A published journalist for two decades, Jones started writing early, contributing feature articles and syndicated columns to United Media. Of Greek heritage, she was named after her maternal grandmother (Aphrodite Jones is her real birth name and not a pen name). Jones was born in Chicago, raised in Long Island, and spent her summers in Greece. Her father, a Rear Admiral in the Navy, and her mother, a Greek interpreter, died when she was young, thus she can empathize with people who experience the sudden death of a loved one.
After completing her undergraduate work at UCLA, she returned to New York to work as a nationally syndicated columnist, interviewing celebrities for United Features Syndicate, her columns appearing in newspapers across America and in Canada. After a five-year stint as a journalist, Aphrodite completed the PhD program at New York University, and taught at Long Island University in New York and Cumberland College in Kentucky.
In her late twenties, she worked as a news director at a radio station in Kentucky and fell into a career as a true-crime writer when she reported about an FBI agent who became the first special agent in history to plead guilty to manslaughter. At the urging of her agent, Jones wrote a proposal that was quickly purchased by Pinnacle Books. A regional best seller, The FBI Killer was translated into both German and Chinese, and was subsequently made into an ABC-TV movie Betrayed By Love, starring Patricia Arquette and Steven Weber.
Her second book, Cruel Sacrifice, hit the New York Times list at number 5, where it remained for over three months, and was featured as an official Doubleday Book-of-the-Month Club Selection. It has become a cult classic for true-crime buffs and still continues to sell.
Her third book, All She Wanted, the only book on the Brandon Teena case, became a USA Today national best seller and was subsequently transformed into the Academy Award-winning motion picture Boys Don't Cry featuring Hilary Swank in the role of Brandon Teena.
Her fourth book, Della's Web: The Many Husbands of a Suburban Black Widow, also a USA Today national best seller, is a black widow story about a woman with seven husbands. The tale of Della Dante, a lonely Doctor's fantasy-come-true, has recently sparked Hollywood interest and has been re-released by Pocket Books.
Her fifth book, The Embrace: A True Vampire Story, plunges readers into the frontlines of a modern teen nightmare. Released in hard cover in June 1999, the book hit the Ingram Top Demand List, was a USA Today national best seller, and was re-released in paper back in 2000. The project is currently being adapted for a major motion picture release.
Her sixth book, The Red Zone: The Behind-the-Scenes Story of the San Francisco Dog Mauling is a story that has made national and international headlines. Jones covered the dog mauling case for more than a year, and attained exclusive access to defendant Robert Noel, as well as to sources within the San Francisco Police Department and the District Attorney's office. In a preemptive buy, William Morrow acquired World English language rights. Find out more.
In A Perfect Husband (Pinnacle Books; August 1, 2004; $6.50 paperback), Aphrodite Jones chronicles the story of novelist, Michael Peterson, whose dream marriage ended in the tragic death of his corporate executive wife. Peterson "found" his wife, Kathleen, at the bottom of the stairs in their North Carolina mansion. Strangely, another death lay buried in Michael Peterson's past. In 1985, his friend, Elizabeth Ratliff was also found dead at the bottom of a staircase. Jones brings insider access to the jolting tragic tale, including evidence of a secret sex life. Find out more.
In Michael Jackson Conspiracy (Aphrodite Jones Books; June 13, 2007), Aphrodite Jones courageously recounts the media coverage of the case against Michael Jackson. With the kind of behind-the-scenes insights, which only Jones can provide, Michael Jackson Conspiracy will shock you. Jones provides a fresh look at the trial, which became a spectacle, and at the man, who has been at the center of so much success -- and controversy. And what Jones ultimately reveals is a new image of Michael Jackson.
Aphrodite has also made a number of appearances all relating to true crime, the killers, victims and other surrounding crimes.
Who I'd like to meet: Rupert Murdoch, Hillary Clinton, Michael Jackson, Al Sharpton, and Larry King.
Many thanks for the add, Aphrodite! As a fan of Michael's for over 30 years AND from working in the entertainment industry, I stopped taking the mainstream media seriously a loooong time ago. Still, it's wonderful to see you daring to swim against the tide of so-called "popular opinion", which, sadly, is manipulated by a handful of people. Much respect from Ireland. BW
Happy Thriller Day! Tune into BBC 1Extra's Online Radio broadcast celebrating the Monster hit album's 25 Year Anniversary; all that ity has meant to modern pop culture and the industry as a whole all day this November 30th.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/thriller/index.shtml
It's 25 years since the release of the biggest selling album of all time Michael Jackson's Thriller. To mark this anniversary 1Xtra brings you a day of duets, refixes and remixes from the album.
? View the album art from the re-release of Thriller (2001 Edition)
? Listen To Virtual Duets
1. Michael Jackson - Beat It ft. Chris Brown & T-Pain - Kiss Kiss 2. Michael Jackson - Wanna Be Starting Something ft. Justin Timberlake - Like I Love You 3. Michael Jackson - Human Nature ft. Ne-Yo - Do You 4. Michael Jackson - The Girl Is Mine ft. Mario - Let Me Love You and Usher - You Don't Have To Call
? Listen To Thriller Refixes and Remixes
Some of today's biggest UK artists give us their versions of classic tracks from the album.
1. Young Kof - Thriller Baby 2. Baby J featuring Alex Blood, Big V, Brisco - P.Y.T. (Thriller 25 remix) 3. Michael Jackson - Billie Jean (Kelis Milkshake vs Biggy Nasty Girl refix) 4. Michael Jackson - Wanna Be Starting Something ft. Usher - Caught Up (G Child refix) 5. Michael Jackson - Billie Jean ft. Timbaland - The Way I Are (1Xtra refix)
? Thriller 25 Documentary
Hear Kanye West, Will Smith, Chris Brown, Will-I-Am, Rihanna and Pharrell Williams, plus many many more influenced by the King of Pop pay homage to the album and have your say.
? See the original, iconic Thriller video as well as a recent interpretation from a prison in the Philippines!
If Rumi is the king of the Eastern world and Michael Jackson is the King of the Western world then who are the Queens of the Eastern and Western world?
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