Jay Bonansinga

Jay Bonansinga is a New York Times bestselling author, screenwriter, and filmmaker whose work spans the horror, thriller, and nonfiction genres. Bonansinga is the author of more than 50 short stories and 15 original novels, including the Bram Stoker Award finalist "The Black Mariah," the International Thriller Writers Award finalist "Shattered," and the horror novel "Self Storage." His work has been translated into 17 languages. The Chicago Tribune has described him as one of the most imaginative writers of thrillers.

After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, Bonansinga shifted from filmmaking to writing when financing fell through on a major action movie project. He began adapting his film ideas into novels, with his debut "The Black Mariah" earning recognition as a Bram Stoker Award finalist and leading to a collaboration with filmmaker George Romero on a film adaptation. This transition marked the beginning of Bonansinga's literary career in horror and thriller fiction.

Bonansinga achieved New York Times bestseller status with "The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor," a novel based on the comic book and television series created by Robert Kirkman. He co-wrote several titles in "The Walking Dead" novel series, including "Road to Woodbury," "The Fall of the Governor - Part One," "The Fall of the Governor - Part Two," "Descent," "Invasion," "Search and Destroy," and "Return to Woodbury." Bonansinga also served as story consultant for Telltale's video game "The Walking Dead: Michonne." His expertise in the zombie genre, developed through years of collaboration with Romero, positioned him as a key contributor to the expansion of "The Walking Dead" franchise.

Bonansinga's nonfiction work includes "The Sinking of the Eastland," which received national recognition and a certificate of merit from the Illinois State Historical Society. The book inspired the musical Eastland, staged in Chicago by Lookingglass. Bonansinga has also written nonfiction books on Alan Pinkerton and the Las Vegas mob. He collaborated with Stan Lee on the superhero series "Stan Lee's The Devil's Quintet: The Armageddon Code."

As a screenwriter and film director, Bonansinga has received Best-of-Festival awards at the Houston, Queens, and Iowa City International Film Festivals. He is a visiting professor at Northwestern and DePaul, where he teaches screenwriting. Bonansinga is a frequent speaker on creativity and storytelling, known for his cross-genre work in horror, thriller, and nonfiction writing.