Joens, Michael R. 1951(?)-

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JOENS, Michael R. 1951(?)-

PERSONAL: Born c. 1951, in Oceanside, CA; married Cathleen Correll. Education: Bethany Bible College, B.A., 1977.

ADDRESSES: Home—Santa Clarita, CA. Agent—Natasha Kern Literary Agency, P.O. Box 2908, Portland, OR 97208.

CAREER: Writer, cartoonist/animator, producer, and director. Worked as a cartoonist and illustrator for Hanna Barbera, Filmation, Warner Brothers, and Marvel Productions; founder of Stillwater Production Company, 1987–. Producer and director of animated commercials, and for animation segments for the video series McGee and Me!; and Adventures in Odyssey; director and producer for television programs, including Blondie and Dagwood, Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc., (CBS), Fraggle Rock, National Broad-casting Corporation (NBC), and feature film My Little Pony. Military service: U.S. Marine Corps, combat illustrator during the Vietnam War.

AWARDS, HONORS: Rosebud Award, Rendezvous Reviews, 2004, for An Animated Death in Burbank.

WRITINGS:

FICTION

The Crimson Tapestry (historical novel), Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 1995.

The Dawn of Mercy (novel), Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 1996.

Triumph of the Soul (historical novel), F. H. Revell (Grand Rapids, MI), 1999.

An Animated Death in Burbank (mystery novel), Thomas Dunne Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Blood Reins: A Detective Sandra Cameron Mystery, Thomas Dunne Books (New York, NY), 2005.

Also author of scripts for animated television series Muppet Babies.

WORK IN PROGRESS: A series of mystery novels.

SIDELIGHTS: A cartoonist and animator who worked primarily in television and film and went on to produce and direct, Michael R. Joens turned to writing fiction in the early 1990s after attending a booksellers' convention in Florida. His first books, widely read in the Christian fiction market, include The Crimson Tapestry, which tells of a boy's adventure in Great Britain during the Anglo-Saxon invasion of the fifth century, and The Dawn of Mercy, about a father and son living in a small Montana town. In Triumph of the Soul Joens tells the story of an American and German pilot who clash early in World War II. He follows the two characters' journey toward faith and explores their views on the war. Writing in Library Journal, Melanie C. Duncan felt that while the author is unsuccessful in telling the American pilot's story, which "rings false," the German pilot's story succeeds; his "realization of Germany's decay and his own personal fall resonates," according to the critic.

Joens began writing mysteries with An Animated Death in Burbank. In this tale, a well-known cartoon animator is found dead at his computer after apparently shooting himself in the head. Detectives Tom Rigby of the Burbank police department and the L.A. County Sheriff Office's Sergeant Sandy Cameron are assigned to the case, and their concern grows when another woman cartoonist is found dead from a supposed fall. As deaths in the cartoon industry multiply, the two detectives proceed to uncover a grisly plot to downsize the animation industry. While the novel is "not as lean and tight as it should be," according to a Kirkus Reviews contributor, "the leads are a lively pair," making An Animated Death in Burbank "a promising debut." Other reviewers were more complimentary about Joens's mystery. For example, RomanticTimes.com critic Lorraine Gelly noted that "there's a lot of suspense and a surprise killer, plus quite a bit of interesting film animation lore." Rex E. Klett, writing in Library Journal, called An Animated Death in Burbank "fraught with fascinating subject matter, a bright heroine, and detailed procedure."

The duo of Rigby and Cameron return in Blood Reins: A Detective Sandra Cameron Mystery. This time the detectives are investigating the death of a horse trainer, and Rigby soon finds himself suspecting Cameron, a horse lover who once trained with the dead man and had an affair with him. The tension mounts between the investigators when Rigby begins to question Cameron directly, but the two eventually uncover the real murderer. A Kirkus Reviews contributor felt that, compared to the first mystery, the duo seem "heavy-footed" in this installment of the series. However, a Publishers Weekly critic concluded that "Joens successfully mines the world of California horse breeding."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 2003, review of An Animated Death in Burbank, p. 1427; November 15, 2004, review of Blood Reins: A Detective Sandra Cameron Mystery, p. 1071.

Library Journal, September 1, 1999, Melanie C. Duncan, review of Triumph of the Soul, p. 172; January, 2004, Rex E. Klett, review of An Animated Death in Burbank, p. 164.

Publishers Weekly, January 26, 2004, review of An Animated Death in Burbank, p. 235; January 3, 2005, review of Blood Reins, p. 39.