Eric Jerome Dickey
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Eric Jerome Dickey was born in on 7 July 1961 in Memphis, Tennessee. Sometimes referred to as EJD for short. He is a best selling author of the books Genevieve, The Other Woman, Drive Me Crazy, Naughty or Nice, Thieves' Paradise, Friends and Lovers, and a host of other novels.
[edit] Biography
Eric Jerome Dickey attended the University of Memphis, where he earned a degree in Computer System Technology. In 1983, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in engineering.
After landing a job in the aerospace industry working as a software developer, EJD's artistic talents surfaced, inspiring him to become an actor and a stand-up comedian. He soon began working the local and national comedy circuit. In the early 1990's the aerospace industry took a downward turn and Dickey found himself "downsized," but took this as an opportunity to embark on a writing career.
Having written several comedy scripts for his personal comedy act, Eric Jerome Dickey started writing poetry and short stories. In 1994 his first published short story "Thirteen" appeared in the IBWA's River Crossing, Voices of the Diaspora--an Anthology of the International Black Experience. A second short story "Days Gone By" was published in the magazine A Place to Enter.
With those successes behind him, Eric Jerome Dickey then developed a screenplay called "Cappuccino." "Cappuccino" was directed and produced by Craig Ross Jr. and appeared in coffeehouses around the Los Angeles area. In February 1998, "Cappuccino" made its local debut during the Pan African Film Festival at the Magic Johnson Theater in Los Angeles.
Eric Jerome Dickey has gone on to write over fifteen novels and has featured in many publications, including Essence magazine, USA Today and The Los Angeles Times, and his novels have appeared on the bestseller lists of the "Blackboard," The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. Dickey has appeared as a guest on many shows, including BET's "Our Voices" and CNN's "Sunday Morning Live."
Dickey's writing style has historically on from Waiting to Exhale-like Sister, Sister to often putting black females in morally complex situations. Black females are found to be manipulators and scam artists in books like Milk in My Coffee, Friends and Lovers, and Liar's Game. While it should be noted that no black male is considered sacred, they catch an easier break than the black females, which goes against what the core audience of black romances would expect. Moreover, Dickey appears to crossover in books such as Thieves Paradise and Drive Me Crazy, where the stories are written in a more Walter Mosely tone and there is no optimum romantic resolution.
Recently, Dickey has been writing a Storm mini-series for Marvel Comics. The comic is a exploring the origin of the X-Man Storm, widely considered the most visible black female character in mainstream comics, as well as her first meeting with Black Panther.
Dickey is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans.