Laini Taylor

Last updated

Laini Taylor
Laini Taylor by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Taylor in March 2018
Born (1971-12-11) December 11, 1971 (age 52)
Chico, California, U.S.
OccupationWriter
Alma mater University of California, Berkeley
Period2004–present
Genre Young adult fantasy
Notable works
Notable awards
SpouseJim Di Bartolo (2001–present)
ChildrenClementine
Relatives
  • Alex (older brother)
  • Emily (younger sister)
Signature
Laini Taylor signature (cropped).jpg
Website
lainitaylor.com

Laini Taylor (born December 22, 1971) is an American young adult fantasy author and a finalist for the National Book Award in Young People's Literature, [1] best known for the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series, Strange the Dreamer , and Muse of Nightmares .

Contents

Biography

Taylor was born in Chico, California, grew up as a US military kid in Europe and California, and earned her English degree from UC Berkeley. She currently lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and daughter. [2] She always wanted to be a writer, and was 35 before she finished her first novel. [3]

Career

Event chalkboard at with Taylor at Powell's Books Event chalkboard at Powell's Cedar Hills.jpg
Event chalkboard at with Taylor at Powell's Books

In 2004, she wrote a graphic novel for Image Comics, illustrated by her husband, Jim Di Bartolo. [4] Her first novel, Dreamdark: Blackbringer, was published in 2007. The sequel, Dreamdark: Silksinger, was a winner of the 2009 Cybil Award. [5] In 2011, she published Daughter of Smoke and Bone, a young adult fantasy series. The first book in the series was chosen by Amazon as the Best Teen Book of 2011, [6] and the sequel, Days of Blood and Starlight , was also on the list in 2012. [7] In 2017, she published Strange the Dreamer, followed by its sequel Muse of Nightmares in 2018, in which protagonist Lazlo Strange, a scribe and polyglot, journeys to the Lost City of Weep. Taylor created a unique language for this world, which she weaves into the plot. Strange the Dreamer became a Michael L. Printz Honor Book [8] as well as the 2018 Leslie Bradshaw Award for Young Adult Literature. [9]

Works

Faeries of Dreamdark

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Strange the Dreamer

Graphic novels

Collections

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References

  1. "Portland Writer Laini Taylor is National Book Award finalist" . Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  2. "Laini Taylor's Blog: About Laini" . Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  3. "5 Writing Tips from Laini Taylor". Publishers Weekly . November 16, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  4. "This July, "The Drowned" surfaces from Image" (Press release). Comic Book Resources. April 13, 2004. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  5. "The 2009 Cybils Winners" . Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  6. "Best Books of 2011: Young Adult". Amazon.com. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  7. "Best Teen Books of 2012". Amazon.com. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  8. "PRINTZ HONOR!!!". www.lainitaylor.com. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  9. Oregonian/OregonLive, Amy Wang | The (May 2, 2018). "2018 Oregon Book Awards honor 10 authors". oregonlive. Retrieved May 27, 2020.