OFFICIAL
Joni Rodgers is a critically acclaimed novelist, #1 NYT bestselling ghostwriter, and EGOT collaborator who’s worked with Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony winners. She specializes in compelling memoirs, message-driven nonfiction, and book/screenplay adaptations. Joni is known industry-wide for her top-drawer talent, dedication to deadline, and holistic collaborative style. Cover credit is negotiable. Confidentiality is sacred. Craft skills are ironclad.
"Joni Rodgers lives, loves, and writes without a safety net."
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
"Engaging honesty and a steady supply of wisecracks ."
NEW YORK TIMES
"This talented author brings pen and ink people to flesh and blood fulfillment."
SOUTHERN LIVING
BACKSTORY
I grew up performing in a family bluegrass band, majored in theater arts at Viterbo University, and spent my 20s busking, teaching theater school, and providing voiceovers for over 3,000 radio and television commercials.
Diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at 32, I used the chemo downtime to write my first two novels: Crazy for Trying (MacAdam-Cage 1996) and Sugarland (Bertelsmann 1999). I followed up with my first bestseller: Bald in the Land of Big Hair (HarperCollins 2001), a memoir about being a young mom/writer with blood cancer.
The success of BLBH sparked a syndicated newspaper column, a deal for my next novel, and invitations to participate in high-profile book projects as a ghostwriter, story whisperer, and dialogue doctor.
Fast forward 20+ years and 30+ books...
I’ve written three more novels of my own and collaborated on a long string of bestselling books (fiction and nonfiction) and an Oscar-nominated screenplay.
I live on the beach in Washington State with my husband, multimedia artist Gary Rodgers.
PRAISE FOR RECENT PROJECTS:
Kirkus STARRED review for Paris: The Memoir by Paris Hilton (Dey Street 2023): “Tender and triumphant…furiously candid…a master class in owning your story.”
Pop Sugar on I’m No Philosopher, but I Got Thoughts by Kristin Chenoweth (HarperCollins 2023): “A new perspective on faith, rage, and what it means to heal.”
Blue Ink Reviews on Rascal on the Run by Howard Tate Scott (HTS 2022): “Southern wit, family drama, and courtroom hijinks… Fans of Southern historical fiction are sure to love this insightful, unforgettable debut.”
Kirkus STARRED review for This is the Fire: What I Say to My Friends About Racism by Don Lemon (Little Brown 2021): “A vital book for these times…puts 2020 in context and gives it the language to sing a quietly outraged song.”
PAST CLIENTS INCLUDE:
· CNN anchor Don Lemon
· Style icon/entrepreneur/activist Paris Hilton
· Broadway icon Kristin Chenoweth
· Activist/advocate Elizabeth Smart
· Activist/entrepreneur Ndaba Mandela, grandson of Nelson Mandela
· Explorer/activist Vanessa O’Brien
· Broadway, film, and TV star Rue McClanahan
· Pop star Justin Bieber
· Broadway, film, and TV star Swoosie Kurtz
· Choreographer/activist Mayte Garcia
· Junk Gypsy design empire cofounders Amie and Jolie Sikes
· Film and TV star Cybill Shepherd
· Pop diva Taylor Dayne
· Rapper/entrepreneur Spectacular Smith
· Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker, founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure
REPRESENTATION
Cindi Davis-Andress at Pastorini-Bosby Talent
713.266.4488
Houston Press
"Think Jane Eyre with rock and roll."
Entertainment Weekly
"Painful and funny in one urgent breath...A mix of Molly Ivins' blowsy wit and Anna Quindlen's suburban logic."
Bestselling Author Pam Houston
"At her best, her prose is dazzling, risky, and intoxicating."