Jennifer Skiff

Jennifer Skiff
Born 1961 (age 5455)
Boston, MA
Occupation Writer
Journalist
Television producer
Nationality American
Period 1986-present
Genre Nonfiction
Notable works God Stories
The Divinity of Dogs
Website
jenniferskiff.com

Jennifer Skiff (born 1961)[1] is an American author, journalist and television producer, best known for writing inspirational books.

Early life and education

Skiff was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and raised in Bar Harbor, Maine.[2][3] Growing up, her family had pet dogs, and she has said she received emotional healing from dogs.[4][5] She graduated from Texas Christian University in 1983 with a double major in broadcast journalism and criminal justice.[6][7]

Career

Television

Skiff began her career at WTVX-TV in Fort Pierce, Florida, and also worked as an anchor and reporter at WABI-TV in Bangor, Maine, and covered crime at KUTV in Salt Lake City, Utah.[3][7] Wildlife Minutes, a television series she developed that highlighted the plight of endangered and threatened species, premiered on the Discovery Channel in 1987.[3] She worked as an investigative correspondent and producer for CNN for 14 years, and was a producer on the channel's environmental program Earth Matters.[2][4][7] As a segment producer for TBS's Network Earth, she was nominated for a 1992 CableACE Award for magazine show special or series,[8] and received an Environmental Media Award for TV News Magazine Segment as correspondent and writer for the series in 1996.[9]

Books

Skiff started working on her first book, God Stories: Inspiring Encounters With the Divine, after what she described as a miraculous recovery from bone marrow cancer at the age of 32.[10] It was published by Random House in 2008 and includes 100 stories of encounters with God, which she collected from people of various faiths, backgrounds and nationalities.[1][2] Publishers Weekly called it "mysterious and faith-inspiring" and "inspiring if uneven".[11] It was excerpted on Today.com.[12]

Her second book, The Divinity of Dogs: True Stories of Miracles Inspired by Man's Best Friend, was published by Simon & Schuster on October 23, 2012. The book is a compilation of inspirational stories about dogs gathered from people's submissions.[13][14] It reached number 8 on the Toronto Star nonfiction bestseller list in April 2015.[15] The Divinity of Dogs was based on submissions Skiff received when writing God Stories. Starting in 2010, she spent over a year collecting submissions, photos, and interviews. The stories are told from the point of view of the dog owners. The book has a musical companion, The Divinity of Dogs: Music to Calm Dogs and the People Who Love Them, created by Skiff and pianist George Skaroulis.[1]

Bibliography

Personal life

Skiff splits her time living between Maine, USA, and Perth, Australia.[1][2][16] She is a trustee of the Dogs' Refuge Home, a no-kill shelter in Australia,[17] and also works with other charities to help abused and abandoned animals.[18]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Judy Harrison, "Somesville author shows divinity of dogs through owners' stories," Bangor Daily News, October 27, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 G. Jeffrey MacDonald, "Close encounters with the divine," USA Today, November 21, 2006.
  3. 1 2 3 Letitia Baldwin, "Newscaster a defender of animals," Bangor Daily News, September 21, 1996.
  4. 1 2 William Yeoman, "Canine tales simply divine," The West Australian, March 7, 2013.
  5. Judy Harrison, "Author searches for tales of divine dogs," Bangor Daily News, July 11, 2010.
  6. "Conversation with Jennifer Skiff '83," TCU Magazine, Winter 2008.
  7. 1 2 3 Judy Harrison, "Good God stories wanted," Bangor Daily News, August 26, 2006.
  8. Martie Zad, "CableACE Awards to air Sunday," Bangor Daily News, January 16, 1993.
  9. "EMA Awards Recipients & Honorees," green4ema.org. Accessed March 7, 2016.
  10. Julia Duin, "'Stories' Abounds with God's Grace," Washington Times, April 26, 2009.
  11. "God Stories: Inspiring Encounters with the Divine," Publishers Weekly, November 11, 2008.
  12. "'God Stories' of divine intervention," Today.com, December 22, 2008.
  13. "New Book Asks: Is ‘Higher Power' Behind the Special Abilities of Dogs?" CBS Chicago, June 30, 2013.
  14. Brook Bolen, "7 Stellar Books That Dog Lovers Won't Be Able To Put Down," BarkPost.com, July 2015.
  15. "Bestsellers," Toronto Star, April 3, 2015.
  16. Steve Dale, "New pet books make ideal gifts," Chicago Tribune, September 28, 2013.
  17. Shannon Cutts, "What Pets Know That People Don't," Psych Central, October 2013.
  18. "McNally Named New President of Hancock County SPCA Board," The Ellsworth American, April 11, 2012.

External links

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