C.J. Lyons Books In Order

Publication Order of Angels Of Mercy Books

Publication Order of Lucy Guardino FBI Thriller Books

Publication Order of Shadow Ops Books

Publication Order of Hart and Drake Books

Publication Order of Caitlyn Tierney FBI Thriller Books

Publication Order of Jericho and Wright Books

Publication Order of Renegade Justice Books

Publication Order of Fatal Insomnia Books

Publication Order of Beacon Falls Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of A.J. Palladino Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

C.J. Lyons grew up in the mountains of central Pennsylvania. In school she developed a reputation for being a bit out of touch with what the other kids were doing. Summing up this period in her life she says, “I’ve always been a storyteller. When I was young it made for a lot of time spent in timeouts because I had a hard time telling the difference between fiction and reality.”

In school her teachers noticed her talent for writing and encouraged her. At twelve, she published a story in the school’s literary magazine. Then at thirteen she one her first writing contest. While continuing to write in her spare time, Lyons set her sights on other pursuits.

Even as a child she had a pressing desire to change the world. That desire led her to pursue a career in medicine. From State College, PA she moved to North Carolina, where she attended college. After college, it was on to medical school in Florida. Then back to Pennsylvania, where she completed a pediatric residency at Children’s Hospital.

Throughout her life she enjoyed writing and telling stories. For her, writing became a way of dealing with the “real” world. Early on, writing was a means of escape and coping. At first, she never gave any thought to making a career out of it. But that changed during her internship in Pittsburgh when one of her fellow interns was murdered.

Trying to make sense out of her shock and grief, Lyons turned once again to writing. Up to this point she had enjoyed writing science fiction and fantasy novels. But now her attention turned to crime fiction. She started channeling her experiences in the ER into her stories. After finished her internship she continued her specialize in Pediatric Emergency Medicine. Daily faced with the gruesome horrors and everyday heroes, Lyons plunged herself deeper into writing.

As she built relationships with other writers they began to encourage her to publish some of her work. Reluctant at first, she eventually realized the power of words. Motivated by her desire to change the world, she submitted her work to the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart contest. To her surprise she was a finalist and got a call from a publisher. But the road to fame was not quite as easy as she expected. Just weeks before they were scheduled to publish her book, the publishing company backed out. Fortunately, she was picked up by another publisher, which led to publishing the Angles of Mercy series..

Angels of Mercy came about after she was approached by a television producer. His idea was to make a series that she describes as ER meets Grey’s Anatomy. With her background in medicine and strong writing skills, she seemed like a perfect choice. Commenting on the series she says, “I really wanted it to be grounded in reality. So the biggest challenge was how to keep it real, fast moving like a thriller without teaching or preaching.” Sadly the screenwriter’s strike shelved the series, but Lyons kept writing. The result was Lifeline the first book in the Angles of Mercy series.

Set in the fictional Angels of Mercy Medical Center, which is described as a top-flight teaching hospital and trauma center. People come to Angels because of its reputation for providing the best care but the drama behind the scenes is where the real action lies. Angels of Mercy focuses on four main female protagonists each with different backgrounds and personalities. They interact with each other as they save lives, find love and develop friendships. Eventually becoming each other’s heroes. Building off her real-life experience as an ER doctor as well as her many consultations with the police and prosecutors, Lyons vividly portrays the real life and death struggles in the ER.

In the first books of the series, Lifeliners, the plot revolves around Dr. Lydia Fiore. Arriving as the hospitals new ER attending physician, Fiore is faced with immediate crisis when the Chief of Surgery’s son dies under her care. With the potential end of her career looming, she must uncover the truth. The book was an immediate success, becoming an award winning, critically acclaimed best seller.

The second and third books in the series is titled Warning Signs. In Warning Signs, she tells the story of Amanda Mason — a doctor who is facing mysterious symptoms that have been affecting her performance but alluded diagnosis. The only person who seems to see her struggle is the handsome Dr. Lucas Stone. After two patients with the same symptoms die, Amanda recognizes her time is short. She enlists the help of three friends to solve the mystery of what’s killing her.

In addition, to the Angels of Mercy series, she’s published a number of other books including the young adult thriller Broken, which was selected as Top Pick by RT Book Reviews. The book tells the story of a high school student names Scarlett. Suffering from a deadly heart condition that could kill her at any moment, she must also face the difficulties of being a teenager. The story is based on Lyons real life niece named Abby, who struggles with the same heart condition.

Medical Dramas are not her only forte. Blind Faith begins with Sarah Durandt witnessing the execution the man who murdered her husband and son. Even though the killer confessed to the murder, he never reveled the location of the bodies. Plagued by the lack of closure, Sarah moves to the Adirondacks to seek out the remains of her loved ones. What she uncovers, however, is more horrifying than anything she could have imagined.

Lyon’s novels have won the Thriller Award given by the International Thrillers writes. She’s also received the RT Reviewer’s Choice Award, the Reader’s Choice Award, the RT Seal of Excellence and the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence n Mystery and Suspense. C.J. regularly teaches live and online workshops. She’s also given speeches to audiences at the London Book Fair, the Frankfurt Book Fair and writers gatherings around the world.

One Response to “C.J. Lyons”

1. Susan Leavitt: 8 months ago

   For years CJ Lyons has been my favorite author. Her stories really come to life and quickly get you personally involved in the characters and suspense. I also appreciate her ability to present her stories without graphic descriptions of sexual encounters and foul language. A rare treasure in today’s world. I was always amazed at how realistic she was able to describe the inner workings of various institutions, such as FBI, hospitals, etc. After reading her biography, I understand why she is so knowledgeable and believable. I’m looking forward to finishing her books that I have not read and any new ones she creates.

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