E. Lynn Harris was born in Flint, Michigan in 1955. He was the eldest of four children. At the age of three he moved to Little Rock, Arkansas where the seed for writing would sit buried in his body waiting for the right time to blossom and grow. He went on to graduate from the University of Arkansas with a BA in Journalism in 1977. He was soon hired by IBM as a computer salesman. In 1990, Harris' seed began to sprout and he decided to move to Atlanta to pursue and focus on a writing career. He was inspired by many successful authors such as Maya Angelou, Bebe Moore-Campbell and James Baldwin.The positive values instilled in Harris by his mother would be the main influence on his book character's development. Harris wrote about, among other topics, a subject very true to his life. The lives of African Americans, particularly male athletes who were struggling with their sexuality. Many of his characters were on the "down low". Harris was an openly gay man and dealt with the topic of bisexuality and homosexuality in his debut novel Invisible Life.
E. Lynn Harris, who died this year on July 23rd at the age of 54 from undetermined causes had 10 USA TODAY best selling novels. His latest was Basketball Jones.
Noteworthy books by E. Lynn Harris:
Just As I Am
Abide With Me
Any Way the Wind Blows
What Becomes of the Brokenhearted
Official website of Mr. E. Lynn Harris - http://www.elynnharris.com/
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