Lurlene McDaniel
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| Born: | circa 1948 |
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| Occupation: | Novelist |
| Nationality: | United States |
| Writing period: | 1985 – |
| Genres: | Young adult |
| Debut works: | Hold Fast the Dream (1985) |
Lurlene McDaniel (born c. 1948) is an author who has written over 50 young adult books. She is well known for writing about characters struggling with chronic and terminal illnesses, such as cancer, diabetes, and organ failure. Readers and critics consider her novels to be inspirational, particularly for those who have lost family members and friends. Her detractors consider them to be sappy and overwrought.
McDaniel began her mission on writing to help others cope with the tragedy and the sadness that comes with terminal illness when her son Sean was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. Writing about the unfortunate and sad situations of terminal illness not only proved to be therapeutic for her, but for her extensive fan base too.
To make her novels medically accurate, she or a friend interviews health professionals and works with various medical groups including Hospice. She also studies the Bible to help her bring in the human emotion that comes out in the situation of having a loved one fall victim to life-threatening illnesses. Many of her books have a religious element or include an epigraph from the Bible.
In addition to her young adult catalog, she has also written scripts for radio and television, advertised products, and written her own magazine column. She often is a guest speaker, seen everywhere from schools to conventions.
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[edit] Background
McDaniel attended the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida, where she earned a B.A. in English. She moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee where she still resides.
[edit] Partial Bibliography
[edit] Novels
- Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (March 1991)
- When Happily Ever After Ends'' (February 1992)
- Baby Alicia Is Dying (June 1993)
- Don't Die, My Love (August 1995)
- Saving Jessica (May 1996)
- I'll Be Seeing You (July 1996)
- The Girl Death Left Behind (May 1999)
- Starry, Starry Night: Three Holiday Stories (October 2000)
- Telling Christina Goodbye (April 2002)
- A Rose For Melinda (August 2002)
- How Do I Love Thee: Three Stories (December 2002)
- Garden of Angels (May 2003)
- The Time Capsule (September 2003)
- If I Should Die Before I Wake (January 2004)
[edit] Novels and Sequels
- Too Young To Die (August 1989)
- Goodbye Doesn't Mean Forever (August 1989)
Reissued as a double novel, Always and Forever: Two Novels (May 2004)
- Somewhere Between Life and Death (1990)
- Time to Let Go (1990)
- Till Death Do Us Part (novel) (July 1997)
- For Better, For Worse, Forever (September 1997)
Reissued as a double novel, As Long As We Both Shall Live: Two Novels (October 2003)
Reissued as a double novel, Journey of Hope: Two Novels (October 2004)
[edit] Trilogies
The Angels Trilogy
- Angels Watching Over Me'' (November 1996)
- Lifted Up By Angels (November 1997)
- Until Angels Close My Eyes (August 1998)
Reissued as The Angels Trilogy (October 2002)
The Angels in Pink Trilogy
- Angels in Pink: Kathleen's Story (December 2004)
- Angels in Pink: Raina's Story (May 2005)
- Angels in Pink: Holly's Story (December 2005)
[edit] Quintets
The Dawn Rochelle Quintet
- Six Months to Live
- I Want to Live
- So Much to Live For
- No Time to Cry
- To Live Again (April 2001)
[edit] The One Last Wish Series
- Mourning Song (May 1992)
- Mother, Help Me Live (July 1992)
- Someone Dies, Someone Lives (September 1992)
- Sixteen and Dying (1992)
- A Time to Die (1992)
- Let Him Live (February 1993)
- The Legacy: Making Wishes Come True (April 1993)
- Please Don't Die (November 1993)
- She Died Too Young (March 1994)
- All the Days of Her Life (September 1994)
- A Season For Goodbye (April 1995)
- Reach For Tomorrow (August 1999)
Three books from this series (Mother, Help Me Live, Let Him Live, and Sixteen and Dying) were reissued as an omni edition, One Last Wish: Three Novels (October 1998).
