Jessica Townsend

Last updated
Jessica Townsend
BornJessica Townsend
(1985-04-18) April 18, 1985 (age 38)
Caloundra, Queensland, Australia
LanguageEnglish
NationalityAustralian
Genre
Years active2017–present
Notable works

Jessica Townsend (born 18 April 1985 in Caloundra, Queensland) is an Australian author known for the children's fantasy novel series, The Nevermoor series . [1] [2] Her debut novel Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow won the Book of the Year Award at the Australian Book Industry Awards, [3] and was shortlisted for the 2019 NSW Premier's Literary Awards, Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children's Literature. [4] At the Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Nevermoor won both the Premier's Award for best overall published work and the Children's award. [5] It also won the 2018 Waterstones Children's Book Prize for Younger Fiction. [6] Film rights to Nevermoor were sold to 20th Century Fox in 2016. Screenwriter Drew Goddard has been selected to adapt the screenplay. [7]

Contents

Works

The Nevermoor series

Biography

Jessica Townsend grew up in Queensland, Australia. She wrote her first story at the age of 7, and it was published in a local library newsletter. [10] Townsend began writing what would become the first Nevermoor book the year she left high school. [1] She worked as a copywriter for 8 years [11] and at Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo for 5 years, including as an editor of its children's magazine Crikey! [10] She moved to London at age 22 and has lived off and on in Queensland and London for the last 10 years. [10] The sale of the Nevermoor books has allowed Townsend to become a full-time writer. [1]

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow was Townsend's first novel. [11] Interest in the publishing rights began at the 2016 Frankfurt Book Fair, and the rights were bid on by eight different publishing companies. [10] Townsend chose to sell the rights to Hachette as part of a six-figure three-book contract. [1] In 2019 the contract with Hachette was expanded for three more books. [12] Townsend has stated that she has written plots for nine books in the series. [10]

Literary Influences

Jessica Townsend has referenced several literary influences for her writing. Written influences include Little Women , which she's called her favorite book, The Babysitter's Club, His Dark Materials , Wicked, Tomorrow When the War Began, [10] No Gun For Asmir, [13] and the Harry Potter series. [1] Her work has been compared to that of J.K. Rowling, [14] and she has cited Rowling as a major influence. [10] Film influences include Willow and Return to Oz . [1]

Critics have also noted similarities between the world of Nevermoor and contemporary London. [10] In particular, Courage Square in the novels is inspired by Trafalgar Square [10] and the Wunderground is inspired by the London Underground. [1]

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<i>Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow</i> 2017 novel by Jessica Townsend

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow is a novel by Jessica Townsend and published by Little, Brown and Company. It was released October 10, 2017 in Australia and October 31, 2017 in the United States. The plot follows the titular character Morrigan Crow, who is cursed to die because she was born on an unlucky day. The book is followed by two sequels so far. Since the release of the first book in The Nevermoor series, the stories have also been released as audiobooks, in both CD and online audio formats. In English-speaking countries the audiobooks are narrated by Gemma Whelan. Included in the back of the book is a deleted scene entitled Holt, Holt & Davie. The book is 461 pages long.

<i>Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow</i> 2018 Australian fantasy novel by Jessica Townsend

Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow is an Australian fantasy novel written by Jessica Townsend as the second book in The Nevermoor series. The book was published by Lothian Books on October 30, 2018, in Australia and Orion Books in the United Kingdom, but Little, Brown on November 13, 2018, in the United States. Wundersmith follows young Morrigan Crow as she undergoes Nevermoorian schooling, becomes a part of the prestigious Wundrous Society, and deals with being a Wundersmith, a type of magician who can overtake the mysterious substance of Wunder.

The Nevermoor series is a book series written by Australian author Jessica Townsend and published by Little, Brown and Company. The series centers around Morrigan Crow, a cursed child living in the Wintersea Republic. When it comes time for her to die on Eventide day, she is "whisked away" to the city of Nevermoor by Jupiter North, a hotel owner and part of the Wundrous Society, a prestigious group of units, each member with a "knack," a small superpower that allows them to be better than average. In 2017, film rights to Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow were sold to Fox Broadcasting Company, with Drew Goddard set to produce the movie and write the screenplay. All three books have been released to rave reviews, praising the plot, character development and characterization, and themes, which include magic and humor. Kirkus Reviews said about the first installment in the series, "[it's] not genre-shattering but a solid read for genre fans."

<i>Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow</i> 2020 novel by Jessica Townsend

Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow is a 2020 novel written by Jessica Townsend and published by Little, Brown and Company. It is the third installment in The Nevermoor series and was released on September 29 in Australia, October 15 in the United Kingdom, and October 27 in the United States. The book will be followed by a sequel, entitled Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow. The book follows Morrigan Crow, who was cursed after being born on Eventide day, and was supposed to die on her eleventh birthday, but is saved by the mysterious Jupiter North and taken to the wonderful city of Nevermoor. In Hollowpox, Morrigan continues her adventure and must control her Wundersmith powers that threaten to destroy her.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Morris, Linda (28 September 2017). "Nevermoor author Jessica Townsend moves into JK Rowling territory". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  2. ↑ "Jessica Townsend Books". www.hachette.com.au. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  3. ↑ Jefferson, Dee (4 May 2018). "Nevermoor by first-time novelist Jessica Townsend wins Book of the Year at Australian Book Industry Awards". ABC News. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  4. ↑ Perkins, Cathy (Summer 2019). "Excellence in Literature and History". SL Magazine. 12 (4): 52–55.
  5. ↑ "Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature winners announced". Books+Publishing. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  6. ↑ "Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2018 | Waterstones". www.waterstones.com. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  7. ↑ McNary, Dave (23 October 2017). "Drew Goddard Producing 'Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow' for Fox". Variety. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  8. ↑ "Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow: Nevermoor 3". Hachette Australia.
  9. ↑ "Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow: Nevermoor 4". Hachette . 24 August 2021.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Jessica Townsend | 'Life is really silly and it's really serious' | The Bookseller". www.thebookseller.com. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  11. 1 2 "Jessica Townsend". The Bent Agency. 30 August 2017. Archived from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  12. ↑ "HCG signs three new books in Townsend's Nevermoor series | The Bookseller". www.thebookseller.com. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  13. ↑ "Nevermoor series author Jessica Townsend on crafting diverse characters, comparisons to JK Rowling". Firstpost. 15 January 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  14. ↑ On, Thuy (4 January 2018). "Nevermoor review: Jessica Townsend and the appeal of children's fantasy". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
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