| Michael Connelly was born on July 21, 1956, in | | | | for a Pulitzer Prize and caught the attention of the |
| Philadelphia and raised from the time he was 11 in | | | | Los Angeles Times. Michael says this was a |
| Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He hales from a large | | | | secret hope of his, "...because the most influential |
| family with him being the eldest child. Michael's | | | | writers of crime novels, to me at least, all wrote |
| father was a property developer and his mother | | | | about Los Angeles or Southern California. The |
| a homemaker. Michael says his parents | | | | place has a certain interest for readers." |
| encouraged all the children to be successful. | | | | In 1995, Michael quit his reporting gig and |
| Michael's mother loved to read, especially | | | | concentrated full time on his fiction-writing career. |
| mysteries. He read some of her books as a child | | | | He says he prefers crime novels over other |
| before he found his own. Michael says he likes the | | | | genres. He, for instance, does not see himself |
| more hardboiled mysteries. Michael attended the | | | | writing general fiction or science fiction. He writes |
| University of Florida where he majored in | | | | what he likes to read. You have to write what |
| journalism with a minor in creative writing. It was | | | | comes from within. |
| while there that he came across the works of | | | | In 2001, Michael and his family moved from Los |
| Raymond Chandler. | | | | Angeles back to Florida to be closer to their |
| Michael married Linda McCaleb in April of 1984. | | | | families. Although he now has to work from |
| They have a daughter, Callie. Michael says that he | | | | "creative memory," Michael says he still goes back |
| feels that since having a child he has become a | | | | to visit. Meanwhile, he says he tries to read |
| better writer because he has become a better | | | | whatever comes out about LA. |
| person. Michael was a reporter for about 13 years | | | | Several years ago at a journalism conference |
| covering the courts and the police beat. He said | | | | Michael stated, "You scratch a reporter and you |
| he considered this research for the time when he | | | | find a novelist wannabe...its a natural extension of |
| started to write fiction. | | | | the job because novels carry a lot of reporting |
| Michael moved to Los Angeles, CA in 1987, when | | | | and truth. You have to experience the world to |
| one of Michael Connelly's stories was nominated | | | | write about it. |