Overview
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
Non-Fiction
Languages
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.
- #9 Wall Street Journal Best Seller "Medicine Men" in 2022.
Certifications
- B.S. Biomedical Engineering
- J.D. Law
Work experience
Self-employed
Author of 12 works of nonfiction in biography, memoir, medicine, and wildlife and 3 works of fiction.