JOHN RUANE
Novelist/Actor/Playwright
John Ruane is a Chicago novelist/actor/playwright who has written six critically-acclaimed books. His first thriller novel, A Dangerous Freedom, was published by Permuted Press in April 2021 and received wide praise from critics and readers. The sequel, Russian Assault, was launched in September of 2022 and also received rave reviews. The third in the series will be published in 2025.
John is best known by readers for his second book, Parish the Thought (Simon & Schuster, 2008), which is an inspirational memoir of growing up Catholic in the 1960s, and received rave reviews from critics across the country. In 2023, the addendum book, Parish the Thought Too, was published and was a #1 New Release and Best Seller on Amazon. John's first book, The Earl Campbell Story (ECW Press, 1999), is a biography of the powerful NFL Hall of Fame running back, focusing on his battle with panic disorder.
John began his writing career as a journalist in the 1980s, when real news was still being reported. He started as a feature writer for the Chicago Sun-Times, writing sports and entertainment features and covering the sports media. He has also been published in the Chicago Tribune and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He transitioned into public relations and created several PRSA award-winning campaigns for corporations in the United States.
John is also an actor and playwright. He trained at the famed Second City Theater before going on to write and perform in four sketch comedy reviews. He then went on to write and perform in a film short, Comedy On Rye, and television pilot, Deckinger's Place. followed by a rock musical, Southbound.
On the personal side, John married his high school sweetheart, Charlotte, and have four wonderful children and four beautiful grandchildren.
