J.C. Bruce
AUTHOR

J.C. Bruce

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
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Hi. I’m J.C. Bruce and I’m a journalist and author of a series of books recounting the adventures of Alexander Strange, the world's only full-time weird-news columnist. The books in The Strange Files series are THE STRANGE FILES; FLORIDA MAN; GET STRANGE; STRANGE CURRENTS; MISTER MANNERS; and STRANGE TIMING. Of FLORIDA MAN, Kirkus Reviews says: “Bruce’s prose is consistently crisp and controlled, and the tension between the various characters is genuinely entertaining throughout. A charming and suspenseful page-turner punctuated by dashes of the surreal.” The Florida Writers Association has awarded STRANGE CURRENTS and GET STRANGE gold medals for best published mysteries in the 2021 and 2022 Royal Palm Literary Awards. MISTER MANNERS, which was submitted as a first-draft manuscript, was awarded the Silver Medal for best unpublished mystery. MISTER MANNERS also won a silver medal in the annual Presidents Awards sponsored by the Florida Authors and Publishers Association. I first encountered Strange when we worked together at the Phoenix Daily Sun, which, sadly, like so many newspapers these days, has seen its shelf life expire. Alexander now lives in Naples, Florida aboard his fishing trawler, the Miss Demeanor. I live in a house. Before I began occupying my time deciphering the notes Strange has kept of his various assignments, I was the journalist-in-residence at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and, earlier, I served as an editor, managing editor, or reporter at a handful of newspapers including the Naples Daily News, the Dayton Daily News, the Austin American-Statesman, the Miami Herald, the Palm Beach Post, the Longview News Journal, the Mesa Tribune, the St. Petersburg Times (now the Tampa Bay Times) and the Tampa Times (now deceased). Once, I even served as the press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a congressman who ended up getting indicted and sent to prison. This job hopping has allowed me to experience varied swaths of our great country, sometimes without flashing blue lights in the rear view mirror. (Next to the law of gravity, my favorite statute is the one about limitations.) I nailed down a Master of Arts degree from Antioch University Midwest somewhere along this journey, and a bachelor’s degree from St. Edward’s University in Austin. I also served time at the University of South Florida. A perpetual joiner, I’m a member--or have been a member--of various professional organizations including the Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, Sisters in Crime, the American Society of News Editors, the Society of Professional Journalists, and Investigative Reporters and Editors. I’m a former director of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize and a former director (and lecturer) for the Antioch Writers’ Workshop. I’ve served as a juror for the Pulitzer Prizes and the National Journalism Awards, and am a member of American MENSA, which I like to mention so you’ll think I’m smart. And last week I scored a word worth 134 points in Word Chums. Recently, I was awarded the George Santos Medal for Resume Embellishment and an honorary doctorate degree from the Lighthouse Institute for Extranormal Studies, a diploma mill I invented for use in STRANGE TIMING. I hold dual citizenships in the United States of America and Florida.
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