Justine Davis
Author biographies are supposed to give you all those statistics, books written, awards won, etc. and I will, I promise...but first let me tell you about this ornery little tomboy (back then, the boys had all the fun...) who was always the one to make up the stories the neighborhood kids would "play". For those who came of age in the computer game era, this is something that was done usually in the backyard, by any number of summer-bored children, with props where appropriate. (Did you know a 55 gallon drum tied to a picnic bench makes a very cool horse?) It wasn't until much later that this tomboy realized two things: A) not everyone made up stories in their heads all the time, and B) in real life, the boys that had already had all the fun now seemed to always be winning.
But I digress. I was born on a farm down in Iowa....well, not quite, but close; Boone, Iowa is in the middle of farm country, but I arrived at a hospital. In a snow storm. Make that a blizzard. My sister tells me she knew my destiny when I was very young, because when I first saw the Disney classic Old Yeller, I was apparently so upset that I promptly went home and rewrote the story. In my version, the dog lived, of course. Should have been a clue.
Possibly in response to that blizzard I was born in, I've been a West Coaster since before I was a year old, and intend to stay that way. I have a history of staying. I started my first full time job right out of school (well, there was a very brief sojourn at a place where they made, among other things, burial vaults, but I prefer not to recall that one...) and stayed for twenty-one years. I've been married to the same wonderful guy for going on two decades now. We lived in our last house for seventeen years. (I won't even mention how many dumpsters we filled moving after that long....)
Readers seem as fascinated by my first career as they are with my writing. My time in law enforcement was many things, exciting, nerve wracking, and irritating, but most importantly never, ever boring. It was fascinating enough that I didn't think about writing seriously for several years. I kept a journal, and wrote long letters, collected quotes, mentally rewrote movies, and still made up those stories in my head, but never dreamed of actually writing for publication. I was having too much fun helping to catch bad guys, and being continually amazed at the situations people get themselves into. And eventually I walked away with a wealth of background and story ideas, and knowing some truly great people who work very hard to keep all of us safe. I'm proud to have been one of them, and I'm very aware that I have had the great good fortune of having had two jobs in my life that I love. Many people don't get even one.
But now that I'm in the delicious position of being able to make a living telling those stories in my head, I promise my readers two things: A) I'm staying--I'll keep writing as long as you keep reading, and B) in my stories, the girl--tomboy or not--always wins!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
And now, the official stats:
Justine Dare Davis sold her first book in 1989, and followed that up with the sale of nineteen novels in less than two years. Her first four books were published in 1991, and she saw all reach the finals for either the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award or the Romance Writers of America prestigious RITA Award. She has since won the RITA award four times, along with several Reviewer's Choice awards and three Career Achievement awards from Romantic Times. At the 1998 national conference, Justine was inducted into the RWA Hall of Fame, making her one of a very select group of just eight writers. She also had four titles on the Romantic Times "Top 200 of All Time" list. Her sales now total more than 45, and her books have appeared regularly on best seller lists, including the USA Today list. She has been featured in several local newspapers and nationwide by Associated Press, has appeared on CNN.
Contents
On the Web
See Also
Books
- Always A Hero - 2011
- Angel For Hire - 1991
- Avenging Angel - 2016
- Baby's Watch - 2009
- Backstreet Hero - 2010
- Badge Of Honor - 1998
- Best Revenge, The - 2010
- Billionaire Of Dragon Hill, The - 2021
- Body Of Evidence - 2003
- Clay Yeager's Redemption - 1999
- Colton Destiny - 2013
- Colton Family Rescue - 2016
- Colton K-9 Target - 2021
- Colton Storm Warning - 2020
- Colton's Dangerous Reunion - 2022
- Colton's Secret Investigation - 2019
- Colton's Twin Secrets - 2018
- Cool Under Fire - 1992
- Cowgirl Touch - 2022
- Crystal Dove, The - 1994
- Dark Reunion - 2008
- Deadly Temptation - 2009
- Enemy Waters - 2011
- Errant Angel - 1995
- Flashback - 2006
- For The Love Of A Child - 2021
- Found Father - 1993
- Gage Butler's Reckoning - 1998
- Gambler - 2018
- Her Best Friend's Husband - 2008
- Hero Next Door, The - 2021
- High Stakes - 2016
- His Personal Mission - 2010
- Hunter's Way - 1991
- In His Sights - 2004
- Just Another Day In Paradise - 2002
- K-9 Baby Protector - 2023
- K-9 Defender - 2023
- Kingbird, The - 2015
- Leader Of The Pack - 1996
- Left At The Altar - 1994
- Lone Star Christmas, A - 2019
- Lone Star Homecoming - 2020
- Lone Star Lawman, The - 2019
- Lone Star Nights - 2020
- Lone Star Reunion - 2020
- Loose Ends - 1991
- Lord Of The Storm - 1994
- Lover Under Cover - 1996
- Man To Trust, A - 1997
- Midnight Seduction - 2004
- Morning Side Of Dawn, The - 1995
- Night Fires - 2016
- Nothing But Cowboy - 2021
- Once A Cowboy - 2022
- One Last Chance - 1993
- One Of These Nights - 2003
- Operation Alpha - 2017
- Operation Blind Date - 2013
- Operation Hero's Watch - 2019
- Operation Homecoming - 2015
- Operation Midnight - 2012
- Operation Mountain Recovery - 2020
- Operation Payback - 2022
- Operation Notorious - 2017
- Operation Power Play - 2015
- Operation Reunion - 2013
- Operation Second Chance - 2020
- Operation Soldier Next Door - 2016
- Operation Tough Enough - 2023
- Operation Unleashed - 2014
- Operation Whistleblower - 2021
- Out Of The Dark - 1995
- Prince's Wedding, The - 2002
- Private Reasons - 1994
- Proof - 2004
- Race Against Time - 1993
- Raider - 2017
- Rebel Prince - 2015
- Redstone Ever After - 2010
- Renegade - 2019
- Return Of Luke McGuire, The - 2000
- Second-Chance Hero - 2005
- Skypirate, The - 1995
- Stacy's Horses - 2021
- Stevie's Chase - 1991
- Suspicion's Gate - 1992
- Target Of Opportunity - 1993
- Texas Christmas Miracle, A - 2021
- To Hold An Eagle - 1993
- To Love A Hero - 2021
- Upon The Storm - 1992
- Whiskey River Rescue - 2017
- Whiskey River Rockstar - 2018
- Whiskey River Runaway - 2017
- Whole Lot Of Love, A - 2001
- Wicked Secrets - 1994
- Wrangler's Bride, The - 1997
Anthologies
- Deadly Valentine - 2011
- Summer Sizzlers - 1994
Series/Related Titles
American Hero (multi-author series)
- 13. One Last Chance
Angel In Disguise
Athena Force (multi-author series)
The Coalition
- 1. Lord Of The Storm
- 2. The Skypirate
- 2.5 The Kingbird
- 3. Rebel Prince
- 4. Raider
- 5. Gambler
- 6. Renegade
The Coalition Rebellion: Ziem
The Coltons (multi-author series)
- 29. Baby's Watch
- 37. Colton Destiny
- 59. Colton Family Rescue
- 80. Colton's Twin Secrets
- 98. Colton's Secret Investigation
- 120. Colton Storm Warning
The Coltons Of Eden Falls (multi-author series)
Coltons Of Texas (multi-author series)
The Coltons Of Red Ridge (multi-author series)
The Coltons Of Roaring Springs (multi-author series)
The Coltons Of Kansas (multi-author series)
The Coltons Of Grave Gulch (multi-author series)
The Coltons Of Colorado (multi-author series)
Cutter's Code
- Operation Midnight
- Operation Reunion
- Operation Blind Date
- Operation Unleashed
- Operation Power Play
- Operation Homecoming
- Operation Soldier Next Door
- Operation Alpha
- Operation Notorious
- Operation Hero's Watch
- Operation Second Chance
- Operation Mountain Recovery
- Operation Whistleblower
- Operation Payback
- Operation Tough Enough
Fortune's Children (multi-author series)
Holt Trilogy
The Raffertys Of Last Stand
Redstone, Incorporated
- Just Another Day In Paradise
- One Of These Nights
- Midnight Seduction
- In His Sights
- Second-Chance Hero
- Dark Reunion
- Deadly Temptation
- Her Best Friend's Husband
- Backstreet Hero
- His Personal Mission
- The Best Revenge
- Redstone Ever After
Reese Duet
Romancing The Crown (multi-author series)
Romantic Traditions (multi-author series)
Spellbound (multi-author series)
Star
Texas Justice
Trinity Street West
- One Last Chance
- Lover Under Cover
- Leader Of The Pack
- A Man To Trust
- Gage Butler's Reckoning
- Badge Of Honor
- Clay Yeager's Redemption
Whiskey River, Texas
Wild Oak Romances
- Stacy's Horses
- To Love A Hero
- The Hero Next Door
- The Billionaire Of Dragon Hill
- For The Love Of A Child
Awards
- 1998 RITA Award Winner - Paranormal Romance, Fire Hawk
- 1996 RITA Award Winner - Long Contemporary Romance, The Morning Side Of Dawn
- 1995 Romance Readers Anonymous Award Winner - Best Long Series Romance, The Morning Side Of Dawn
- 1995 RITA Award Winner - Paranormal/Fantasy/Time Travel Romance, [[Lord Of The Storm]
- 1995 RT Reviewers Choice Award Winner - Futuristic Romance, The Skypirate
- 1994 Romance Readers Anonymous Award Winner - Best Alternative Realities Or Time Travel Romance, Lord Of The Storm
- 1993 RT Reviewers Choice Award Winner - Series Romantic Fantasy, Angel For Hire
- 1992 RITA Award Winner - Futuristic/Fantasy/Paranormal Romance, Angel For Hire
- 1991 RT Reviewers Choice Award Winner - First Series Romance, Hunter's Way
Recognitions
- 1995 RITA Award Finalist - Long Contemporary Romance, Left At The Altar
- 1992 RITA Award Finalist - Long Contemporary Romance, Loose Ends
Awards (body of work)
- 1998 Romance Writers of America - RWA Hall Of Fame
- 1996 RRA Awards Nominee - Best Series/Category Romance Author
- 1998 RT Career Achievement Award Winner - Series Romantic Suspense
- 1996 RT Career Achievement Award Winner - Series Romance
- 1995 RT Career Achievement Award Winner - Futuristic Romance
- 1994 RRA Awards Nominee - Best Series/Category Author