Michael Malone
Encyclopedia
Michael Malone is an Emmy Award
-winning American author and television writer, born in Durham, North Carolina
. He is best known for his work on the ABC Daytime
drama One Life to Live
, as well as for his best-selling works of fiction Handling Sin (1983), Foolscap
(1991), and murder mystery First Lady
(2001).
One Life to Live
. He was the serial's head writer
from 1991 to 1996 and garnered critical acclaim for his storylines, which included a tale involving the tight bond between an ostracized homosexual
teenager and a preacher, the creation of villain/rapist Todd Manning
and the character's gang rape of Marty Saybrooke
, as well as the subsequent rape trial. Entertainment Weekly
wrote: OLTL (circa late 1991-1994) was airing some of the most literate drama ever to hit daytime--too good to be called "soap opera." One Life to Live was averaging 5 million viewers when Malone left in 1996. His next soap opera writing job was with Another World
in 1997. He returned to write One Life to Live from 2003 to 2004.
While writing One Life to Live, Malone wrote a novel called The Killing Club, which was tied into the show. For months, viewers watched character Marcie Walsh
(Kathy Brier
) write the book. The book was published in February 2005 with the authors listed as Marcie Walsh and Michael Malone. To explain this, Marcie said she took the book to "Professor Malone" at Llanview University, who helped her re-write it. After Malone's departure from the show, Dena Higley
continued this storyline, as a copycat killer murdered characters on the show exactly as had occurred in the book. In its first week of publication The Killing Club went to #16 on the New York Times bestseller
list for Hardback Fiction. It later rose to #11.
with his wife, Maureen Quilligan, a professor of English at Duke University
.http://english.duke.edu/people?subpage=profile&Gurl=%2Faas%2FEnglish&Uil=michael.malone He is a former board member and a supporter of the Burwell School Historic Site. Malone sets many of his stories in Piedmont
, including First Lady and the other Justin & Cuddy novels, in his region of North Carolina.
One Life to Live
(Recipient of the 1997 Edgar Award
for Best Short Story) http://www.storyinliteraryfiction.com/interviews/malone-michael-interview/ http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-57071-824-3
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-winning American author and television writer, born in Durham, North Carolina
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
. He is best known for his work on the ABC Daytime
ABC Daytime
ABC Daytime is a programming block on the ABC Network which has historically encompassed soap operas, game shows and talk shows.-Schedule:...
drama One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
, as well as for his best-selling works of fiction Handling Sin (1983), Foolscap
Foolscap
Foolscap may refer to:* Foolscap folio, a paper size of 8½ × 13½ inches * A paper size of 17 × 13½ inches * A book by Michael Malone-See also:*Jester, an entertainer employed by a European monarch, often wearing a fool's cap...
(1991), and murder mystery First Lady
First Lady
First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...
(2001).
Career
Malone is well-known for his successful stint writing the soap operaSoap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
. He was the serial's head writer
Head writer
A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
from 1991 to 1996 and garnered critical acclaim for his storylines, which included a tale involving the tight bond between an ostracized homosexual
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
teenager and a preacher, the creation of villain/rapist Todd Manning
Todd Manning
Thomas Todd Manning is a fictional character from the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live. Created by writer Michael Malone, the role was originated in 1992 by actor Roger Howarth. In 2003, Howarth departed from the series and the role was recast with actor Trevor St. John as Todd, initially written...
and the character's gang rape of Marty Saybrooke
Marty Saybrooke
Dr. Margaret "Marty" Saybrooke is a fictional character on the American daytime drama One Life to Live. The role was originated by Susan Haskell, who portrayed Marty from January 24, 1992 through September 16, 1997 and made brief appearances on February 16, 2004 and February 2005...
, as well as the subsequent rape trial. Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
wrote: OLTL (circa late 1991-1994) was airing some of the most literate drama ever to hit daytime--too good to be called "soap opera." One Life to Live was averaging 5 million viewers when Malone left in 1996. His next soap opera writing job was with Another World
Another World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
in 1997. He returned to write One Life to Live from 2003 to 2004.
While writing One Life to Live, Malone wrote a novel called The Killing Club, which was tied into the show. For months, viewers watched character Marcie Walsh
Marcie Walsh
Marcie Walsh McBain is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live. The role was played by Kathy Brier from October 18, 2002 to June 17, 2009 and briefly on November 6, 12 and 13, 2009. Marcie and Michael returned on October 25, 27 and November 3, 2011.-Arrival:In 2002, Marcie...
(Kathy Brier
Kathy Brier
Kathy Brier is an American actress and singer.-Early life:Brier grew up on Staten Island, where she attended Moore Catholic High School before studying theatre and business at Wagner College, qualifying for a Bachelor of Science in arts administration.-Career:Brier played the role of Marcie Walsh...
) write the book. The book was published in February 2005 with the authors listed as Marcie Walsh and Michael Malone. To explain this, Marcie said she took the book to "Professor Malone" at Llanview University, who helped her re-write it. After Malone's departure from the show, Dena Higley
Dena Higley
Dena Higley is an American television soap opera writer who lives in Los Angeles, California. She was head writer of Days of our Lives...
continued this storyline, as a copycat killer murdered characters on the show exactly as had occurred in the book. In its first week of publication The Killing Club went to #16 on the New York Times bestseller
Bestseller
A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and...
list for Hardback Fiction. It later rose to #11.
Personal life
Malone currently lives in Hillsborough, N.C.Hillsborough, North Carolina
Hillsborough is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,653 at the 2008 census. It is the county seat of Orange County....
with his wife, Maureen Quilligan, a professor of English at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
.http://english.duke.edu/people?subpage=profile&Gurl=%2Faas%2FEnglish&Uil=michael.malone He is a former board member and a supporter of the Burwell School Historic Site. Malone sets many of his stories in Piedmont
Piedmont (United States)
The Piedmont is a plateau region located in the eastern United States between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching from New Jersey in the north to central Alabama in the south. The Piedmont province is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division...
, including First Lady and the other Justin & Cuddy novels, in his region of North Carolina.
Writing credits
Another WorldAnother World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
- Head WriterHead writerA head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
: April 1997 - December 1997
One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
- Head WriterHead writerA head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
: 1991-1996 (hired by Linda GottliebLinda Gottlieb-Credits:, "SoapLine" -Credits:, "SoapLine" -Credits:, "SoapLine" (a joint production of ABC News and ABC Daytime to bring viewers storyline updates, special features and interviews during breaks in live, pre-emptive coverage of the O. J...
); September 2004 - November 24, 2004 - Co-Head Writer: March 10, 2003 - September 2004 (with Josh GriffithJosh Griffith-Career:During the WGA strike, he took over as Head Writer of CBS Daytimes The Young and the Restless. To do this, he accepted Financial core status with the WGA. Maria Arena Bell, a former writer at The Bold and the Beautiful and daughter-in-law of Y&R creator William J...
) - Story ConsultantCreative consultantCreative consultant is a credit that has - particularly in the past - been given to screenwriters who have “doctored” a movie screenplay. It is often given by producers in lieu of official credit. Those given this credit in the television field work closely with an Executive Producer, Head...
: February 3, 2003 - March 7, 2003 (hired by Brian FronsBrian FronsBrian Frons is an American television executive, and president of ABC Daytime.- Educational background :Frons holds a Master of Science degree in Communications from Syracuse University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the State University of New York at Fredonia.-Television...
)
Short stories
- "Red Clay" (can be found in Best American Mystery Stories of the Century, published by Houghton Mifflin) http://www.cozy-mystery.com/Edgar-Award-Best-Short-Story.html
(Recipient of the 1997 Edgar Award
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
for Best Short Story) http://www.storyinliteraryfiction.com/interviews/malone-michael-interview/ http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-57071-824-3
- "Blue Cadillac" http://www.pw.org/content/michael_malone_3
- "Murdered for Love" http://www.ecusa.anglican.org/81827_114804_ENG_HTM.htm
- "Delacorte"
Awards and nominations
- Daytime Emmy NOMINATION (1992, 1994, 1995, 1996; Best Writing; One Life to Live)
- Daytime Emmy WIN (1994; Best Writing; One Life to Live)