J.S. Lewis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jon Samuel Lewis (born May 15, 1972 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is a fiction writer who writes under the pen name J.S. Lewis. Lewis wrote his debut novel, The Revenge of the Shadow King, with childhood friend, Derek Benz. The Revenge of the Shadow King is the first of 13 books in the popular Grey Griffins Books series, published by Scholastic, Inc. (publishers of Harry Potter).
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[edit] Biography
Lewis was born May 15, 1972 in Milwaukee, WI to Brian Eugene and Annette Jean Lewis. During that time, Lewis' father was a student at the Milwaukee Conservatory of Music. Just months after his birth, Lewis and his family relocatd to Des Moines, IA. Growing up, Lewis moved frequently between the Des Moines metropolitan area (including the cities of Urbandale, West Des Moines and Johnston), and Waconia, MN.
Devastated after his parents' divorce, Lewis relocated to Scottsdale, AZ with his mother and two younger brothers, Joshua and Jesse. Lewis graduated from Saguaro High School in Scottsdale before attending Scottsdale Community College, and later, Arizona State University, where he graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Broadcast Journalism with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.
Lewis worked in the local Phoenix market in both television and radio, working in news, entertainment, sports play-by-play, and performing as voice-over talent. However, Lewis left broadcasting for his first love -- drawing, turning to a career in animation and web design.
As children, Lewis and childhood friend, Derek Benz had dreamed of creating their own comic book company, and from the age of ten, had developed over 150 unique characters of their own.
When Lewis moved away to Waconia at the age of 15, and later, Arizona, despite the distance, the two friends remained close. While Lewis worked for a dotcom startup in Scottsdale, and Benz was heading an IT department in Des Moines, the two made plans to start a video game development company. Benz soon sold his home in West Des Moines, IA and moved to Gilbert, Arizona, where he and Lewis would helm the startup, Bantah Arts. The company was comprised of a core team of acclaimed video game, movie, and music veterans set out to develop a next-generation gladiatorial video game.
During the game's development, Lewis and Benz rekindled a passion for writing (first discovered as they wrote stories for their comic book characters). The friends set out to pen what would be their first completed novel, The Revenge of the Shadow King. Within weeks of seeking representation, Lewis and Benz had landed New York City agent, Nancy Coffey, who quickly sold the rights to the duo's series, Grey Griffin Books, to Scholastic, Inc. (publishers of Harry Potter).
Lewis currently resides in the Phoenix metropolitan area with his wife and daughters.
[edit] Interests Outside of Writing
Lewis is an avid sports fan, and played football, basketball and baseball through high school. Lewis enjoys lifing weights; the study and implementation of business development and marketing strategies; mythology; the history of the Middle Ages; collecting, reading, writing and drawing comic books; The Simpsons; Star Wars; the works of J. R. R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis; collecting vintage toys; 80's music (Sting, The Police, U2); movies (Star Wars, Braveheart, The Lord of the Rings); Biblical theology; and spending time with his family.
[edit] Other Projects
Lewis is currently working on a series of beginner-level reading chapter books on faeries, dedicated to his daughters. He is also working on a book on the process of writing.
Lewis and Benz continue to work on their Grey Griffins Books series, as well as a detective series starring one of their four main characters, Natalia Felicia Anastasia Romanov.
[edit] Bibliography
Grey Griffins Books One: The Revenge of the Shadow King (March, 2006)
Grey Griffins Books Two: The Rise Of The Black Wolf (December, 2006)
