Jodi Picoult

Jodi Picoult, who at age 41 has 14 novels and three children to her credit, was born and raised happily on Long Island. In the early stages of her career as an author, Picoult believed that her normal childhood would inhibit her as a writer, as she did not have the tumultuous upbringing that would allow her creativity to produce novels laced with conflict. Through time, she realized that her solid core of family and strong relationships with the people in her life could serve as the connective thread that defined her books.

Her 14 novels, which all center on what it means to love someone include: Songs of the Humpback Whale; Harvesting the Heart, which she describes as both a reflection of her feelings as a new mother and her most emotionally autobiographical novel; Picture Perfect; Mercy, a novel about married love; The Pact; Keeping Faith; Plain Truth; Salem Falls; Perfect Match, Second Glance, My Sister’s Keeper, Vanishing Acts, The Tenth Circle, Nineteen Minutes, and her newest novel Handle With Care, which debuted on the top of The New York Times bestseller list. The Pact and Plain Truth have been made into television movies and My Sister's Keeper is currently in development at New Line Cinema, with Nick Cassavetes directing.

Picoult says she really learned to write at Princeton, where she studied creative writing with Mary Morris, who urged her to submit a story to Seventeen magazine. Picoult was stunned when the magazine published her work. That’s when she began to believe that she may have a career as a writer. However, upon graduating from Princeton, she headed not for the word processor, but for Wall Street, and followed that with stints at a textbook publishing company and an ad agency. She also taught creative writing part-time at a high school, and got her master's degree in education at Harvard.

It took many years, but Picoult says she has reconciled writing and motherhood. She believes that her experiences as a mother have given her fresh perspectives and outlooks on life, which have in turn improved her writing. She believes that the creative and analytical aspects of writing have helped her to become a better mother.

In 2003 she was awarded the New England Bookseller Award for Fiction. She has also been the recipient an Alex Award from the Young Adult Library Services Association; the Book Browse Diamond Award for novel of the year; a lifetime achievement award for mainstream fiction from the Romance Writers of America; Cosmopolitan magazine’s ‘Fearless Fiction’ Award 2007. Most recently, she wrote five issues of the Wonder Woman comic book series for DC Comics.

An intuitive and creative thinker, Picoult has established herself as a successful author. Her messages of family, love, and unity are common themes throughout her writing and her life. Her thoughtful speeches will inspire and motivate audiences of all types.