VJ Books Presents Author Chris Grabenstein!
Chris Grabenstein is the author of the New York Times bestseller ESCAPE FROM MR. LEMONCELLO'S LIBRARY and the co-author (with James Patterson) of the #1 Bestsellers I FUNNY, I EVEN FUNNIER, and TREASURE HUNTERS.
Winner of two Anthony and four Agatha Awards, Chris writes fast-paced and fun page-turners for children and adults. He's also a playwright and screenwriter not to mention a former advertising executive and improvisational comedian. Sometimes he sleeps.
Chris started writing a long time ago. He and his four brothers used to put on skits and puppet shows in the basement of their home in Buffalo, New York. Their mom and dad were the only paying customers. Admission was a nickel. When he was ten, Chris moved to Signal Mountain Tennessee and had some great teachers in Junior High School and at Chattanooga's Notre Dame High School who told him he would "make a living as a writer one day."
He studied journalism and theater at college and then moved to New York City with six suitcases, a typewriter, and very little money. For five years, he performed and won awards with some of the city's top Improvisational Comedy troupes, making up scenes and songs on the spot in front of live audiences.
A young actor named Bruce Willis was also in Chris' comedy group. From time to time, Robin Williams would drop by to perform with Chris and his comedy gang. When not writing scripts for his friends to perform in the small Greenwich Village theatre (which was actually another basement) Chris also wrote for Jim Henson's Muppets.
In 1986, he and his college buddy Ronny Venable wrote a TV movie for CBS called The Christmas Gift. It starred John Denver and can still be seen almost every year during the holidays, usually on the Hallmark Channel. Chris also spent close to twenty years writing radio and television commercials for Burger King, Seven Up, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Dr Pepper, and many, many others. His first boss was a very talented advertising writer named James Patterson. Now they're writing books together.
Chris won the Anthony Award for best first mystery for his first adult mystery TILT A WHIRL. The seven other books in that mystery series have received all sorts of critical praise. He's also written some pretty scary thrillers for adults.
Currently, Chris and his family live in Manhattan.
|
|
Chris Grabenstein Bibliography
Young Adult Novels
-
Escape from Mr. Lemonchello's Library - 2013
- House of Robots - 2014
- The Island of Dr. Libris - 2015
Riley Mack Action Adventures
- Riley Mack and the Other Known Troublemakers - 2012
- Riley Mack Stirs Up More Trouble - 2013
Daniel X Series (co-authored with James Patterson)
- Daniel X: Armageddon (Book #5) - 2012
- Daniel X: Lights Out (Book #6) - 2015
Treasure Hunters Series (co-authored with James Patterson)
- Treasure Hunters - 2013
- Treasure Hunters: Danger Down the Nile - 2014
I Funny Series (co-authored with James Patterson)
- I Funny: A Middle School Story - 2013
- I Even Funnier - 2013
- I Totally Funniest - 2015
- I Funny TV - 2015
Haunted Mysteries
- The Crossroads - 2008
- The Hanging Hill - 2009
- The Smoky Corridor - 2011 (paperback)
- The Black Heart Crypt - 2011
John Ceepak Series - Adult Novels
- Tilt a Whirl - 2005
- Mad House - 2006
- Whack A Mole - 2007
- Hell Hole - 2008
- Mind Scrambler - 2009
- Rolling Thunder - 2010
- Fun House - 2012
- Free Fall - 2013
Short Stories
Holiday Thrillers Series
- Slay Ride - 2006
- Hell for the Holidays - 2007
Chris Grabenstein Awards
- Tilt a Whirl - 2006 Anthony Award - Best First Mystery
- The Crossroads - 2008 Anthony and Agatha Awards - Best Children's/Young Adult Novel
- The Hanging Hill - 2009 Agatha Award - Best Children's/Young Adult Novel
Go to top of page
|
|
|
Follow him on Facebook
Follow him on Twitter
