David Corbett (born 1953) is an American author of seven novels, numerous stories, a novella, two writing guides, and a number of non-fiction articles.
Corbett was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, and attended Ohio State University, where he graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics. A self-described âÂÂAmerican Muttâ and âÂÂRecovering Catholic,â he traveled the Midwest in a Top 40 bar band, abandoned a fellowship in linguistics at U.C. Berkeley, and studied acting at the Jean Shelton Actors Lab before joining the San Francisco private investigation firm of Palladino & Sutherland in 1983.
Over the next thirteen years Corbett worked on numerous high-profile civil and criminal litigations, including the Lincoln Savings & Loan Fraud Case, the DeLorean Trial, the Coronado Company marijuana indictments, the Cotton Club Murder Case, the PeopleâÂÂs Temple Trial, the first Michael Jackson child molestation matter, and a RICO civil litigation brought by the Teamsters against former union leaders associated with organized crime.
Corbett's first novel, The DevilâÂÂs Redhead, appeared in 2002 from Ballantine, and he has been writing and teaching fiction ever since.
In 2003, DavidâÂÂs novel Done for a Dime was nominated for a Macavity Award for Best Novel, and was named a New York Times Notable Book. Patrick Anderson of the Washington Post described it as âÂÂthe best in contemporary crime fictionâ and included it with other select thriller novels as âÂÂsome of the best fiction being written today.âÂÂ
In 2011, Corbett received the Spinetingler Award for Best NovelâÂÂRising Star Category, for Do They Know IâÂÂm Running? His other novels have been nominated for the Anthony, Barry, Macavity, Edgar, Shamus, and Lefty Awards.
His short fiction has been selected twice for inclusion in Best American Mystery Stories â in 2009 for âÂÂPretty Little Parasiteâ and in 2011 for a story co-written with Luis Alberto Urrea, âÂÂWho Stole My Monkey?â A collaborative novel for which he contributed a chapterâÂÂCulpritsâÂÂwas adapted for TV by the producers of Killing Eve for Disney+ in the U.K. and Hulu in the U.S.
In 2013, Penguin Random-House published DavidâÂÂs The Art of Character, which received widespread praise, including being described as âÂÂa writerâÂÂs bibleâ by Elizabeth Brundage, being chosen as one of the 13 best writing guides of 2013 by The Writer magazine, and being recommended by Ken Burns in Lesson 9, âÂÂShaping Nonfiction Characters," of his master class on documentary filmmaking. In 2019 DavidâÂÂs follow-up writing guide appeared, The Compass of Character, which was also widely praised. His articles on the craft of fiction have appeared in various publications, including New York Times, Narrative, WriterâÂÂs Digest, Zyzzyva, MovieMaker, and Crimespree.
Over the years he has taught creative writing in a number of settings, both in-person and online, through such outlets as the UCLA Extension Writersâ Project, Litreactor, 826 Valencia, The Grotto in San Francisco, Book Passage, writing conferences across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, and with the inmates at the California MenâÂÂs Facility in Vacaville, California.
Corbett also contributes a monthly post to Writer Unboxed, a blog dedicated to the craft and business of fiction.