Joy Fielding, a Canadian novelist with a knack for keeping readers on the edge of their seats, has come a long way from her early days of penning plays for neighborhood friends in Toronto.
Born Joy Tepperman, she later adopted the surname Fielding as a nod to the 18th-century writer Henry Fielding. This name change marked the beginning of her transformation from an aspiring storyteller to a bestselling author.
See all Joy Fielding Books in order here >>>
As a child, Joy’s imagination ran wild with stories. Though her first submission to Jack and Jill magazine was turned down, and her youthful plays met with only polite applause from parents, these early setbacks didn’t dampen her spirit. By high school graduation, she had set her sights on a writing career.
After studying English Literature at the University of Toronto, Joy took an unexpected detour into acting. She even landed a role in the popular Western series Gunsmoke. However, the lure of creating her own characters and worlds proved too strong, and she soon returned to Toronto and to her typewriter.
Joy often quips that she prefers writing to real life because her characters actually do what she tells them to do. This control over her fictional worlds has allowed her to explore themes like urban isolation and identity crisis, often set against the backdrop of large American cities.
Curiously, while Joy’s books have found success in the United States, it’s in Germany where she’s become a literary sensation. Her novel “See Jane Run” skyrocketed to fame there, outshining its reception back home in Canada.
Today, Joy Fielding continues to captivate readers worldwide with her psychological thrillers. Her story serves as a reminder that with persistence and passion, a small-town Canadian girl can indeed become a global literary star. As she sits down to write each new novel, Joy proves that the art of suspense is alive and well, and that a good story can cross any border.
Publication Order of Standalone Novels
| The Transformation | (1967) |
| The Best of Friends | (1972) |
| Trance | (1978) |
| Kiss Mommy Goodbye | (1980) |
| Deep End | (1981) |
| The Other Woman | (1983) |
| Life Penalty | (1984) |
| Good Intentions | (1989) |
| See Jane Run | (1991) |
| Tell Me No Secrets | (1993) |
| Don’t Cry Now | (1995) |
| Missing Pieces | (1997) |
| The First Time | (1999) |
| Grand Avenue | (2001) |
| Whispers and Lies | (2002) |
| Lost | (2003) |
| Puppet | (2005) |
| Mad River Road | (2006) |
| Heartstopper | (2007) |
| Charley’s Web | (2008) |
| Still Life | (2009) |
| The Wild Zone | (2010) |
| Now You See Her | (2011) |
| Shadow Creek | (2012) |
| Someone Is Watching | (2015) |
| She’s Not There | (2016) |
| The Bad Daughter | (2018) |
| All the Wrong Places | (2019) |
| Cul-de-sac | (2021) |
| The Housekeeper | (2022) |
Short Stories/Novellas In Order of Publication
| Home Invasion | (2011) |
Anthologies In Order of Publication
| Mothers and Daughters | (1998) |