2011 Guest of Honor Robert Dugoni

International bestselling author Robert Dugoni

New York Times Bestselling Author Robert Dugoni was born in Pocatello, Idaho and raised in Burlingame, California. Growing up the middle child in a family of ten siblings, Robert jokes that he didn't get much of a chance to talk, so he wrote. By the seventh grade he knew he wanted to be a writer.Robert wrote his way to Stanford University where he majored in communications/journalism and creative writing. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa and worked briefly as a reporter before deciding to attend the UCLA law school. Robert practiced law full-time in San Francisco as a partner at the law firm, and still practices as counsel for a law firm in Seattle.In 1999 he made the decision to quit the full-time practice of law to write novels and settled in Seattle to pursue his dream. In the next three years, he completed three novels, two of which won the 1999 and 2000 Pacific Northwest Writer's Association Literary Contests.His debut novel, The Jury Master became a New York Times bestseller. Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine chose it as one of three "Best of the Best" debut novels of 2006. The Seattle Times and Library Journal have likened Robert to a young John Grisham, calling The Jury Master, "A riveting tale of murder, skullduggery and treachery at the highest level." Robert’s second novel, Damage Control, reached number 8 on several national independent booksellers’ lists. Publisher's Weekly and Library Journal called Damage Control "a page turner" with "a fast moving plot and a few twists that will surprise even seasoned thriller readers."Wrongful Death, Robert’s sequel to The Jury Master has also received critical acclaim. Mysterious Reviews touted Wrongful Death as "among the best books to be published this year." Kirkus called it, "An entertaining thriller about a hotshot lawyer with good guys to like, villains to hiss, and windmills to attack." And Booklist wrote, "Mixing the suspense of a Grisham legal thriller with the political angle of a Baldacci. Dugoni is knocking on the A-list thriller door." Robert’s fourth novel and third in the David Sloane series, Bodily Harm, was voted one of the top five thrillers of 2010 and critics are calling it his best book yet.Robert’s books have been published in 18 foreign countries. In addition to writing novels Robert teaches the craft of writing and writing novels throughout the United States.