E.lynn Harris
Openly gay, he was best known for his depictions of African American men on the down-low or in the closet.
Biography
Born in Flint, Michigan, he had homes in Houston, Texas, Atlanta, Georgia and Fayetteville, Arkansas. In his writings, Harris maintained a poignant motif, occasionally emotive, that incorporated vernacular and slang from popular culture.
Harris became the first black male cheerleader while attending the University of Arkansas. After graduation, he became a computer salesman with IBM for a time.
Harris was initially unable to land a book deal with a reputable publishing house for his first work, Invisible Life, so he self-published it through a vanity publisher and sold copies from his car trunk. Since then, five of his novels have achieved New York Times bestseller status.
Alongside fiction, Harris had also penned a personal memoir, What Becomes of the Brokenhearted?
Death
Harris died suddenly on July 23, 2009 at the age of 54 while in Los Angeles for a business meeting.
He was found unconscious at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, and was pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Bibliography
Invisible Life (1991 Self Published – 1994 Mass Marketed)
Just As I Am (1995) *
And This Too Shall Pass (1997)
If This World Were Mine (1998) **
Abide With Me (2000)
Not A Day Goes By (2000)
Money Can't Buy Me Love (2000)
From the Book Got to Be Real - 4 Original Love Stories by Eric Jerome Dickey, Marcus Major, E.
Lynn Harris and Colin Channer
Any Way the Wind Blows (2002) *
A Love Of My Own (2003) *
What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted – A Memoir (2004)
I Say a Little Prayer (2006)
Just Too Good To Be True (2008)
Basketball Jones" (2009)
* Winner of Blackboard's Novel of the Year Award
** Winner of James Baldwin Award for Literary Excellence
.