Sandra Brown
March 12, 1948
Also known as: Laura Jordan | Erin St. Claire | Rachel Ryan | Sandra Brown
Sandra Lynn Brown, née Cox, is an American bestselling author of romantic novels and thrillers with an exciting impression. Brown also published works under the pseudonyms Rachel Ryan, Laura Jordan and Erin St. Claire.
She studied English and Literature at Texas Christian University (TCU) in Fort Worth. After her studies, she married documentary filmmaker Michael Brown. Before becoming a writer, she made her living as a model at Dallas Apparel Mar and in television, including weather forecasts for WFAA-TV in Dallas and reporting for the nationally syndicated PM Magazine.
She was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Texas Christian University in 2008, where she and her husband established The Sandra Brown Excellence in Literary Fiction Scholarship (ELF), an annual scholarship. She has served as president of the Mystery Writers of America and was named a Thriller Master in 2008. She is a member of the International Association of Crime Writers and a founding member of International Thriller Writers. She is the recipient of the Texas Medal of Arts Award for Literature and the Romance Writers of America's Lifetime Achievement Award.
She began writing professionally in 1981, and her debut book was Love's Encore. She has written for various publishers under various pseudonyms - Rachel Ryan (the first names of both her children), Laura Jordan, Erin St. Claire, and as Sandra Brown. She now writes only under her real name. She has moved from romance books to thrillers. The 2009 book Rainwater is her attempt at a historical novel.