John Searles

John Searles is an American writer and book critic. He is the author of three novels: Boy Still Missing (ISBN 0-06-082243-0), Strange But True (ISBN 0-06-072179-0) and Help For The Haunted (ISBN 978-0060779634). His essays have appeared in national magazines and newspapers, and he contributes frequently to morning television shows as a book critic. He is based in New York City.[1]

Not to be confused with John Searle.

Life

Born and raised in New England, Searles is the son of a truck driver and stay-at-home mother.[2] After high school, Searles worked at the DuPont factory close to his hometown[3] of Monroe, Connecticut. He went on to pursue an undergraduate degree from Southern Connecticut State University, becoming the first member of his family to attend college, before entering a graduate program at New York University on a writing scholarship, where he won a number of fiction awards[3] and received a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing.[1][4]

Career

After completing his master's degree, Searles took a job at Redbook magazine reading fiction submissions.[3] He soon moved on to a part-time job in the books department at Cosmopolitan, where he went on to hold many positions including Books Editor, Executive Editor, Editorial Brand Director[3] and Editor-at-Large.[4]

Upon the 2001 publication of Searles’ first novel, Boy Still Missing, Time named him a “Person to Watch”[5] and the New York Daily News named him a “New Yorker to Watch.” His second novel, Strange But True, was named the best novel of 2004 by Salon.com.[5] Searles’ novel Help for the Haunted, published by William Morrow/HarperCollins[5] in September 2013, won the American Library Association Alex Award, was named as an Amazon Top 10 Mystery and Suspense Novel of 2013, a Boston Globe Top 10 Crime Novel of 2013, and an Entertainment Weekly Top Ten Must Read, and was hailed by author Gillian Flynn as “dazzling… a novel both frightening and beautiful."[5]

His essays have appeared in The Washington Post, the New York Times, and other national magazines and newspapers. He has featured frequently as a book critic on morning television shows including NBC's Today Show,[5] CBS’s The Early Show,[5] Live! With Regis and Kelly,[5] Charlie Rose, and CNN[5] to discuss his favorite book selections.

In 2019, a film adaptation of Strange But True will be released by CBS Films.

References
  1. "John Searles". HarperCollins.com. New York, New York: HarperCollins Publishers. Retrieved 2019-04-15.
  2. Searles, John (September 16, 2013). "Gillian Flynn and John Searles on "Help for the Haunted"". Omnivoracious: The Amazon Book Review (Interview). Interviewed by Gillian Flynn. Amazon.com, Inc. Retrieved 2019-04-15.
  3. softlightmedia. "John Searles". www.john-searles.com. Retrieved 2016-12-20.
  4. "Algonquin Talks with John Searles, Today show Book Critic and Cosmo Editor-at-Large". Algonquin Books - Books For A Well-Read Life. Workman Publishing Company. 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2019-04-15.
  5. "A Conversation with Novelist John Searles". Stay Thirsty Magazine. Winter 2016. Retrieved 2016-12-20.
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