Carolyn Jourdan - Ghostwriter
Strawberry Plains, TN, United States
USA Today, Wall Street Journal & Audible bestselling ghostwriter of biography and memoir. Top-10 in the nation 7 times.
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Overview
I am the author/co-author/ghostwriter for biographies and memoirs that have made major national bestseller lists in all three formats: print, ebook, and audio. My work has been praised by a wide range of sources from the National Academy of Sciences to Dolly Parton.
I have degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Law. I worked as Counsel to two U.S. Senate Committees in the fields of science, technology, energy, and environment.
I am credited as the author or co-author on fifteen published works. Contact information for the people I've co-written/ghostwritten for is publicly available. I can provide additional details on request.
My books have been recommended by NPR, Voice of America, Sirius/XM Radio, and the NY Public Library, among many others.
I've worked with over 100 rangers and other wilderness experts to create four books about national park wildlife; as well as more than thirty physicians and sixty nurses to create five medical books.
My writing has been praised by the Smithsonian, National Science Foundation, National Academy of Sciences, American Library Association, National Science Teachers Association, and public television.
"Heart in the Right Place" was chosen as a "Book Sense Best Book Club Book of the Year" and a "#1 Non-Fiction Pick in the Nation" by the American Booksellers Association. It was Family Circle magazine's first ever Book of the Month and won awards from Elle and More magazines.
It received a starred review from Publishers Weekly: “Jourdan’s dispatches from the reception desk make for a stirring, beautiful memoir that is alternately hilarious and heartbreaking, and ultimately a triumph.” It was deemed a "Great Book about Extraordinary People" by Great Books, Great Libraries.
Physicians Weekly named "Medicine Men" to the list of "Five Books Every Health Care Professional Should Read." Both "Bear in the Back Seat" and "Out on a Limb" made BookRiot's list of "Must Reads for the 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service."
Several of my books have received awards from Amazon for extremely high sales volume.
Fannie Flagg — Author of "Fried Green Tomatoes" — said my writing was: “Heartwarming, funny and utterly appealing.”
Dolly Parton — Singer, Songwriter, and Actress — said: “[Heart in the Right Place] is a wonderful book. I would have enjoyed it even if Carolyn wasn’t a neighbor of mine in East Tennessee. She is a great writer.”
I have degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Law. I worked as Counsel to two U.S. Senate Committees in the fields of science, technology, energy, and environment.
I am credited as the author or co-author on fifteen published works. Contact information for the people I've co-written/ghostwritten for is publicly available. I can provide additional details on request.
My books have been recommended by NPR, Voice of America, Sirius/XM Radio, and the NY Public Library, among many others.
I've worked with over 100 rangers and other wilderness experts to create four books about national park wildlife; as well as more than thirty physicians and sixty nurses to create five medical books.
My writing has been praised by the Smithsonian, National Science Foundation, National Academy of Sciences, American Library Association, National Science Teachers Association, and public television.
"Heart in the Right Place" was chosen as a "Book Sense Best Book Club Book of the Year" and a "#1 Non-Fiction Pick in the Nation" by the American Booksellers Association. It was Family Circle magazine's first ever Book of the Month and won awards from Elle and More magazines.
It received a starred review from Publishers Weekly: “Jourdan’s dispatches from the reception desk make for a stirring, beautiful memoir that is alternately hilarious and heartbreaking, and ultimately a triumph.” It was deemed a "Great Book about Extraordinary People" by Great Books, Great Libraries.
Physicians Weekly named "Medicine Men" to the list of "Five Books Every Health Care Professional Should Read." Both "Bear in the Back Seat" and "Out on a Limb" made BookRiot's list of "Must Reads for the 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service."
Several of my books have received awards from Amazon for extremely high sales volume.
Fannie Flagg — Author of "Fried Green Tomatoes" — said my writing was: “Heartwarming, funny and utterly appealing.”
Dolly Parton — Singer, Songwriter, and Actress — said: “[Heart in the Right Place] is a wonderful book. I would have enjoyed it even if Carolyn wasn’t a neighbor of mine in East Tennessee. She is a great writer.”
Services
Languages
English (US)
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Earth, Space, & Environmental Sciences
Law
Life Sciences
Medicine, Nursing, & Dentistry
Nature
Technology
Travel
Certifications
- B.S. Biomedical Engineering
- J.D. Law
Awards
- USA Today Best Seller "Out on a Limb" in 2017. A Best Kindle Book of 2014.
- #9 Wall Street Journal Best Seller "Heart in the Right Place" in 2017.
- #6 Wall Street Journal Best Seller "Medicine Men" in 2015.
- #5 Wall Street Journal Best Seller "Medicine Men" in 2014.
- #9 Wall Street Journal Best Seller "Bear in the Back Seat" in 2013.
- #7 Wall Street Journal Best Seller "Heart in the Right Place" in 2012.
- A Best Book Club Book of 2008. Book Sense, American Booksellers Association, Independent Bookstores.
- Great Books about Extraordinary People 2010. Great Books, Great Libraries.
- Family Circle Magazine, Elle, and More magazine awards.
- 15 Books Every Healthcare Professional Should Read. Physicians Weekly.
- 100 Must Reads for the 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service. Only author with 2 books on the list. Book Riot.
Work experience
Author & Ghostwriter
Self-employed
January, 2001
–
Present
(about 22 years)
Author of 12 works of nonfiction and 3 works of fiction.
Portfolio (12 selected works)
Heart in the Right Place: A Memoir
Carolyn Jourdan
Carolyn Jourdan, an attorney on Capitol Hill, thought she had it made. But when her mother has a heart attack, she returns home—to the Tennessee mountains, where her father is a country doctor and her mother works as his receptionist. Jourdan offers to fill in for her mother until she gets better. But days turn into weeks as she trades her suits for scrubs and finds herself following hazmat re... read more
Wall Street Journal Top-10 in the USA Best SellerAudible Top-10 in the USA Best SellerVoted A Must Read for the 100th Anniversary of the National Park ServiceThis is the first volume in a series of true stories from "[a]n extraordinary landscape populated with befuddled bears, hormonally-crazed elk, homicidal wild boars, hopelessly timid wolves, and nine million tourists, some of whom are clue... read more
Second volume of true stories from a national bestselling series set in “[a]n extraordinary landscape populated with befuddled bears, hormonally-crazed elk, homicidal wild boars, hopelessly timid wolves, and nine million tourists, some of whom are clueless."The first volume of DeLozier's memoir was a #9 Wall Street Journal Bestseller in December of 2013.In Kim DeLozier’s world, when sedated wi... read more
Newest addition to the Wall Street Journal best selling “Bear in the Back Seat” series. A collection of hilarious, heartbreaking, and terrifying encounters with wild black bears in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.Rangers, scientists, wildlife photographers, wilderness guides, tourists, and others do all the wrong things when meeting one of the world famous icons of the Smokies.Wake up ... read more
Dangerous Beauty: Stories from the Wilds of Yellowstone
Carolyn Jourdan, Sandy Sisti
Explore one of the world’s most dangerous and bizarre landscapes alongside an extraordinary team of wildlife photographers, scientists, wilderness guides, rangers, and professional trackers. This book contains nearly 100 real-life experiences from a wide variety of experts who share their hard-won wisdom from decades of adventures in the unique landscape of the Yellowstone. You’ll laugh out lo... read more
A USA Today best seller! Jourdan is an audible, 5-time Wall Street Journal, and USA Today best selling author. "Out on a Limb" is a #1 Mystery and #1 Cozy Mystery on Amazon. Reviewers describe this cozy, scientific, medical mystery as "CSI Meets Animal Planet."In "Out on a Limb" Phoebe McFarland has just moved back to her hometown of White Oak, Tennessee, a sleepy rural community nestled in th... read more
Medicine Men: Extreme Appalachian Doctoring
Carolyn Jourdan
A Wall Street Journal Top-10 Best Seller in 2014 & 2015An Amazon All-StarChosen for "15 Books Every Health Professional Should Read" by Physicians WeeklyMedicine Men is the follow-on to Heart in the Right Place. Both books have made national bestseller lists and #1 on Amazon in Biography, Memoir, Science, and Medicine.Medicine Men is an extraordinary collection of the most memorable moments fr... read more
Nurse: The Art of Caring
Carolyn Jourdan
Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a nurse?From a 6-time Top 10 in the USA author, this book is a collection of the most memorable moments from the careers of over sixty nurses. It covers nearly seventy years of practice from World War II to the present day.The extraordinary situations described here are the result of more than 1,000 years of hands-on bedside knowledge. The vignettes ... read more
4-time Wall Street Journal Top-10 best selling author! Is it cancer or just a bad pixel? Radiologists are the physicians we rarely get to see. "Radiologists at Work" contains the most memorable moments from the careers of twenty radiologists who practiced from the 1940s to the present day. These true stories are told with the trademark wit and warmth that has earned Jourdan four national best ... read more
4-time Wall Street Journal Top-10 best selling author! Is it cancer or just a bad pixel? "Talking to Skeletons" chronicles seven extraordinary nights Jourdan spent shadowing a radiologist in a teaching hospital. Told with the wit and warmth that have earned Jourdan four national best sellers, this book paints an insightful portrait of one man's life and work. It's a uniquely personal tour of a... read more
Breakdown on Blowhard Mountain: A Travel Mystery: A Comical Chase Through the Western National Parks
Carolyn Jourdan, Ludger Dominic Bracht
Seven European tourists set off on the trip of a lifetime—a Grand Circle Tour of the American West.Unaware that a desperate journalist has hidden evidence in their van that could bring down a high-level criminal conspiracy—or that they are being pursued by ruthless thugs determined to retrieve the proof at any cost—the innocent visitors travel from one scenic stop to another.The blistering hea... read more
How to Write, Edit, and Publish Your Memoir: Advice from a Best-Selling Memoirist: With Tips from 6 More Memoirists
Carolyn Jourdan, Bob Tarte, Mark Garrison, Jeremy Blachman, MaryAnn Fry, C.A. Wulff, George Hodgman
For everyone who's ever wanted to write a memoir but is having trouble starting, finishing, or is stuck somewhere in between. Here's the place to get the answers to your questions (and to the questions you didn't know to ask) in one concise volume.Learn the ropes from a USA Today, Audible, and 5-time Wall Street Journal best-selling memoirist and get tips from 6 of her friends and colleagues. ... read more
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