Jean M Auel

Jean M. Auel (born February 18, 1936) is an American novelist best known for her Earth's Children series, which explores interactions between Cro-Magnon people and Neanderthals in prehistoric Europe. She left her career at Tektronix in 1977 to conduct extensive research for her debut novel, The Clan of the Cave Bear (1980), which became an international phenomenon with over 45 million copies sold worldwide. Her meticulous research has earned her respect from archaeologists and anthropologists, and she has received numerous awards including recognition from the French government's Ministry of Culture.