Thomas Gifford; Wrote ‘The Wind Chill Factor’ and ‘Hollywood Gothic’

Thomas Gifford, 62, author of such popular fiction titles as “The Wind Chill Factor,” “The Man From Lisbon,” “Hollywood Gothic” and, most recently, “Saints Rest.” A native of Dubuque, Iowa, Gifford earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Harvard before moving to Minnesota, where he earned a living as a college textbook salesman. Gifford would sell books in the morning to various academic institutions and write in the afternoons and evenings. He later worked in public relations for the Tyrone Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis and wrote freelance pieces for several local publications. His first novel, “The Wind Chill Factor,” was published in 1975. Gifford relocated to Hollywood after that success but returned to Minnesota after three years. He also lived in New York City before returning to Dubuque in the mid-1990s. At the time of his death, he was writing a weekly opinion column called “Jazzbo of Old Dubuque” for the Dubuque Telegraph Herald. On Tuesday in Dubuque of cancer.