play Love Letters by A.R. Gurney at the Performing Arts Center at Oregon High School in 1999. She performed as Mrs. Cratchit in the CTM production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalist and author.
She is the author of the best-selling novel The Deep End of the Ocean
The Deep End of the Ocean
The Deep End of the Ocean is a best-selling novel by Jacquelyn Mitchard, released in 1996. It is about an American middle class, suburban family that is torn apart when the youngest son is kidnapped and raised by a mentally ill woman, until he appears at the frontdoor step of his real mother and...
, which was the first selection for Oprah's Book Club
Oprah's Book Club
Oprah's Book Club was a book discussion club segment of the American talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show, highlighting books chosen by host Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey started the book club in 1996, selecting a new novel for viewers to read and discuss each month. The Club ended its 15-year run, along with...
, on September 17, 1996. Other books by Mitchard include The Breakdown Lane, Twelve Times Blessed, Christmas, Present, A Theory of Relativity
A Theory of Relativity
A Theory of Relativity is a 2001 novel written by American author Jacquelyn Mitchard. The book tells the story of a custody battle for a young girl following the sudden death of her parents.-Plot summary:...
, The Most Wanted, Cage of Stars
Cage of Stars
Cage of Stars is a 2006 best-selling novel by Jacquelyn Mitchard.-Summary:Young Veronica Swan's idyllic life in her Mormon community is shattered when her two younger sisters are brutally murdered by the schizophrenic Scott Early...
, No Time to Wave Goodbye, Second Nature - A Love Story, and Still Summer.
Biography
Born and raised in a suburb of ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Mitchard is the daughter of a plumber and a retail clerk. She studied creative writing for three semesters under Mark Costello
Mark Costello (author)
Mark Costello, a native of Decatur, Illinois, is the author of the story collections The Murphy Stories , which won the St. Lawrence Award for Short Fiction, and Middle Murphy...
(author of The Murphy Stories) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
.
She became a newspaper reporter in 1979, eventually achieving a position as lifestyle columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. It is the primary newspaper in Milwaukee, the largest newspaper in Wisconsin and is distributed widely throughout the state...
newspaper. Her weekly column, The Rest of Us: Dispatches from the Mother Ship, appeared in 125 newspapers nationwide until she retired it in 2007. Mitchard is a contributing editor for PARADE
Parade (magazine)
Parade is an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 500 newspapers in the United States. It was founded in 1941 and is owned by Advance Publications. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., Parade has a circulation of 32.2 million and a readership of nearly 70...
, and Wondertime
Wondertime
Wondertime magazine was published 10 times annually by Disney Publishing Worldwide. Launched in 2006, the magazine offered developmental information, parenting advice, learning activities, and perspectives on bringing up children. Wondertime was portrayed as a child-raising companion.Printed...
, and is featured regularly in Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
, Good Housekeeping
Good Housekeeping
Good Housekeeping is a women's magazine owned by the Hearst Corporation, featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, health as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good Housekeeping Seal," popularly known as the...
, Hallmark, Real Simple, More Magazine, and other publications.
Mitchard married Dan Allegretti, a reporter for The Capital Times, and the couple had three children (Robert, Daniel, and Martin). Dan also had a daughter, Jocelyn, from a previous marriage. After 13 years of marriage, Allegretti died of cancer at the age of 45 in 1993.
After the death of Allegretti, while working freelance for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and a part-time public relations position at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
, she started writing her first novel, The Deep End of the Ocean
The Deep End of the Ocean
The Deep End of the Ocean is a best-selling novel by Jacquelyn Mitchard, released in 1996. It is about an American middle class, suburban family that is torn apart when the youngest son is kidnapped and raised by a mentally ill woman, until he appears at the frontdoor step of his real mother and...
. The idea for the story had come to her in a dream in the summer of 1993. She is an alum and distinguished fellow of the Ragdale Foundation
Ragdale
Ragdale is the summer retreat of Chicago architect Howard Van Doren Shaw, located in Lake Forest, Illinois. It is also the home of the Ragdale Foundation...
, an artist's colony in Lake Forest, Illinois
Lake Forest, Illinois
Lake Forest is an affluent city located in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The city is south of Waukegan along the shore of Lake Michigan, and is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the North Shore. Lake Forest was founded around Lake Forest College and was laid out as a town in...
, where she went to write the first two chapters on the encouragement of author Jane Hamilton
Jane Hamilton
Jane Hamilton is an American novelist.Hamilton lives in Rochester, Wisconsin. She grew up in Oak Park, Illinois, the youngest of five children. She graduated from Carleton College in 1979 as an English major. Her first published works were short stories, "My Own Earth" and "Aunt Marj's Happy...
. After finishing the first six chapters, 70 pages, she received a contract with Viking Press
Viking Press
Viking Press is an American publishing company owned by the Penguin Group, which has owned the company since 1975. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim...
in December 1994, for that book and a second one to be written later (The Most Wanted).
Bolstered by being featured by Oprah, the novel sold close to 3 million copies by May 1998. It has been Mitchard's only #1 New York Times Bestseller, on the list for 29 weeks, including 13 weeks at number 1. The book had originally reached number 14, but after being selected by Winfrey, sales jumped. The paperback would spend 16 weeks on the list. The film rights were sold to Mandalay
Mandalay
Mandalay is the second-largest city and the last royal capital of Burma. Located north of Yangon on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, the city has a population of one million, and is the capital of Mandalay Region ....
Entertainment, and the story later became a feature film starring Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Marie Pfeiffer is an American actress. She made her film debut in 1980 in The Hollywood Knights, but first garnered mainstream attention with her performance in Brian De Palma's Scarface . Pfeiffer has won numerous awards for her work...
.
But all of her other novels have been bestsellers as well as garnering critical acclaim—particularly for The Most Wanted, Cage of Stars and The Breakdown Lane. The Most Wanted was nominated for Britain's Orange Prize for Fiction
Orange Prize for Fiction
The Orange Prize for Fiction is one of the United Kingdom's most prestigious literary prizes, annually awarded to a female author of any nationality for the best original full-length novel written in English, and published in the United Kingdom in the preceding year...
and Cage of Stars for Britain's Spread The Word Prize.
In 2004 Mitchard published her first book for children and young adults. Her first children's picture book, Baby Bat's Lullaby, appeared in 2004 from HarperChildren's. Her two middle-grade novels, also published by HarperChildren's, Starring Prima!: The Mouse of the Ballet Jolie, and Rosalie, My Rosalie: The Tale of a Duckling appeared in 2004 and 2005. Her second children's picture book, Ready, Set , School!, appeared in 2007.
Now You See Her, Mitchard's first Young Adult novel, was published in 2007 by HarperTeen. All We Know of Heaven (HarperTeen) appeared in spring 2008, and the first in a series of Young Adult mysteries, The Midnight Twins (Razorbill/Penguin), based on the bewildering clairvoyant gift of twins Mallory and Meredith Brynn, debuted in summer 2008.
Mitchard lives south of Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, on 110 acre (0.4451546 km²) of farmland now planted as prairie, with her husband, Christopher Brent (an artist-carpenter) and their nine children: Rob, Dan, Marty, Francie, Maria, Will, Atticus, Merit, and Marta.
Mitchard and local thespian J. Patrick performed together in the theatre play Love Letters by A.R. Gurney at the Performing Arts Center at Oregon High School in 1999. She performed as Mrs. Cratchit in the CTM production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
.
One Writer's Place
Hoping to create a place for women and men in disadvantaged circumstances created by divorce or widowhood, in 2007 Mitchard founded One Writer's Place, a residence dedicated to healing through creativity. Though a successful endeavor, One Writer's Place was closed in the spring of 2011.For Adults
- Non-fiction/biography:
- 1985: Mother Less Child — (W.W. Norton & Co.)
- Fiction:
- 1996: The Deep End of the OceanThe Deep End of the OceanThe Deep End of the Ocean is a best-selling novel by Jacquelyn Mitchard, released in 1996. It is about an American middle class, suburban family that is torn apart when the youngest son is kidnapped and raised by a mentally ill woman, until he appears at the frontdoor step of his real mother and...
— (Viking Press) - 1998: The Most Wanted — (Viking Press)
- 2001: A Theory of RelativityA Theory of RelativityA Theory of Relativity is a 2001 novel written by American author Jacquelyn Mitchard. The book tells the story of a custody battle for a young girl following the sudden death of her parents.-Plot summary:...
— (HarperCollins) - 2003: Christmas, Present — (HarperCollins)
- 2003: Twelve Times Blessed — (HarperCollins)
- 2005: The Breakdown Lane — (HarperCollins)
- 2006: Cage of StarsCage of StarsCage of Stars is a 2006 best-selling novel by Jacquelyn Mitchard.-Summary:Young Veronica Swan's idyllic life in her Mormon community is shattered when her two younger sisters are brutally murdered by the schizophrenic Scott Early...
— (Warner Books; ISBN 9780446578752) - 2007: Still Summer — (Warner Books; ISBN 9780446578769)
- 2009: No Time to Wave Goodbye — (Random House; ISBN 9781400067749)
- 2011: Second Nature: A Love Story - (Random House; ISBN 9781400067756)
- 1996: The Deep End of the Ocean
For Young Adults
- Non-Fiction/biography:
- 1992: Jane Addams: Pioneer in Social Reform and Activist for World Peace — (Gareth Stevens Children's Books)
- Fiction:
- 2007: Now You See Her — (HarperCollins)
- 2008: All We Know of Heaven — (HarperTeen)
- 2008: The Midnight Twins — (Razorbill)
- 2009: Look Both Ways — (Razorbill)
- 2010: Watch For Me By The Moonlight (Razorbill)
For Children
- 2004: Baby Bat's Lullaby — (with Julia Noonan; HarperCollins)
- 2004: Starring Prima!: The Mouse of the Ballet Jolie — (with Tricia Tusa; HarperCollins)
- 2005: Rosalie, My Rosalie: The Tale of a Duckling — (with John Bendall-Brunello; HarperCollins)
- 2007: Ready, Set, School! — (with Paul Rátz de Tagyos; HarperCollins)
Essays
A sought-after essayist, Mitchard's essays have appeared in:- Non-fiction/collection of essays:
- 1997: The Rest of Us: Dispatches From the Mother Ship — (Viking Press; ISBN 9780670876624)
- In other collections:
- 2005: A Love Like No Other: Stories from Adoptive Parents, edited by Pamela Kruger and Jill Smolowe (Riverhead)
- 2006: My Father Married Your Mother, edited by Anne Burt (W.W. Norton)
- 2007: Mr. Wrong: Real Life Stories About Men We Used to Love, edited by Harriet Brown (Ballantine)
- 2007: Choice: True Stories of Birth, Contraception, Infertility, Adoption, Single Parenthood and Abortion, edited by Karen E. Bender and Nina de Gramont (McAdam Cage)
- 2007: Altared: Bridezillas, Bewilderment, Big Love, Breakups and What Women Really Think About Contemporary Weddings, edited by Collen Curran (Vintage)
External links
- Jacquelyn Mitchard's official website
- A profile of Jacquelyn Mitchard. - HarperCollinsHarperCollinsHarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
.