Shannon Hale

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Shannon Hale

Born January 26, 1974 (1974-01-26) (age 34)
Salt Lake City, Utah
Occupation Novelist
Nationality American
Writing period 2003-present
Genres young adult fiction
Official website

Shannon Hale (born January 26, 1974) is an American author of young adult fantasy and adult fiction.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Shannon Hale is the author of five award-winning young-adult novels, including the bestselling Newbery Honor book Princess Academy. Austenland was her first book for adults. She and her husband are co-writing a series of graphic novels, and live with their two small children in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Before writing professionally, she wrote while pursuing acting in television, stage, and improv comedy; and while studying in Mexico and the UK. She spent and a year and a half as an unpaid missionary in Paraguay, then returned to the U.S. to earn her bachelors degree in English from the University of Utah and a masters in creative writing from the University of Montana.

Her first published book, The Goose Girl, was an ALA Teens' Top Ten and Josette Frank Award winner. Princess Academy is a Newbery Honor Book and a New York Times bestseller.[1]

[edit] Early life and education

Shannon Bryner[2] was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she attended West High School. She earned a Bachelors Degree in English from the University of Utah [3] and a Masters Degree in Creative Writing from the University of Montana.

[edit] Family

She has two children with husband Dean Hale, son Max (b. 2003) and daughter Magnolia (b. 2006), and the family resides in South Jordan, Utah.[4] She is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[5]

[edit] Career

Hale has been writing since the age of 10, but met with numerous rejections until her first book The Goose Girl was finally published in 2003.[6] In 2004 her second novel, Enna Burning, which follows Enna, a minor character from The Goose Girl, was published. The third installment in the Bayern series, River Secrets, was released in September of 2006. By then Hale had earned numerous awards for her 2005 release, Princess Academy, including the prestigious Newbery Honor.

Her writing projects currently in progress include Rapunzel's Revenge (2008), a graphic novel she and her husband are writing together, as well as an adult novel tentatively titled The Actor and the Housewife, a young adult science fiction novel, and the fourth book in the Books of Bayern series, currently titled Forest-born.

[edit] Works

[edit] Awards

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.squeetus.com/shannon_bio.html Official Bio
  2. ^ Author Profile - Shannon Hale. Utah Children's Writers and Illustrators Newsletter. Utah Children's Writers and Illustrators. Retrieved on 2007-07-10.
  3. ^ Alumni Post-it Notes. U-News & Views. University of Utah Alumni Association (April 2006). Retrieved on 2007-07-10.
  4. ^ Lythgoe, Dennis. "Life is hectic for novelist", Deseret Morning News, 2007-07-08. Retrieved on 2007-07-10. 
  5. ^ Karford, Brittany. "Award-Winning LDS Author Counts Blessings", Church Magazines, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, February 2007. Retrieved on 2007-07-10. 
  6. ^ Walquist, Tammy. "Author's tales: Writers recount struggle to get published", Deseret Morning News, 2007-07-06. Retrieved on 2007-07-10. 
  7. ^ Past Award Winners (1943-2006). The Children's Book Committee Bank Street College of Education. Retrieved on 2008-02-14.
  8. ^ 2006 Newbery Medal and Honor Books. American Library Association (2006). Retrieved on 2007-05-09.

[edit] External links

Persondata
NAME Hale, Shannon
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION American fantasy novelist.
DATE OF BIRTH January 26, 1974
PLACE OF BIRTH Salt Lake City, Utah
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH