Joe Clifford

[4] He pursued a new direction, earning an MFA in creative writing at Florida International University, where he studied under James W. Hall, Les Standiford, and Lynne Barrett.

In interviews, Clifford has described his credo as a writer as "gritty, real and raw," which is also the motto he has given to a series of lectures that he has produced.

These lectures, he has said, "mine true stories of the marginalized to laugh, cringe and shine a light on the human condition.

Clifford's Rag and Bone was nominated in 2020 for Best Hardcover Novel in the International Thriller Writers Awards.

Clifford's first three books were the following: They were followed by the Jay Porter series, featuring a New Hampshire man who faces a variety of mysteries and personal challenges.