Brett Ellen Block

About the Author

A PASSION FOR WRITING

Brett Ellen Block received her undergraduate degree in Fine Arts from the University of Michigan, where she was awarded the prestigious Hopwood and Haugh Prizes for Fiction. She went on to earn graduate degrees at the renowned Iowa Writers’ Workshop and the University of East Anglia’s esteemed Fiction Writing Program in England.

PUBLICATIONS

Her debut collection of short stories, Destination Known, won the Drue Heinz Literary Prize and garnered her the distinguished Michener-Copernicus Fellowship. She is also the author of the critically celebrated novel The Grave of God’s Daughter and the Macavity Award-nominated thriller The Lightning Rule. She then went on to write Women's Fiction under Ellen Block and released the internationally lauded novels The Language of Sand and The Definition of Wind. Her work has been translated into numerous languages around the world.

PAYING IT FORWARD

While taking time away from fiction writing, she founded The Query Letter Coach, a service dedicated to helping both aspiring and established authors craft queries, polish book proposals, edits manuscripts and find the best literary representation possible in today's competitive publishing climate. For more information, please visit: www.querylettercoach.com

REVIEWS

Praise for THE DEFINITION OF WIND

"Block's second installment in this entertaining series will make solid beach reading for fans of Women's Fiction."
    – Booklist
"The Definition of Wind is an enjoyable read and Ms. Block is an author to watch."
    – Reader to Reader
"A breezy read with a charming heroine and a treasure-hunting mystery, this is the perfect book to go along on vacation with you."
    – Parkersburg News and Sentinel
"The Definition of Wind is the entertaining and engaging follow up to The Language of Sand...it's thought provoking, bittersweet and funny"
    – Night Owl Reviews

Praise for THE LANGUAGE OF SAND

"Life-affirming...(a) book-club-friendly read that will have readers itching for a sequel."
    – Booklist
"The Language of Sand has something for everyone: myths, mystery, community, humor, grief, and ultimately healing...Block manages to hold sass and heartfelt emotion in perfect equilibrium."
    – Brunonia Barry, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Lace Reader
"Block writes gracefully about heartache and the mending of an injured soul."
    – Publisher's Weekly
"A brilliant character-driven novel, The Language of Sand is a Perfect 10."
    – Romance Reviews Today
"Featured Author and Featured Novel."
    – L.A. Magazine

Praise for THE LIGHTNING RULE

"An expertly plotted novel that reminds us that human nature never changes."
    – USA Today
"Evocative...(a) vivid portrayal."
    – Booklist
"The plot moves briskly, delivering tightly coiled suspense."
     – South Florida Sun-Sentinel
"The prodigiously talented Block...uses the Newark riots as the background for her third book, "The Lightning Rule," a painful and often poetic story."
    – Chicago Tribune

Praise for THE GRAVE OF GOD'S DAUGHTER

"Haunting, lyrical...Doubles as a coming-of-age tale and a well-crafted mystery in a graceful way."
    – Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
"Block's fluid prose makes the (story) especially intoxicating, and her ability to uncover the shadowy, dangerous heart of a wartime mill town is just as impressive."
    – Publisher's Weekly
"After a well-received collection of short stories entitled Destination Known...The Grave of God's Daughter affirms the literary promise indicated by the author's shorter work."
    – Z-Wire

Praise for DESTINATION KNOWN

"In language that is truthful, focused, deceptively ordinary, and always observant, Block crafts stories...(that) combine the blue collar texture and bulldog perplexity we associate with Raymond Carver and, on the other hand, the clipped economies of William Carlos Williams.”
– Atlantic Monthly
"The stories in Block’s new collection are motion-blurred as snapshots taken from a moving car...Block catches the transients, drifters and runaways that populate her best stories in mid-flight, when a moment’s hesitation or a step in a different direction makes all the difference in the world."
– New York Times