Born Patricia Carroll Daniels, on June 9, 1956, in Miami, Florida.
1961 Cornwell's father, Sam Daniels, a lawyer, walks out on the family on Christmas Day.
1963 The family move to Montreat, North Carolina, when Cornwell is seven years old. Her mother suffers from depression, and Cornwell spends two horrific spells in foster care.
1976 Suffering from anorexia and depression, Cornwell meets Ruth Graham Bell, wife of evangelist Billy. Graham changes Cornwell's life, helping to get her a place at Davidson College, and encouraging her to write.
1979 Graduates with a BA in English. Marries her English professor, Charles Cornwell. They divorce in 1989 but stay friends. Cornwell says he's now 'her private editor'. Becomes a crime reporter for The Charlotte Observer.
1983 Publishes her biography of Ruth Graham Bell (A Time for Remembering). She later falls out with members of Graham's family.
1984-1990 Works for the chief medical examiner of Virginia, first as a technical writer and then as a computer analyst. Also volunteers at the Richmond Police Dept.