Shannon Hale

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Shannon Hale
Hale in 2016
Hale in 2016
BornShannon Bryner
(1974-01-26) January 26, 1974 (age 50)
Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
OccupationNovelist
LanguageEnglish
Alma materUniversity of Utah
University of Montana
Period2003–present
GenreYoung adult, fantasy
Notable worksThe Goose Girl
Princess Academy
Book of a Thousand Days
Austenland
SpouseDean Hale
Children4
Website
squeetus.com

Shannon Hale (née Shannon Bryner; born January 26, 1974) is an American author primarily of young adult fantasy, including the Newbery Honor book Princess Academy and The Goose Girl. Her first novel for adults, Austenland, was adapted into a film in 2013. She is a graduate of the University of Utah and the University of Montana. She has also co-written with her husband, Dean.

Early life[edit]

Hale was born on January 26, 1974, in Salt Lake City[1] to Wallace and Bonnie Bryner.[2] She is the middle child of five children; she has two older sisters, one younger sister, and one younger brother.[3] She enjoyed writing, reading, and acting as a young girl; she often created plays that she would act out with friends. She also began to write fantasy books at age 10, often featuring herself as the protagonist.[4] Her elementary school teachers encouraged her creative endeavors,[1] and, in the fourth grade, Hale announced that she wanted to be a writer as an adult. In junior high, she participated on the school literary magazine. She then attended West High School, where she cultivated passions for English and drama.[5] She took a creative writing class and worked as an editor of fiction for her high school's literary magazine.[1] She participated in both school and community theater productions, including The Secret Garden. Hale also took part in drama competitions and traveled throughout Utah and the U.S. with an improvisational theater group whose productions highlighted a range of teen issues. She met her spouse, Dean Hale, freshman year at West High School;[5] he was also involved in theater.[6] Hale has said that her theater experience has improved her writing skills, particularly in character creation and world building.[1]

She attended the University of Utah, initally majoring in both English and Theater before deciding solely to pursue the former. She served as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Paraguay for 18 months[6] before graduating with a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Utah in 1998.[7] She later earned a master's degree in Creative Writing from the University of Montana.[8] While studying at the University of Montana, Hale wrote 100 short stories and submitted many for publication, but none were accepted.[1]

Writing[edit]

Hale began writing The Goose Girl while in her graduate writing program,[6] and worked on her drafts of it during her lunch break while working at her instructional design job.[1] She originally planned to work in literary fiction, publishing short stories and teaching English, before writing young adult and children's books.[9] The Goose Girl became her first published novel after being met with nine rejections;[10] Hale received an offer in 2003 from Bloomsbury Publishing.[11] She based the book on her favorite fairy tale of the same name.[12] It was named an ALA Teens' Top Ten[8] and became the first of many novels in Hale's Books of Bayern series.[13] The Goose Girl also won the 2004 Josette Frank Award for fiction[14] and was reprinted by Bloomsbury in 2017.[15] Hundreds of thousands of copies of the novel have been printed in a total of fifteen languages.[1] The other Books of Bayern include Enna Burning, River Secrets, and Forest Born.[16]

Her novel Princess Academy was featured on The New York Times Best Seller list, as well as that of Book Sense and Publishers Weekly. It also received a Newbery Honor.[4] Hale said that receiving the award was an "unexpected gift" that has profoundly affected her career.[17] After the positive response from readers and reviewers alike to Princess Academy, Hale wrote its sequel, Princess Academy: Palace of Stone.[18] In 2015 she continued the story with a third installment, Princess Academy: The Forgotten Sisters. Hale has remarked that the series is "a love letter to education."[19]

Her first adult novel, Austenland, was also featured by Book Sense.[8] Hale and screenwriter Jerusha Hess then wrote the screenplay for a film adaptation of Austenland, released in 2013 at the Sundance Film Festival. It was then bought by Sony Pictures for $4 million.[20] Twilight author Stephenie Meyer produced the film and Keri Russell starred as protagonist Jane Hayes.[21] In 2012 Hale released a sequel novel, Midnight in Austenland.[22] Another adult novel, The Actor and the Housewife, was published in 2009[23] and was named "the City Weekly readers' choice winner for best novel of the year."[13] Hale has kept numerous rejection letters she has received from publishers, and has compiled them into one 60 foot long scroll.[4][12]

In 2017, Hale released a graphic memoir titled Real Friends, chronicling her struggles in grade school. It was illustrated by LeUyen Pham.[24] Its sequel, Best Friends, appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list for graphic books and manga in April 2020.[25] In 2018, her Princess in Black series—which she wrote with her husband, Dean Hale—made The New York Times Best Seller list for children's series.[26] The two also co-wrote the graphic novel Rapunzel's Revenge,[9] as well as two young adult novels for the Marvel superheroes Squirrel Girl and Captain Marvel.[27] Hale ventured further into science fiction with her own YA superhero novel, Dangerous, in 2014.[28]

Other work[edit]

Before becoming a full-time author, Hale participated in stage and improvisational comedy, studied in Mexico and the United Kingdom,[4] and worked as an instructional designer.[6]

She is an advocate for gender equality; she has noticed how her books are marketed only to girls, despite positive reception from both genders.[29] She has written a few articles about this subject.[30]

shannon and dean hale
Hale with husband Dean at the 2016 Texas Book Festival

Personal life[edit]

Hale is married to Dean C. Hale, with whom she has co-authored the Eisner-nominee graphic novels Rapunzel's Revenge and Calamity Jack, as well as The Princess in Black series and The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl series.[31][13]

She is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).[32] She stopped attending the LDS church in 2021, having disagreed with her community's apparent tolerance of misogyny and intolerance of LGBTQ people, but she still considers herself a Mormon.[33] In a 2014 interview, Hale said that she doesn't "consciously make storytelling choices based on the [LDS] Church."[17] In writing her graphic novel memoirs of her childhood, Hale decided to include visual references to her religious upbringing, like her family attending church. Despite being asked to remove the references, Hale decided to retain them, stating that "to erase [them] felt like a lie."[34]

She is the mother of four children: Max, Magnolia,[8] and twin girls Dinah and Wren.[6] Hale has noted that her children give her new ideas for books "probably every day."[5]

Awards and honors[edit]

The Princess in Black was a New York Times bestseller, and Kirkus Reviews named it one of the best books of 2014.[35]

In February 2016, Hale was a Literary Guest of Honor and Keynote Speaker at the 34th annual Life, the Universe, & Everything professional science fiction and fantasy arts symposium.[36]

In 2017, Real Friends landed on Booklist's "Top 10 Graphic Novels for Youth" list.[37]

Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn was a New York Times and IndieBound bestseller.[38]

Awards for Hale's writing
Year Title Award Result Ref.
2003 The Goose Girl AML Award in Young Adult Literature Winner [39]
2004 Josette Frank Award Winner [14]
2004 Enna Burning AML Award in Young Adult Literature Winner [39]
2005 Princess Academy AML Award in Young Adult Literature Winner [39]
2006 Princess Academy Newbery Medal Honor [40][41]
River Secrets AML Award in Young Adult Literature Honor [39]
2007 Austenland AML Award in Novel Finalist [39]
Book of a Thousand Days AML Award in Young Adult Literature Finalist [39]
Cybils Award for Young Adult Speculative Fiction Winner [42]
Whitney Award for Best Speculative Winner [43]
River Secrets Teens' Top Ten Top 10 [44]
2008 Rapunzel's Revenge Cybils Award for Elementary and Middle Grade Graphic Novel Winner [45]
2009 Rapunzel's Revenge Leah Adezio Award for Best Kid-Friendly Work Winner [46]
2012 Palace of Stone Whitney Award for Best Middle Grade Finalist
2014 Dangerous Whitney Award for Best Young Adult - Speculative Finalist
The Princess in Black AML Award in Picture Book Honorable
2015 Princess Academy AML Award in Drama Finalist [47]
2016 The Princess in Black and the Hungry Bunny Horde Cybils Award for Early Chapter Books Finalist [48]
2017 The Princess in Black Takes a Vacation Cybils Award for Early Chapter Books Finalist [49]
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Whitney Award for Best Young Adult Speculative Fiction Finalist
Friends Forever Cybils Award for Elementary and Middle Grade Graphic Novel Finalist [50]
Real Friends AML Award in Comics Winner [51]
Cybils Award for Finalist [52]
2018 Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth Selection [53]
Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards: Best in Children's Books Winner [54]
Great Graphic Novels for Teens Selection [55]
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl ALSC Notable Children's Recordings Selection [56]
2020 Best Friends Amelia Bloomer Book List Selection [57]
Great Graphic Novels for Teens Selection [58]
2021 Friends Forever AML Award in Comics Winner [59]
Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn Cybils Award for Fiction Picture book Finalist [60]
2022 Friends Forever Great Graphic Novels for Teens Selection [61]

Publications[edit]

The Books of Bayern series[edit]

  • The Goose Girl (2003), ISBN 1-58234-843-X
  • Enna Burning (2004), ISBN 1-58234-889-8
  • River Secrets (2006), ISBN 1-58234-901-0
  • Forest Born (2009), ISBN 1-59990-167-6

Princess Academy series[edit]

Austenland series[edit]

Rapunzel's Revenge series[edit]

The Rapunzel's Revenge series is co-authored with Dean Hale and illustrated by Nathan Hale (no relation).

Ever After High series[edit]

Princess in Black series[edit]

The Princess in Black series is co-authored with Dean Hale and illustrated by LeUyen Pham.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl series[edit]

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl series is co-authored with Dean Hale.

Real Friends series[edit]

The Real Friends series graphic memoirs are illustrated by LeUyen Pham.

Standalone novels[edit]

Short stories[edit]

  • "Bouncing the Grinning Goat" from Guys Read: Other Worlds (2013)

Diana: Princess of the Amazons series[edit]

The Diana series is co-authored with Dean Hale and illustrated by Victoria Ying.

Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn series[edit]

The Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn picture books are illustrated by LeUyen Pham.

Articles[edit]

Other[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Black, Susan Easton; Woodger, Mary Jane (2011). Women of Character. American Fork, UT: Covenant Communications. pp. 120–123. ISBN 9781680470185. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  2. ^ "Author Profile - Shannon Hale". Utah Children's Writers and Illustrators Newsletter. Utah Children's Writers and Illustrators. Archived from the original on April 20, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2007.
  3. ^ "A video interview with Shannon Hale | AdLit.org". www.adlit.org. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d "Shannon Hale | Authors | Macmillan". US Macmillan. Archived from the original on April 26, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c "Utah writer Shannon Hale returns to 'Princess Academy'". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on July 8, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d e "The Official Site of Shannon Hale". www.squeetus.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2016. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  7. ^ "Alumni Post-it Notes". U-News & Views. University of Utah Alumni Association. April 2006. Archived from the original on September 8, 2006. Retrieved July 10, 2007.
  8. ^ a b c d "Shannon Hale | Mormon Literature & Creative Arts Database | HBLL". mormonarts.lib.byu.edu. Archived from the original on April 18, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  9. ^ a b Blasingame, James (March 2010). "Interview with Shannon Hale about "Rapunzel's Revenge"". Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. 53 (6): 518–520. JSTOR 25614598.
  10. ^ Rollins, Jenny (August 3, 2018). "Shannon Hale's 'The Goose Girl' turns 15". Deseret News. ProQuest 2082278909.
  11. ^ Walquist, Tammy (July 6, 2007). "Author's tales: Writers recount struggle to get published". Deseret Morning News. Archived from the original on July 24, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2007.
  12. ^ a b Ward, Barbara A.; Young, Terrell A. (June 4, 2008). "Talking with Shannon Hale". American Library Association. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  13. ^ a b c "Biography". Shannon Hale. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
  14. ^ a b "Past Award Winners (1943-2006)". The Children's Book Committee Bank Street College of Education. Archived from the original on December 2, 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2008.
  15. ^ Hale, Shannon (2017). The goose girl. ISBN 978-1-68119-316-8. OCLC 1038725011.
  16. ^ "The Books of Bayern". Kids Book Series. Archived from the original on July 11, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  17. ^ a b Brady, Meagan (February 2014). "Shannon Hale". mormonartist.net. Mormon Artist. Archived from the original on August 23, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  18. ^ Rappleye, Christine (August 17, 2012). "Shannon Hale's 'secret' project yields 'Palace of Stone'". Deseret News. Archived from the original on July 10, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  19. ^ Rappleye, Christine (February 24, 2015). "Shannon Hale shares lessons learned along the way to publishing third Princess Academy book". Deseret News. Archived from the original on July 8, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  20. ^ Schoenberg, Nara (August 23, 2013). "Shannon Hale on turning her novel 'Austenland' into a movie". chicagotribune.com. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  21. ^ Radish, Christina (August 13, 2013). "Keri Russell and Producer Stephenie Meyer Talk AUSTENLAND and the Lasting Appeal of Jane Austen Stories". Collider. Archived from the original on January 5, 2020. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  22. ^ Bloomsbury.com. "Midnight in Austenland". Bloomsbury Publishing. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  23. ^ THE ACTOR AND THE HOUSEWIFE | Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  24. ^ Messner, Kate (May 12, 2017). "The Perils of Social Life Begin in Kindergarten". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 12, 2020. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  25. ^ "Graphic Books and Manga - Best Sellers - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on November 6, 2019. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  26. ^ "Children's Series Books - Best Sellers - May 27, 2018 - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 11, 2019. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  27. ^ Mcfall, Michael (November 4, 2015). "Utah authors Shannon Hale, Dean Hale to write Marvel's Squirrel Girl novel". The Salt Lake Tribune. ProQuest 1730280953.
  28. ^ Reese, Catherine (March 10, 2014). "Shannon Hale dishes on her 'Dangerous' new novel". The Salt Lake Tribune. ProQuest 1505364179.
  29. ^ "Shannon Hale interview: Girl (and boy) power". The Writer. January 31, 2018. Archived from the original on March 27, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  30. ^ "Gender and reading". squeetus. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  31. ^ Lythgoe, Dennis (July 8, 2007). "Life is hectic for novelist". Deseret News. Archived from the original on April 26, 2014. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  32. ^ Lehnardt, Michelle (June 13, 2009). "Writer's challenge: infusing religion". Deseret News. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  33. ^ Butler, Kiera (July 13, 2023). "Are You There, God? It's Me, Shannon Hale". Mother Jones. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  34. ^ Bulsiewicz, Michelle Garrett (October 4, 2019). "'To erase it felt like a lie': Utah author Shannon Hale on including her religion in graphic novel series". Deseret News. Archived from the original on August 23, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  35. ^ "The Princess in Black". Kirkus Reviews. July 29, 2014. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  36. ^ "Life, the Universe, & Everything 34: The Marion K. "Doc" Smith Symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy" (PDF). LTUE Press. February 1, 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 13, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  37. ^ Hunter, Sarah (July 2017). "Top 10 Graphic Novels for Youth: 2017". Booklist. Archived from the original on April 3, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  38. ^ "itty-Bitty Kitty Corn". Kirkus Reviews. January 27, 2021. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  39. ^ a b c d e f "AML Awards 2000 – 2001". Dawning of a Brighter Day. Archived from the original on February 5, 2023. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  40. ^ "2006 Newbery Medal and Honor Books". American Library Association. 2006. Archived from the original on May 12, 2007. Retrieved May 9, 2007.
  41. ^ "Newbery, Caldecott Honors and More". Shelf Awareness. January 24, 2006. Archived from the original on April 17, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  42. ^ "2007 Cybils Winners". Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  43. ^ "First Annual Whitney Awards Highlights". Meridian Magazine. 2007. Archived from the original on February 2, 2010. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  44. ^ Kuenn, Stephanie (October 30, 2007). ""New Moon" rises in YALSA's 2007 Teens' Top Ten". Young Adult Library Services Association. Archived from the original on April 3, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  45. ^ "2008 Cybils Winners". Archived from the original on January 15, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  46. ^ "Lulu Award". Comic Book Awards Almanac. Archived from the original on January 26, 2013.
  47. ^ Hall, Andrew (February 5, 2016). "2015 AML Awards Finalists #5: Drama, Comics, and Criticism". Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. Archived from the original on February 23, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  48. ^ "2016 Cybils Finalists". Children's and Young Adult Book Lover's Literary Awards. Archived from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  49. ^ "2017 Cybils Finalists". Children's and Young Adult Book Lover's Literary Awards. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  50. ^ "2021 AML Award Winners". Dawning of a Brighter Day. July 24, 2022. Archived from the original on September 24, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  51. ^ "2017 AML Awards #4: Comics and Picture Books". Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. February 27, 2018. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  52. ^ "2017 Cybils Finalists". Children's and Young Adult Book Lover's Literary Awards. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  53. ^ "Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth, 2017". Booklist. January 1, 2018. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  54. ^ "Inaugural Graphic Literature Awards Presented". Shelf Awareness. June 18, 2018. Archived from the original on June 21, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  55. ^ "2018 Great Graphic Novels for Teens". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). February 14, 2018. Archived from the original on December 30, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  56. ^ "Notable Children's Recordings: 2018". Booklist. April 19, 2018. Archived from the original on September 24, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  57. ^ "Best Friends | Awards & Grants". American Library Association. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  58. ^ "2020 Great Graphic Novels for Teens". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). January 2, 2020. Archived from the original on September 26, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  59. ^ "2021 AML Award Winners". Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. July 24, 2022. Archived from the original on July 24, 2022. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  60. ^ "2021 Cybils Finalists". Children's and Young Adult Book Lover's Literary Awards. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  61. ^ "2022 Great Graphic Novels for Teens". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). February 4, 2022. Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  62. ^ "Princess Academy". Kensington Theatre. November 28, 2016. Archived from the original on March 27, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2020.

External links[edit]

Library resources about
Shannon Hale
By Shannon Hale
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