“John Shore is one of those rare writers who can make people laugh and think at the same time. He’s one of the most talented, funny, and deeply thoughtful writers I know. He’s a sincere pleasure to read.”— Richard Louv, author of the national bestseller, Last Child in the Woods, and Fly Fishing for Sharks.
John Shore is a remarkably gifted writer who knows exactly what he is doing.” — Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Deep End of the Ocean (an Oprah’s Book Club selection), Twelve Times Blessed and The Breakdown Lane.
“John Shore, the legitimate son of Kurt Vonnegut and Dave Barry, writes with a freaky energy and humor and imagination that illuminate his characters’ and readers’ hearts. He’s the real thing.”— Richard Lederer, author of more than thirty books on the English language, including the bestselling Anguished English series and A Man of My Words.
♣ Join me on Facebook here. ♣
Hi. My name’s John. I write for a living. Which is better than having a real job, and no two ways about it. Which isn’t even a complete sentence. So you can see how exacting the standards are for becoming an Actual Writer. Whoo-hoo!
No, but seriously. I write books, and I’m one of the most popular bloggers at the massive websites Crosswalk.com and Christianity.com.
In the world of secular/mainstream books, I’m represented by Deborah Schneider, of Gelfman Schneider. My agent to the world of the CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) is Greg Johnson, of Wordserve Literary Group.
My first book, published in 2005 by Seabury Books (an imprint of Church Publishing, Inc.) was/is Penguins, Pain and the Whole Shebang: Why I Do The Things I Do (by God, as told to John Shore). This book is my best shot at once and for all proving to non-Christians that just because someone is a Christian doesn’t mean they’re insane or incapable of a rational thought. You can read more about Penguins here. A German edition of Penguins came out in late 2007; a Korean edition is in the offing. Or off the iffing. Or … something good, anyway.
My second book, which I co-wrote with Famous Grammarian guy Richard Lederer (author of the bestselling Anguished English series, among others) is Comma Sense: A Fun-damental Guide to Punctuation (St. Martin’s Press, 2005). First it came out in hardback; then we did a second printing in hardback (whoo-hoo!), then it came out in paperback (whoo!). You can read more about Comma Sense here.
You can read here about my third book, I’m OK–You’re Not: The Message We’re Sending Nonbelievers, and Why We Should Stop (NavPress, 2007).
My fourth book, co-authored with Steve Arterburn (author of the bestselling Every Man series), is Midlife Manual For Men. Released in February 2008, and was the first of a four-book deal Steve and me are writing for Bethany House Pulishers.
The second book in my series with Steve is Being Christian, which you can read about here. Released in August 2008, Being Christian is doing very well.
Before I started writing books, I worked as an editor and/or writer for (among others) San Diego Magazine, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The San Diego Reader (the third largest alternative weekly newspaper in America), and San Diego’s KPBS (one of the largest public broadcasting companies in the country). I have also done extensive writing for websites E!Online, Microsoft’s San Diego Sidewalk, and AOL’s Digital City San Diego. I’ve also published fifteen short stories in little literary magazines all over the country.
Before all that I worked as (among other things): a recreation leader, door-to-door encyclopedia salesman (I never sold one set), shoe salesman (good at selling shoes that people already want; awful at selling job-securing purses and socks that I’m supposed to make them want), pizza “chef,” 7-11 clerk (graveyard shift at the most-robbed 7-11 in northern California!), shipper-and-receiver, Taco Bell miscreant, nanny (for the Rothschild family!), Macy’s stock boy, truck-loading Teamster, janitor, bookstore clerk, data input drone, Trader Joe’s “shipmate,” Jiffy Lube monkey, law office flunky, and church relations manager for a Rescue Mission.
I grew up—well, I got older—in the San Francisco Bay Area town of Cupertino, California, which when I was a kid was mostly orchards and tract homes, but later became the very heart of Silicon Valley. Talk about your little town disappearing.
I have been married 27 years to a woman who gives whole new meaning to the word “patient.” Catherine is by far and away the smartest, kindest, funniest, wisest person I’ve ever met. About 100 times a day she basically freaks me out with her Giant Brain and her infinite capacity for immediate, absolute love.
The reason I call this blog “Suddenly Christian” is here.
If you’d like to e-mail me, do so at johnshore[at]sbcglobal[dot]net. Or send me a message using the form below:
♣ Join me on Facebook here. ♣
