Brenda Jackson (edit name/settings)

Just to share a little information about me, I was born in Jacksonville, Florida. I am a proud graduate of William M. Raines High School, and I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Jacksonville University.

I got married thirty-nine years ago to my high school sweetheart, Gerald, and we have two sons, Gerald Jr. and Brandon, ages thirty-three and thirty-one, respectively. I still proudly wear the going-steady ring Gerald gave me at fourteen. A few years ago I retired after working 37 years in management for a major insurance, and I am now writing full-time and enjoying every minute of it.

I began my writing career in the eighth grade at Northwestern Junior High School, when I would hand- write my stories for fellow classmates to read. I'm proud to say some of those same classmates are still Brenda Jackson readers today!!

My professional writing career began in 1994 when I signed on with Kensington Arabesque. My first book, Tonight and Forever, became a huge success, introducing the Madaris Family. Since then I have introduced the Bennetts, the Westmorelands, the Montgomerys, the Masters, the Savoys, and the Steeles. A listing of my books can be found on this website. And because I love writing connecting stories, I have a listing of how my books connect in my various family saga series.

Over the years I have received numerous awards and made many trail-blazing accomplishments by being the first African-American author to have a book published under the Harlequin/Silhouette Desire line of books and the first African-American romance author to make USA Today's Bestseller's List and the New York Times Bestseller's List for the series romance genre.

I have written for the following publishers: St. Martins Press, BET, Kensington, NAL, Harlequin/Silhouette and Harlequin Kimani Romance. Presently, I am writing exclusively for Harlequin, and I'm excited to have all my books under one dynamic publishing house. I have written over 85 books and you can expect more Brenda Jackson books to come your way.

Last year, I wore the hat of "film-maker" when I collaborated with my son's production company, Five Alive Films, to turn one of my books into a feature film. For more information about the movie, please visit www.trulyeverlasting.com