Mr. Thomas was a widely admired writer of suspense thrillers, many of them set in a Washington D.C. filled with scheming, subterfuge and sudden death. Mr. Thomas, who was a combat infantryman in WWII and a former newspaperman and political consultant, became a highly productive novelist whose 25 books were praised for their intricate plots, crisp writing, and pointed dialogue. The first, "A Cold War Swap", appeared in 1966, and the last, "Ah, Treachery!", was published in 1994. Throughout his career, his work was praised by critics for wit, realism and the complexity that he brought to his plots and with which he endowed his characters. The hint of cynicism toward people and institutions that some critics perceived in his work could be traced to his background, personality and experiences. In addition to writing novels, Mr. Thomas wrote screenplays - some adaptations, some original. One of his originals became the movie 'Bad Company'. One of his books became the movie 'St. Ives', starring 'Charles Bronson . But, his wife said, the very subtleties and ambiguities of plot and characters cherished by readers of Mr. Thomas's books appeared to prevent the rest of them from becoming movies. "He didn't mind", she said. "What entertained him and his readers didn't necessarily translate to the screen very easily", she said.
His first novel, "The Cold War Swap", won the 1966 Mystery Writers of Americas Edgar Allen Poe Award.
Wrote five novels under the pseudonym Oliver Bleeck.
Lived in Washington D.C. 1960 to 1975.
Following his return from military service, he attended the University of Oklahoma and graduated in 1949. While a freshman in college, he got his first writing experience while working as an apprentice sports reporter for the Daily Oklahoman in Oklahoma City.
At the of 40, Ross Thomas sat down to write his first novel, "The Cold War Swap." He completed the manuscript in six weeks and sent it to a publisher. Two weeks later that publisher accepted the book for publication.
Graduated in May 2005 from University of Southern California with a B.A. in Theatre Arts
Ross has spent a significant amount of time working with indigenous tribal cultures. As a result of his interest in Anthropology, Ethnobotany and Shamanism, Ross has traveled to remote regions around the world in search of wisdom and divination. In 2009 he directed and produced a short documentary film in the Peruvian Amazon titled "Extraction: The Plundering of the Amarakaeri Reserve", which provides first hand accounts from the indigenous Harakmbut tribe, living in the shadow of seismic oil exploration on their land deep in the heart of the rain forest. Ross is a fierce proponent of indigenous rights and rain forest preservation. An avid outdoor enthusiast, Ross summited Huayna Potossi in Bolivia at 19,974 ft.
I think she must have lived where all the sad poets live, in that secret place where everything hurts all the time.
The eyes were large and gray and in a certain light looked soft, gentle, and even innocent. Then the light would change, the innocence would vanish, and the eyes looked like year-old ice.
The eyes were larger and gray and in a certain light looked soft, gentle, and even innocent. Then the light would change, the innocence would vanish, and the eyes looked like year-old ice.
She was wearing a dark-red swimsuit consisting of two small triangles up above and a mere suggestion of something down below. If she took everything off, Dill thought, she would look a lot less naked.
The laugh came then, a marvelous honking hoorah so infectious that Dill felt it should be quarantined. .
