R.K. Jackson is a USA Today bestselling novelist, screenwriter, and playwright. His screenplay adaptation of his psychological thriller The Girl in the Maze, published by Penguin Random House, won second place in the 2026 Fade In Awards Thriller Competition. His historical drama River of Night was selected for development through Caltech’s MACH 33 program and named a 2026 Austin Film Festival Second Rounder.
Before becoming a full-time writer, Jackson spent more than two decades as a science communicator at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and previously served as a senior editor at CNN.com. A Georgia native, he lives near Santa Barbara, California.
He has been known to rescue neighbors from snakes and build elaborate Halloween experiences in the garage.