Jeff Zentner is the author of New York Times Notable Books THE SERPENT KING and IN THE WILD LIGHT, as well as GOODBYE DAYS, RAYNE & DELILAH'S MIDNITE MATINEE, and his debut for the adult market, COLTON GENTRY'S THIRD ACT.

Among other honors, he has won the ALA’s William C. Morris Award, the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award twice, the Muriel Becker Award, the International Literacy Association Award, and been longlisted twice for the Carnegie Medal. He is a two-time Southern Book Prize finalist and was a finalist for the Indies Choice Award. He was selected as a Publishers Weekly Flying Start and an Indies Introduce pick. His books have been translated into 15 languages. Before becoming a writer, he was a musician who recorded with Iggy Pop, Nick Cave, and Debbie Harry. He lives in Nashville.

He became interested in writing for young adults after volunteering at the Tennessee Teen Rock Camp and Southern Girls Rock Camp. As a kid, his parents would take him to the library and drop him off, where he would read until closing time. He worked at various bookstores through high school and college.

He speaks fluent Portuguese, having lived in the Amazon region of Brazil for two years.

Books by Jeff Zentner

Colton Gentry's Third Act

by Jeff Zentner - Fiction

Colton Gentry’s first hit in nearly a decade has caught fire, he’s opening for country megastar Brant Lucas, and he’s married to one of the hottest acts in the country. But he’s hurting. Only a few weeks earlier, his best friend, Duane, was murdered onstage by a mass shooter at a country music festival. One night, Colton stands before a sold-out arena crowd of country music fans and offers his unfiltered opinion on guns. It goes over poorly. Immediately, his career and marriage implode. Left with few choices or funds, he retreats to his rural Kentucky hometown. He’s resigned himself to has-been-dom, until a chance encounter at his town’s new farm-to-table restaurant gives him a second shot at life: a job working in the kitchen with Luann, his first love, who has undergone her own reinvention.

Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee

by Jeff Zentner - Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Friendship, Humor, Young Adult 13+

Goodbye Days

by Jeff Zentner - Fiction, Friendship, Mental Health, Young Adult 14+

The Serpent King

by Jeff Zentner - Friendship, Social Issues, Young Adult 14+, Youth Fiction