Jonathan Grave Book 18

When John Gilstrap's first novel, Nathan's Run, hit the market in 1996, it set the literary world on fire. Publication rights sold in 23 countries, the movie rights were scooped up at auction by Warner Brothers, and John changed professions. A safety engineer by training and education, he specialized in explosives and hazardous materials, and also served 15 years in the fire and rescue service, rising to the rank of lieutenant.

That "first" book was really his fourth, and that one call from an agent (after logging 27 rejections) changed the trajectory of his life. Twenty books and seven movie projects later, it's been a good run, and it's still running. But his career track looks more like a sine curve than a rocket ship. There were lots of setbacks along the way. At one point, his writing career appeared to be dead. Then came the comeback.