John Jakes

John William Jakes (also known as Jay Scotland, born on March 31, 1932) is an American writer, best known for American historical fiction. Jakes was born in Chicago, Illinois. He first sold stories to pulp magazines while still in college in the early 1950s. He studied creative writing at DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana, graduating in 1953. He then earned an M.A. in American literature from The Ohio State University. Jakes published several stories and novels over the 20 years following completion of college, many of them fantasy fiction, science fiction and westerns and other sorts of historical fiction, while working in the advertising industry. In 1971, he began to write full time. During this time, he was also a member of...