John Bellairs is the creator of the Johnny Dixon, Lewis Barnavelt, and Anthony Monday series. After John Bellairs death in 1991, however, Brad Strickland was asked to complete some of John Bellairs' books. Since then, Brad Strickland has finished 4 of Bellairs' unfinished books and written 5 more of his own using the original Bellairs characters from the three series.
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John Bellairs was born January 17, 1938 to Frank and Virginia Bellairs in Marshall, Michigan. His father was a saloon owner. As a boy, Bellairs knew of his family's unstable financial situation. Some of his first books speak of characters trying to get rich. New Zebedee, the town in the Lewis Barnavelt series, is modeled off Marshall, Michigan. The houses in Marshall are large Victorians, and Bellairs loved to visit the town center to see them. |
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When Bellairs was a child, he was inspired to write books. As a child, he imagined stories about knights in shining armor defeating dragons. In his later years, he never incorporated violence into his books. The main characters in Bellairs' books are not the popular kids in the school. They are kids who have problems making friends or other issues.
Bellairs died in 1991, in Haverhill, Massachusetts due to heart disease. Brad Strickland, a Bellairs fan, has now completed unfinished books by Bellairs and added to the three famous series. Bellairs wrote a total of 18 books, 15 in his three main series and three in his earlier career. These three early books are St. Fidgeta and Other Parodies, The Face In The Frost, and The Pedant and The Shuffly.
Some of John Bellairs' books are currently being translated into French. John Bellairs first book in the Lewis Barnavelt series, The House with the Clock in its Walls, has already been published in French. The French version has a different title and the main character is called Kevin, not Lewis. The story, however, has been accurately maintained. A second book is currently being published.
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Brad Strickland was born to Silas Strickland and Eavleen Watkins in New Holland, Georgia on October 27, 1947. Strickland had two sisters and a brother. During the summer, Strickland stayed at his grandfather's farm in Forsyth County, Georgia. There he would listen to ghost tales told by his relatives. It was here that Strickland first wanted to write stories.
In high school, Strickland wrote many short stories, some of which were published. After high school, Brad entered the University of Georgia where he majored in English. When he graduated in 1969, Brad Strickland met Barbara Justus whom he married. The Stricklands moved to Gainesville, Georgia. In 1975, Brad first child was born. A second child was born two years later. Strickland received some funds to do some extra studying and got a Ph.D. at the University of Georgia in 1976.
Strickland started teaching at colleges and at an advanced high school. Soon Strickland started writing. His books became fairly popular. He wrote many dark science fiction short stories. Strickland was also an actor and had some roles in plays. In 1991 when John Bellairs died of a heart attack, Frank Bellairs, John's son, asked Strickland to complete 2 of the manuscripts Bellairs had begun and to use 2 of the plot outlines to write other stories.
The result was four of Bellairs' best (in our opinion) books, all completed by Strickland. In addition to the Bellairs books, Strickland has written books in the Star Trek and Wishbone series. Strickland has kept writing books to the the Bellairs series. He is currently working on The Whistle, the Bell, and the Grave which will include for the first time ever, traditional Bellairs villains.