Matthew J. Kirby
| Matthew J. Kirby | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Utah, United States |
| Occupation | Young Adult Fiction Author |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | American |
| Notable awards |
Edgar Award 2012 Best Juvenile Mystery |
Matthew J. Kirby is an American author of several middle grade children's books. His debut novel, The Clockwork Three, is a children's historical fantasy set in a fictional American city in the late 19th century. It was inspired by a newspaper article Kirby came across in history class in college.[1]
Life
Kirby was born in Utah. As the son of a naval officer, he had the opportunity to live in various parts of the country, including Maryland, California, and Hawaii.[2] As a pre-teen, he was given a set of Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea books. As he read a particular passage, he was struck by her use of language and knew he wanted to become a writer.[3][4] He earned his Bachelor's Degree in history at Utah State University and went on to earn his Master's degree in school psychology.[2] His early writing endeavors were more tailored to adults in the form of poetry and short fiction, but he eventually settled into writing for young people as he discovered many of his ideas were more "suited for a younger audience."[3]
In 2010, his first book, The Clockwork Three, was published by Scholastic Press, and was named one of Publishers Weekly's 2010 Flying Starts.[5]
His second book, Icefall, about a Viking princess, won the 2012 Edgar Award for Juvenile Fiction. Other novels include The Lost Kingdom, Infinity Ring: The Cave of Wonders, and The Quantum League: Spell Robbers.
The Dark Gravity Sequence is his next project, with the first book in the series The Arctic Code to be released in Spring 2015.[2]
He currently lives near Salt Lake City, Utah with his wife, Jaime.
Works
Novels
- The Clockwork Three (2010)
- Icefall (2011)
- Infinity Ring: Book 5: Cave of Wonders (2013)
- The Lost Kingdom (2013)
- The Quantum League: Spell Robbers (2014)
- The Dark Gravity Sequence: The Arctic Code (to be released 2015)
Poetry
- "In Their Element" (as M.J. Kirby) (2005)[6]
Short fiction
- "Letters on Natural Magic" (2007)[7]
References
- ↑ Piehl, Norah (October 2010). "Interview with Matthew J. Kirby". Kidsreads.com. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 J. Kirby, Matthew. "A short, short bio". Kirbside. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/interviews/article/54386-fall-2010-flying-starts-matthew-kirby.html
- ↑ http://cuppajolie.blogspot.com/2013/01/matthew-j-kirby-scbwi-pre-conference.html
- ↑ http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/45564-fall-2010-flying-starts.html
- ↑ http://www.strangehorizons.com/2005/20050516/element-p.shtml
- ↑ http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?1466224
External links
- Capoissere, Bill (October 15, 2013). "Interview at Fantasy Literature". FantasyLiterature.com.
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