Hey, have you heard? Or have you read that Keanu Reeves (yes, Neo, John Wick, and Ted himself) has co-authored a novel? Written with best-selling fantasy author China Miéville, The Book of Elsewhere is a “genre-bending epic of ancient powers, modern war, and an outcast who cannot die.”

All the hubbub about The Book of Elsewhere made me wonder…what other celebrities have written novels? And also, have any celebrities been bold enough to write historical fiction?

As I was researching, it became clear that celebrities usually follow that oft-cited advice of Write What You Know (Modelling! Movie Making! High Society!). Celebrities also usually write about the times they live in, which means that very few of them write (research-intensive) historical fiction.

There are a few celebrities who have written historical fiction (with or without co-authors), and here they are, with descriptions from author’s websites, wikipedia, or other sources:

Celia Imrie – Orphans of the Storm ~ “Orphans of the Storm dives into the waters of the past to unearth a sweeping, epic tale of the sinking of the Titanic that radiates with humanity and hums with life.”

Ethan Hawke and Greg Ruth – Indeh: A Story of the Apache Wars ~ “The year is 1872. The place, the Apache nations, a region torn apart by decades of war. The people, like Goyahkla, lose his family and everything he loves. After having a vision, the young Goyahkla approaches the Apache leader Cochise, and the entire Apache nation, to lead an attack against the Mexican village of Azripe.”

Gene Wilder – My French Whore ~ “Set towards the end of World War I, in 1918, it tells the story of a shy young railway employee and amateur actor from Milwaukee named Paul Peachy. Having realized that his wife no longer loves him, Paul enlists as a private in the U.S. Army and boards a ship for the trenches of France.”

 

 

 

 

 

Jimmy Carter (yes, that Jimmy Carter) – The Hornet’s Nest ~ “Most Americans know very little about the Revolutionary War in the Deep South, even though much of the conflict was fought there. In his historical novel The Hornet’s Nest, former President Jimmy Carter brings that time and place to life, offering a detailed and accurate account of the events and complex interrelationships that led to the war’s outbreak and ultimate conclusion. The Hornet’s Nest is the first work of fiction ever published by a President of the United States.”

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anna Waterhouse – Mycroft Holmes ~ “Fresh out of Cambridge University, the young Mycroft Holmes is already making a name for himself in government, working for the Secretary of State for War. Yet this most British of civil servants has strong ties to the faraway island of Trinidad, the birthplace of his best friend, Cyrus Douglas, a man of African descent, and where his fiancée Georgiana Sutton was raised.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s a small list (so far! please let me know if you can add to it!), and it definitely suggests what I and other historical novelists know…writing historical fiction ain’t always easy.

So here’s a list of celebrities who have written novels in their own time and place. Again, I’ve tried to highlight only novels that appear to be genuinely written only by the celebrity:

Carrie Fisher – Postcards from the Edge ~ “Suzanne, a patient in a drug rehabilitation clinic, strives to gain control of her life in a look at the dangers–and delights–of all addictions.”

Chris Colfer – The Land of Stories; The Enchantress Returns ~ “After decades of hiding, the evil Enchantress who cursed Sleeping Beauty is back with a vengeance. Alex and Conner Bailey have not been back to the magical Land of Stories since their adventures in The Wishing Spell ended. But one night, they learn the famed Enchantress has kidnapped their mother!”

Gerrard Way – The Umbrella Academy ~ “The Umbrella Academy is a team of superpowered children who fight evil for much of their childhoods under the tutelage of their guardian and mentor, Dr. Reginald Hargreeves. But the team breaks up, and nine years later, the estranged members are reunited by the death of the only parental figure they’ve ever known, and the rise of a new and terrible threat.”

Hugh Laurie – The Gun Seller ~ “Retired army officer Thomas Lang would love nothing more than to live out the rest of his existence drinking whiskey and riding motorcycles, and is content to make ends meet with mercenary jobs—just never murder. Not even when he’s offered a fortune to assassinate American businessman Alexander Woolf. Lang opts to warn the target instead.”

Krysten Ritter – Bonfire ~ “It has been ten years since Abby Williams, a successful environmental lawyer, left home for the modern apartments and one-night stands of Chicago. But when a new case takes her back home to Barrens, Indiana, the life Abby painstakingly created begins to crack.”

James Comey (yes, that James Comey) – Central Park West – “…a gripping and fast-paced legal thriller inspired by Comey’s long career in federal law enforcement, including his years in Manhattan as a mob prosecutor and later the chief federal prosecutor.”

LeVar Burton – Aftermath ~ “In 2012, the first African American president is assassinated by a white extremist—just four days after he is elected. The horrific tragedy leads to riots, financial collapse, and ultimately, a full-on civil war. In its aftermath, millions are left homeless as famine and disease spread throughout the country. But from Chicago, a mysterious voice cries out . . .”

Michael Palin – Hemingway’s Chair ~ “Martin Sproale is a mild, conventional assistant postmaster living in a small English coastal town, the only exceptional thing about him being his obsession with Ernest Hemingway. This is confined harmlessly enough to an encyclopaedic knowledge of everything about the man and to living in a room surrounded by Hemingway memorabilia.”

Meg Tilly – Solace Island ~ “Dumped on the eve of her wedding and looking for a quiet place to lick her emotional wounds, Maggie Harris joins her sister on Solace Island, where she hopes to recover from the stunning betrayal.”

Octavia Spencer, Vivienne To (Illustrator) – The Case of the Time-Capsule Bandit ~ “Deer Creek is a small town whose only hope for survival is the success of their Founder’s Day Festival. But the festival’s main attraction, a time capsule that many people believe holds the town’s treasure, has gone missing.”

Stacey Abrams – While Justice Sleeps ~ Avery Keene, a brilliant young law clerk for the legendary Justice Howard Wynn, is doing her best to hold her life together–excelling in an arduous job with the court while also dealing with a troubled family. When the shocking news breaks that Justice Wynn–the cantankerous swing vote on many current high-profile cases–has slipped into a coma, Avery’s life turns upside down.

Steve Martin – An Object of Beauty ~ “Lacey Yeager is young, captivating, and ambitious enough to take the NYC art world by storm. Groomed at Sotheby’s and hungry to keep climbing the social and career ladders put before her, Lacey charms men and women, old and young, rich and even richer with her magnetic charisma and liveliness.”

Got some more celebrity-written novels to add? Let me know below!

Finis!