Michael Newton (September 16, 1951 – September 6, 2021) was an American author and journalist. He published 357 books throughout his career, which included 258 novels and 99 nonfiction books. Born in Bakersfield, California, Newton was a high school teacher and a bodyguard before he shifted to writing. He received his bachelor's degree from California State College in 1973, where he did graduate studies, before transferring to the University of Nevada in 1979.
Newton started his writing career as a ghostwriter on Don Pendleton's The Executioner book series. He published mostly novels, utilizing several pseudonyms. He also wrote several non-fiction books, particularly reference works. Many of his reference works were on serial killers. Another focus was the Ku Klux Klan, on which he wrote several reference works; Newton's 2001 book on the KKK's history in Florida, The Invisible Empire: The Ku Klux Klan in Florida, received positive academic reviews and an award from the Florida Historical Society.
Early life and education
Michael Newton was born September 16, 1951, in Bakersfield, California, United States, the son of Ralph A. Newton and Hazel Newton. His mother was a hairdresser and his father was a deliveryman. Newton attended Bakersfield College from 1969 to 1971, before attending California State College, where he received his bachelor's degree in 1973. He did graduate studies at the California State College from 1973 to 1975, before transferring to the University of Nevada from 1979 to 1980.
Writing career
He began writing as a ghostwriter for Don Pendleton's The Executioner book series. His first book under his own name came in 1979. The Ku Klux Klan in Mississippi: A History (2010), and White Robes and Burning Crosses (2014). He had researched the KKK for, as of 2007, over 45 years. It received the Rembert Patrick Annual Book Award from the Florida Historical Society. He attributed his interest in serial killers to reading about Jack the Ripper in his youth. He researched his true crime encyclopedias through police reports, newspapers, court and psychiatric records of those he profiled. He managed to interview some actual serial killers for the book, including Carroll Cole. He and his wife befriended him and were invited to watch Cole's 1985 execution. They attended when even Cole's parents did not; he was given Cole's ashes.
Personal life and death
He collaborated on several of his books with his first wife, Judy Ann Boring, who he married in 1976.