Donald Bain
Donald Bain was a prolific American writer known for his extensive career that spanned over fifty years, during which he authored more than one hundred books across various genres, including mystery, comedy, and historical fiction. He is particularly recognized for his novels based on the popular television series "Murder, She Wrote," which featured crime stories attributed to the show's character Jessica Fletcher, played by Angela Lansbury. Bain also wrote under several pseudonyms, including Mike Lundy, Trudy Baker, and Rachel Jones. A graduate of Purdue University, he had a diverse career as a public relations executive, professional jazz musician, and cofounder of an editorial services company. Bain's notable achievements include the best-seller "Coffee, Tea, or Me?" and a distinguished recognition as one of Purdue's alumni for his contributions to radio and television. He was actively involved in various writing organizations and had a strong presence in both print and broadcasting, even cohosting numerous radio shows. Bain passed away in 2017 at the age of eighty-two, leaving behind a legacy of storytelling that resonated with audiences throughout his lifetime.
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Donald Bain
- Born: March 6, 1935
- Birthplace: Mineola, New York
- Died: October 21, 2017
- Place of death: White Plains, New York
Biography
Writer Donald Bain enjoyed an extremely successful career spanning some fifty years, during which he published well over one hundred books, most famously the novels based on the Murder, She Wrote television crime drama. Bain’s work includes such subjects as mystery, comedy, westerns, historical dramatization, psychology, and his own autobiography, among many other subjects. He also wrote under the pseudonyms Mike Lundy, Trudy Baker, and Rachel Jones.
A Purdue University graduate, Bain worked as a public relations executive, as well as performing as a professional jazz musician on the vibraphone and drums. He and his wife, Renée Paley-Bain, cofounded Hyphenates, Ltd., which offered editorial services to a collection of organizations. Purdue honored Bain with its top accolade for his educational work in radio and television, naming him one of Purdue’s distinguished alumni in 2003.
During his long career, Bain also served as a writer/director for Peckham Productions, creating films for companies such as Avon and American Airlines. He wrote and produced multiple daily radio series, as well as a number of nationally syndicated series. Additionally, Bain cohosted over two hundred shows with late-night talk radio guru Long John Nebel. The author also taught on the college level.
Bain’s 1967 national and international best-seller, Coffee, Tea, or Me?, spurred three sequels, selling millions of copies in both paperback and hardback editions. Written under the pen names Trudy Baker and Rachel Jones, the series purported to be racy tell-all memoirs by two airline attendants. Perhaps his most notable accomplishment besides his best-selling novels is his novels based on the successful television crime drama Murder, She Wrote, which aired on CBS in the 1980s and 90s. The novels were credited as written by Jessica Fletcher (the show's main character, played by Angela Lansbury) and Bain. Bain continued publishing novels based on the show well after the series ended in 1996, almost to the end of his life.
Donald Bain and his second wife, Renee, had two daughters. The author was a member of the Mystery Writers of America, the Writer’s Guild of America, Sigma Delta Chi, and the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He died in 2017 at the age of eighty-two, a year after his wife.
Bibliography
Bain, Donald. Interview. By Barbara Irvin. Washington Independent Review of Books, 21 Apr. 2015, www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/index.php/features/an-interview-with-donald-bain. Accessed 30 Mar. 2018.
Bain, Donald, and Renée Paley-Bain. Interview. By Clay Stafford. Killer Nashville Magazine, 8 Jan. 2016, www.killernashvillemagazine.com/killer-nashville-sits-down-with-donald-bain-and-renee-paley-bain/. Accessed 30 Mar. 2018.
Roberts, Sam. "Donald Bain, Widely Read Author (but Not by That Name), Dies at 82." The New York Times, 26 Oct. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/10/26/obituaries/donald-bain-dead-widely-read-author-but-not-by-that-name.html. Accessed 30 Mar. 2018.