Fantasy
Well-Known Fantasy Writers
CC Rafael-a-Ribeiro
Christopher Paolini is the best-selling author of Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr and Inheritance. His stories spin a tale about a boy and his dragon, Eragon and Saphira, in the land of Alagaesia and their quest to bring peace and an end to the reign of the evil King Galbatorix. Paolini wrote Eragon when he was fifteen and it was largely inspired by some of his favorite authors, J.R.R. Tolkien, author of the Lord of the Rings, and Anne McCaffrey, author of the Dragonriders of Pern series [13]. The tradition of myths, folktales and medieval stories also influenced Paolini [14]. But far from copying his favorite authors, Paolini drew on their stories and tradition and fused it with his imagination to create something entirely his own. Paolini's home and life were a big influence on his writing as well and references to them can be found in his books. The character Angela the herbalist is based on Paolini's sister whose name is also Angela [12]. The Beor Mountains, in all of the books, are based off the Beartooth Mountains in Montana, Paolini's home. Actually, all of Alagaesia came from the landscape of Montana and Paolini's experiences there [13].
J. R. R. Tolkien is one of the most famous fantasy writers of all time. He is best known for his books The Hobbit (also called There and Back Again) and Lord of the Rings. Tolkien was captivated by myths and legends and he got the name of the country, in which his stories take place, from a Norse legend of Midgard, which means “Middle- earth.” [21] Tolkien taught at Oxford University and one night while he graded papers, he saw that a student left a blank page. He pondered over it and thought it looked very alone and empty. Then a sentence popped into his head: “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” He named this hobbit Bilbo Baggins and soon he made a whole community of hobbits. He made up stories of Bilbo and his adventures and tried them out on his children who loved them. The Hobbit got published in 1937 and soon people demanded a sequel. Then Lord of the Rings was born 17 years later. In Lord of the Rings, many readers believe that Tolkien’s Black Riders were modeled after Germany’s Nazi Black Corps because the Black Riders would be in all black and come and torture and terrorize people. [21] It’s believed Tolkien got the idea of the One Ring from an ancient, cursed, Spanish ring. Many don’t know this, but Lord of the Rings is actually considered Christian writing, although the religious themes are buried within the work. [22]
J. R. R. Tolkien was a very close friend with another fantasy writer, C. S. Lewis (author of The Chronicles of Narnia). They both taught at Oxford University and were very involved in their writing. Tolkien created a character in Lord of the Rings named Treebeard, who was an Ent tree. He gave Treebeard mannerisms of Lewis who had a booming voice and constantly cleared his throat. Treebeard’s Entish language could be playfully joking about Lewis’ prolific writing or also the man, who talked a lot and slowly. [22]
Erin Hunter is really a pen name for a British trio of writers, Victoria or Vicky Holmes and her two associate writers Kate Cary and Cherith Baldry . Also an additional person recently added to the trio is Tui Sutherland. Victoria creates the story headlines and makes sure the stories are consistent and then the others write her stories. They write the Warrior and Seeker fantasy novels whose main characters are cats. [1]
- Victoria Holmes was born on July 17, in Berkshire, England where she was raised on a farm. She went to Oxford University where she studied English and took a liking to History. She currently resides in London. She writes under the pen name Erin Hunter and is one of the trio. She has also written, The Horse from the Sea, Heart of Fire and Rider in the Dark.
- Kate Cary was born on Nov. 4, 1967. She writes under the pen name of Erin Hunter and is one of the trio. At this time she lives in a city somewhere north of England. For 12 years she lived in Scotland then moved back to England in 2004. Kate wrote, Into the Wild, Fire and Ice, Rising Storm, from the original Warrior series. She also wrote Dawn, from the Prophecy series, and Fire Star's Quest, The Sight, and Dark River. from the Power of Three series.
- Cherith Baldry was born in Lancaster, England. As a child she grew up on a farm as well. When she was older she attended Manchester University and St. Anne's College, Oxford. Cherith in her time was a teacher and lecturer as well as a mother to two sons with her late husband Peter Baldry who was a scientist. Currently she lives in Reigate, England. She also writes under the pen name Erin Hunter and is one of the trio. She writes fantasy novels on animals which include: Warriors: Forest of Secrets, A Dangerous Path, The Darkest Hour, Midnight, Moon Rise, and more to the warriors series. Also seekers; Great Bear Lake.
- Tui Sutherland is a new member to the trio under Erin Hunter. Tui also writes under another name, Heather Willams, as a children's book author. Tui was born on July 31, 1978 in Caracas, Venezuela. She and her husband currently reside in Boston, Massachusetts. Some of her books include: So this is How it Ends, Shadow Falling, Kingdom of Twilight, Seekers Book one: The Quest Begins, and many others. [2]
J.K. Rowling the British author was born july 31, 1965 in England. Rowling has been writing fantasy stories since she was a child.Rowling is best known for her success in writing the Harry Potter series. After writing the stories she didn't think that boys would read them so she just used J and then since she had no middle name she added the k.[6] She got the idea for writing Harry Potter while waiting for a delayed train. She says the idea just "fell into her head." [3] She has won many awards such as the British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix both demolished the record for first-day sales of any book. J.K. Rowling also won an Outstanding Achievement Award at the Galaxy British Awards, which included acclaim from the Prime Minister.[4]
John White was born in 1924, in Liverpool, England, but grew up in Manchester. White enlisted in the military for a short time in WWI, later he started listing to an Angelica priest, who inspired White to go to medical school. White started traveling to different countries, as a medical missionary later became the head of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Christians. Once again he moved his family to Canada and was a pastor of a church. White also at this time went back to school to finish up his physiatrist degree. He later became a professor at the University of Manitoba. He wrote many books, study guides, and articles in his lifetime. He was best know for his series The Archives of Anthropes which he wrote for his grandchildren. It is fantasy/Christian fiction much like C.S Lewis’s books. John White died in 2002 of heart disease.
Melissa Marr lives in Washington D.C. She grew up believing in faeries, ghosts and other creatures. Her first novel was Wicked Lovely and it became a series. She stated that she was voted my likely to end up in jail during her high school years. But she went to college and has done many things since then. She has an obsession with tattoos. She said she loves the way they look and the pain she feels when getting a tattoo. I recommend if you want any information on Melissa Marr, you go to the back of the Wicked Lovely book. [7] [8]
Rachel Caine Rachel Caine is a pen name for Roxanne Longstreet Conrad. Caine lives in Fort Worth, Texas. She is a writer of many genres of books such as urban fantasy, paranormal, young adult literature, and short fiction, but is also well known for her fantasy series Morganville Vampires. She also has two pet iguanas named Popeye and Darwin. She is married to an award-winning fantasy artist R. Cat Conrad.[9]
P.C.Cast stands for Phyllis Christine Cast. This writer of fantasy fiction was born in April 1960 in Watseka, Illinois. After high school she joined the United States Air Force and served for a couple of years. She then started speaking and teaching professionally, and that made her come out of her shell to start writing books. She writes with her only child, Kristin Cast, and they are now New Yorks Times best selling authors. [10,11]
Lauren Kate What prompted Lauren Kate to write "Fallen" and continue it as a series? Lauren Kate wanted to write a love story. She was drawn to love that seemed impossible to achieve; therefore, Lauren Kate wanted to write a "doomed" love story. She wanted the original love story to have larger implications. For example, the book of Genesis prompted her to write about fallen angels who were in love. After reading that excerpt she wanted to know more on the subject and ended up doing vast research on angelology. (16) The immense information that she collected from readings such as Books of Enoch, Dead Sea Scrolls, and A History of Heaven gave her the idea to continue her original novel, Fallen, as a series. (18) The information intended for one novel actually turned into four novels and a saga. (16) Fallen was her first experience with series writing and it taught her how to have a skeleton for her stories. (18) Lauren Kate has written Fallen, Torment, Passion, Rapture, Fallen in Love, Fallen: Angels in the Dark, Last Day of Love: A Teardrop Story, Teardrop, and The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove. (16) The first five books mentioned are a part of the "Fallen" series. Their main purpose was to convey a love that seemed impossible to pursue. These books gained their plot structure from chapter 6, verses 1-4 in the Book of Genesis. (17) The verses simply stated that angels in heaven were infatuated with mortal women, so they sacrificed their spot in heaven for love. (16) Finally, the last two books are also about impossible love; however, they are not about angels. (17)
Stephenie Meyer began her journey with writing when she got her bachelors degree in English from Brigham University. [19] Before then, she scrapbooked and did lots of arts and crafts. [20] She graduated with her English degree, got married, and became a home maker, staying active in her church as she began her writing career. [19] She normally doesn't write during the day because of interruptions, but writes at 8pm until whenever she gets tired. [20] To make herself known, she published her own official website. One of her famous works is Twilight. She got her inspiration for this book from a dream. Meyer now has thousands of fans that show up at her book signings and dress up as the book characters.[19] Meyer grew up in a household strongly rooted in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons). The university she attended is a Mormon school. Her favorite book was about the Mormon religion; Book of Mormon. [19] Also, she read a lot of Jack Weylands books in high school who is a Mormon writer. Even though she does not focus on Mormon writers or writing, she still tried to include her religion in a book called The Bad Girl, a comedy/romance.
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Amelia Atwater-Rhodes was always a writer. When she was a child she wrote stories about her stuffed animals. She was 13 when she wrote her first novel, In the Forest of the Night. At her 14th birthday party she got a call saying her novel would be published. After writing more she didn't want writing to be her only career so she decided to go to college. [23] Amelia believes that writing is a necessary skill we all need in society; that it will be very useful later in life to have this skill. She writes out of hope that people will read and write also. When she writes she draws inspiration from her pets, which are many and unusual. She has cats, dogs, ferrets, a cockatiel named Thief, and a skink. She has many interesting hobbies also. She plays the piano and loves to learn new things, like the difference between all wheel drive and four wheel drive, and how to change oil. [24]
Maggie Stiefvater writes books about dead Welsh Kings and werewolves. Stiefvater is the author of several fantasy series including The Wolves of Mercy Falls, The Raven Cycle, and Books of Faerie, as well as several works of short fiction and anthologies [25]. She has said her writing is more of an insight into herself and how she sees the world than anything else. She has described herself as a thief rather than a true creator, in that she gathers pieces and patterns from the world around her with which to surround her black sheep characters. To Stiefvater, a black sheep is an outlier or an exception to the rules. These sorts of characters have fascinated her her entire life so they can be found in many of her books [26].
Maggie Stiefvater has been a portrait artist, wedding musician, editor, and waitress. Besides writing full time, she spends her free time with her racecars, still does portrait art, and writes music for several instruments. Much of her illustration work goes toward her own novels and many of the songs she writes are for her novels as well [25].
Sources:
1. "Erin Hunter Biography," 24 May 2007. "Book Browse: Your Guide to Exceptional Books," 2009. 11 May 2009.
<http://bookbrowse.com/biographies/index.cfm?author_number=1365>
2. Meekalee, "Biography of Erin Hunter," 21 June 2008. "Book Reviews for the Average Joe," 2007. 11 May 2009. <http:/bookreviewsfortheaveragejoe.wetpaint.com/page/bioraphy+of+erin+hunter>
3. Imbornon, Anne-Marie. "J.K. Rowling: the Story of Harry Potter's Creator." 2007 Fact Monster 1 May 2009
<http://www.factmonster.com/spot/harrycreator1.html>
4. "J.K. Rowling takes home Outstanding Achievement Award at U.K. Nibbies." 10 Apr. 2008. Thaindian News. 12 May 2008.
5.John,White "An Author Ahead of His Time." SmallVoices.net: God, salvation, the gospel, church, life, people, music, movies, books. Web. 14 Dec. 2009. <http://smallvoices.net/svj_vol_1/white_voyage.htm>
6. "J.K Rowling." Wikipedia. 9 Dec 2010. Web. 8 Dec 2010. <http://wikipedia.org/wiki/J._k._Rowling>
7. "Melissa Marr." Harperteen. HarperCollins Publishers. 2011. Web. 15 Dec 2011.
8. Marr, Melissa. Wicked Lovely. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. 2007.
9. "About Me." Rachel Caine. Dec. 2010. Web. 05 Jan. 2012.
10. "P.C. Cast." Wikipedia. 19 Dec 2011. Web. 6 Jan 2012.
11. "P. C. Cast : from the author." Amazon.com. 2012. Web. 6 Jan 2012.
12. "The Author: About Christopher Paolini." Eragon, Eldest, and Brisingr the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolilni. Random House, 2008. Web. 13 May 2013.
13. "Christopher Paolini Biography." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Advarneg, 2013. Web. 13 May 2013.
14. "Elf and Efficiency." Interview by Kit Spring. The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 24 Jan. 2004. Web. 13 May 2013. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2004/jan/25/booksforchildrenandteenagers.features>.
15. "Christopher Paolini's Amazing Success." Interview by Philip Martin. Writer May 2012: 24-26. Literary Reference Center. Web. 13 May 2013.
16. Kate, Lauren. Interview. Randomhouse. Random House LLC, 2013. Web. 26 Nov 2013.<http://www.randomhouse.com>.
17. Kate, Lauren. "Books". Lauren Kate Books. 2013. Web. 26 Nov 2013.
18. Kate, Lauren. "Frequently Asked Questions". Lauren Kate Books. 2013. Web 26 Nov 2013.
19. Kostihova, Marcela. How to Analyze the Works of Stephenie Meyer. EBSCO Host. North Mankato, MN: ABDO Publishing Company, 2012. Web. 19 Nov 2014.
20. Morris, Williams. "Interview: Twilight author Stephenie Meyer." A Motley Vision. 26 Oct 2005. Word Press, 2014. Web. 19 Nov 2014.
21. Collins, David R. J. R. R. Tolkien. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Company, 2005. Print.
22. Hart, Steven. "The Real Fellowship of the Ring." Salon. Salon Media Group, 3 Dec. 2003. Web. 1 May 2015.
23. Bily, Cynthia A. "Amelia Atwater-Rhodes." Literary Reference Center Plus 1 Jan. 2007: 1. Web. 21Apr. 2016
24. Atwater-Rhodes, Amelia. "Shapeshifter with Words." Writing 27.2 (2004): 18-19. Literary Reference Center Plus. Web.
21 Apr. 2016.
25. Maggie Stiefvater. “My Story .” Maggie Stiefvater. 2016, www.maggiestiefvater.com/my-story/. Accessed 8 Dec. 2016.
26. Stiefvater, Maggie. “Maggie Stiefvater on Looking for the Black Sheep.” Educational Leadership, Apr. 2014, p. 37. Academic OneFile, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgao&AN=edsgcl.421719917&site=eds-live&scope=site. Accessed 8 Dec. 2016.