William Bernhardt

William Bernhardt is a renowned American author, best known for his suspense, thriller, and mystery novels. He has written over sixty books, including the popular Ben Kincaid series, the Daniel Pike series, and historical novels such as "Challengers of the Dust" and "Nemesis." In addition to his fiction work, Bernhardt has also published three books of poetry and several non-fiction books on fiction writing.

Before becoming a novelist, Bernhardt worked as a trial lawyer, an experience that has greatly influenced his legal thrillers. He is also a respected writing instructor and runs an annual workshop in Tulsa, where he mentors aspiring writers. Bernhardt's passion for writing and his dedication to teaching have led to the creation of the Red Sneaker Writers Center, which hosts an annual writers conference, small-group seminars, a monthly newsletter, and a bi-weekly podcast.

Bernhardt's work has received significant critical acclaim, with Library Journal calling him "the master of the courtroom drama" and the Vancouver Sun comparing him to P.G. Wodehouse and John Mortimer. He has won the Southern Writers Guild's Gold Medal Award, the Royden B. Davis Distinguished Author Award from the University of Pennsylvania, and the H. Louise Cobb Distinguished Author Award from Oklahoma State. Bernhardt has been nominated for the Oklahoma Book Award eighteen times in three different categories and has won the award twice.

In addition to his novels and poetry, Bernhardt has written plays, a musical, humor, children's stories, biography, and puzzles. He has edited two anthologies as fundraisers for The Nature Conservancy and the Children’s Legal Defense Fund. Bernhardt is also the owner of Balkan Press, which publishes poetry and fiction as well as the literary journal Conclave. Despite his many accomplishments, Bernhardt remains humble and dedicated to his craft, always looking for new ways to tell stories and share them with others.