Jay Bonansinga

Jay Bonansinga is the New York Times bestselling author of THE WALKING DEAD novels. He is also the author of over fifty acclaimed short stories and fifteen original novels, including the Bram Stoker finalist THE BLACK MARIAH (1994), the International Thriller Writers Award finalist SHATTERED (2007), and the acclaimed horror opus, SELF STORAGE (2016). Jay’s work has been translated into seventeen languages, and he has been called “one of the most imaginative writers of thrillers” by the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. Jay has also authored acclaimed non-fiction books on The Eastland Disaster, Alan Pinkerton, and the Las Vegas mob.

Jay's work as a screenwriter and film director has garnered him Best-Of-Festival awards at the Houston, Queens, and Iowa City International Film Festivals. His work has been shown on all the major cable systems in over fifty million homes. As a speechwriter and creative director, he has worked for companies as diverse as International Trucks, Nestle Healthcare, Maytag, Kraft, Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals, Federal Express, Panasonic, and Duracell, among many others. Jay also teaches creative writing at Northwestern University’s prestigious School of Radio, Television & Film as well as the University of Cincinnati's Digital Media Department. A popular speaker on the subjects of creativity and storytelling, he lives in the Chicago area with his wife, the photographer Jill Norton, and his two teenage boys, and is currently hard at work on his next novel.