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Jamilah Kolocotronis was born in St. Louis, Missouri when Eisenhower was in the White House. Her birth name is Linda Kay Kolocotronis. She has three younger sisters, and is of both Greek and German ancestry. She was raised in the Lutheran church and attended a Lutheran elementary school.

After graduating from Kirkwood High Scihool, Linda began attending Meramec Community College. During her freshman year, she decided to eventually enter the Lutheran ministry. Two years later she enrolled at Truman State University (then Northeast Missouri State University), graduating in May 1978 with a degree in Philosophy and Religion. The following fall she began studies at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

Although she enjoyed the months she spent in Chicago, Linda decided the ministry was not for her. She returned to St. Louis and worked for several months before returning to Truman State to study for her master's degree in Philosophy and Religion. During the next two years, Linda studied many religions, including Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Baha'i and the Chinese religions. She read the Bible from Genesis to Revelations. She also read the Qur'an, looking for mistakes. She found none.

After more months of study, questioning and prayer, Linda converted to Islam in July 1980 (Ramadan 19, 1400), and was given the name Jamilah. Over the next year she completed her master's degree, gained acceptance into a Ph.D. program for Social Science Education at Ball State University, and married Abdul-Mun'im Jitmoud, a Muslim from Thailand.

Jamilah and her husband have six sons and one granddaughter. For several years, Jamilah taught social studies at an Islamic school. She was in the classroom on September 11, 2001, when she informed her middle school students about the tragedy unfolding in New York. On that day, she also decided to retire from teaching and work toward her lifelong dream of becoming a writer.

Jamilah's first novel, Innocent People, was inspired by attitudes and events following 9/11. Her subsequent novels often explore other challenges routinely faced by Muslims in America.

Jamilah and her family live in Lexington, Kentucky.

Themes and Styles of Writing - I write Islamic fiction. My books are about American Muslims striving to live Islamic lives within the challenges of American society. I especially like to write about converts who struggle to integrate their non-Islamic pasts with their new lives as Muslims. For style, I prefer first-person narrative, as told from different characters' POV.

Website: www.jamilahkolocotronis.com
Blog: www.faithechoes.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jamilah.kolocotronis