March Author Birthdays - 5 under 50

Spring is just around the corner - a time of renewal, celebrating new life. For this month's birthday post I wanted to celebrate the newish - younger authors who are still considered up-and-comers (even though they may already be well known). It was harder than I thought to find 5 authors under 50 to celebrate - not because there aren't tonnes of great authors under 50, but because it seems that younger authors don't advertise their birthdays. Perhaps an interesting sign 'o the times in a world where we've become careful about sharing certain information (like birthdates) for personal security reasons? What ever the reason - here are five who wanted to share their info - and so we bid them a Happy March Birthday!

Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini celebrated his birthday on March 4. Born in Kabul Afghanistan in 1965, Hosseini burst onto the literary scene in 2003 with his first novel The Kite Runner. It tells the story of two boys in Kabul, their youthful friendship and the different paths of their adult lives. According to the author's website the book spent more than five years on the NY Times Bestseller List and has been translated into 42 languages. In 2007, Hosseini released his second novel A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Christopher Rice is another American author who has made quite a name for himself while still young. Just in his early thirties, Rice already has 5 novels to his name, all suspense/thrillers. His first novel - A Density of Souls - was published in 2000 when the author was only 22. Rice is the son of megapopular horror author Anne Rice, so he definitely has ties to the publishing world. His newest novel is The Moonlit Earth, due out April 6th, about a month after is birthday which was March 11th.

Kevin J. Anderson is an American Science Fiction author who celebrates his birthday on March 27. Anderson is the author of several popular titles that spin off from well known Science Fiction franchises, including Star Wars, and the X-Files. He is the co-author, with Brian Herbert(son of Frank Herbert), of several prequels in the Dune series. A prolific author, he also has written his own Science Fiction series of life on other planets -- The Saga of Seven Suns -- has stretched to 7 titles and has received positive reviews for its well crafted characters and exciting, fast paced story lines.

Another author whose name has risen to popularity in the last decade is David Liss. Liss' first novel was 2001's A Conspiracy of Paper, an historical mystery novel which earned him an Edgar Award. He's mostly known for his historical fiction, although he has written some contemporary fiction and he has continued the story of Benjamin Weaver - the "outsider in eighteenth century London who is the main character of A Conspiracy of Paper - through two other novels, the most recent being 2009's The Devil's Company. According to his Facebook fan page, Liss celebrates his 44th birthday on March 16th.

And finally, we can't ignore the ladies in our birthday post this month. Chick Lit author Jennifer Weiner writes stories of women her own age facing very modern problems. She celebrates the big 4-0 on March 28. The characters of her books have slowly aged with the author, her 2001 novel Good In Bed focused on 28 year old Cannie Shapiro - her friends, her family, her career and her ex-boyfriend who writes a column in a national magazine about their former relationship. A 2008 sequel to that novel saw Cannie in her early 40s and let readers enjoy what had happened to the lovable character in the years in between. Weiner has several other titles and has become a staple for Chick Lit fans