[close] ADRIANA TRIGIANIis beloved by millions of readers around the world for her hilarious and heartwarming novels. Adriana was raised in a small coal mining town in southwest Virginia in a big Italian family. She chose her hometown for the setting and title of her debut novel, the critically acclaimed and bestselling BIG STONE GAP, followed by the sequels BIG CHERRY HOLLER and MILK GLASS MOON. Since 1999, Adriana has delivered a novel a year to her devoted fans. LUCIA, LUCIA, THE QUEEN OF THE BIG TIME, and ROCOCO were all instant New York Times bestsellers.

Fall of 2006 brought HOME TO BIG STONE GAP, an instant best seller and the 4th in the Big Stone Gap series. Adriana also teamed up with her family for COOKING WITH MY SISTERS, which was co-authored by her sister Mary. The cookbook-memoir is filled with contributions from the Trigiani sisters and mother, features recipes and stories dating back a hundred years from both sides of their Italian-American family.

Adriana’s adoring fans can also look forward to the 2008 publication of her newest novel, BELLA ROSA.

Critics from the Washington Post to the New York Times to People magazine have described Adriana’s novels as “tiramisu for the soul”, “sophisticated and wise”, and “dazzling.”

While critics agree that “her novels are full bodied and elegantly written,” Adriana’s fans play a key role in making each book a success.

It isn’t rare to find Adriana chatting to book clubs several evening each month from her New York City home. Adriana adores her fans, and their passion for this author is mutual.

Her books are also internationally popular. LUCIA, LUCIA was selected as 2004’s best read in England by Richard and Judy, and the book was also named 8th in Britain on the 2004 Associated Press' list of "World's Best Sellers - Books." Her cross-cultural popularity is proven in the fact that her titles have been translated into several foreign languages.

Stateside, Adriana has been featured on "The Today Show," "CBS Sunday Morning," and National Public Radio. Her novels have been selected for USA Today Book Club (Lucia, Lucia), People Magazine (Big Stone Gap), and Target Bookmarked (Queen of the Big Time). She’s also officially a regular at Barnes & Noble University, where she has conducted two online book clubs.

After graduating from Saint Mary’s College in South Bend, Indiana, Adriana moved to New York City to become a playwright. She founded the all-female comedy troupe “The Outcasts,” which performed on the cabaret circuit for seven years. She made her off-Broadway debut as a playwright at the Manhattan Theatre Club and was produced in regional theatres of note around the country.

Among her many television credits, Adriana was a writer/producer on THE COSBY SHOW, A DIFFERENT WORLD and executive producer/head writer for CITY KIDS for Jim Henson Productions. Her Lifetime television special, GROWING UP FUNNY, garnered an Emmy nomination for Lily Tomlin.

In 1996, she wrote and directed the documentary film QUEENS OF THE BIG TIME. It won the Audience Award at the Hampton’s’ Film Festival and toured the international film festival circuit from Hong Kong to London. QUEENS OF THE BIG TIME is now in a distribution deal with New Video, and it will be released in 2008.

Fans can also expect to see Adriana’s work on the big screen, as final preparations are underway to produce her Big Stone Gap screenplay, which she has written and will direct.

Adriana is married to Tim Stephenson, the Emmy award-winning lighting designer of the Late Show with David Letterman.

Perhaps one popular book critic said it best: “Trigiani defies categorization. She is more than a one-hit wonder, more than a Southern writer, more than a woman’s novelist. She is an amazing young talent.” [close]