Sarahbeth Purcell

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Sarahbeth Purcell is an American author of fiction and visual artist. Born Sarah Beth Purcell in Nashville, Tennessee, on January 9, 1977, her father was Denny Purcell, a well known mastering engineer in the music business. Purcell dropped at of high school at the age of 17 to pursue her writing career. After many false starts and "over 112 rejections" Purcell received a six figure two book deal from Atria Books, an imprint of publishing giant Simon & Schuster at the age of 24. Her first book, Love Is The Drug, was published in 2003 in hardback and in trade paperback in 2004. Her second book, This is Not a Love Song was published in trade paperback in 2005. Purcell has often been compared to Chuck Palahniuk (author of Fight Club and Lullaby, as well as Nick Hornby (well known as the author of High Fidelity), and her work has been likened to read more like well crafted songs than words, due in part to her fast paced, deeply observational and lyrical prose. Purcell debuted her visual art online and in gallery shows, mostly paintings of impressionist/modern persuasion, in late 2006.

In December 2007, longtime couple Sarahbeth Purcell and her boyfriend, musician / bass player and home remodeler, Billy Mercer , became engaged after being in a relationship together for nearly five years in Nashville. According to her website, Mercer presented Sarahbeth with a ring and a Scrabble board, spelling out the words, "WILL YOU MARRY ME?" in honor of Purcell's achievements in writing and words. She accepted and the couple will likely be married in 2008.

Purcell's mixed media paintings are currently being represented by galleries, including Nashville's Local Color Gallery.