Ursula Vernon | |
---|---|
![]() Vernon in 2017 | |
Born | Ursula Vernon May 28, 1977 Japan[1] |
Nationality | American |
Area(s) | Writer, artist, webcomics creator |
Pseudonym(s) | T. Kingfisher |
Notable works | Digger, Dragonbreath series, Nettle & Bone |
Awards | Ursa Major Award, Hugo Award, Nebula Award, Mythopoeic Award, WSFA Small Press Award |
Ursula Vernon (born May 28, 1977) is an American freelance writer, artist and illustrator. She has won numerous awards for her work in various mediums, including Hugo Awards for her graphic novel Digger and fantasy novel Nettle & Bone, the Nebula Award for her short story "Jackalope Wives", and Mythopoeic Awards for adult and children's literature. Vernon's books for children include Hamster Princess and Dragonbreath. Under the name T. Kingfisher, she is also the author of books for older audiences. She writes short fiction under both names.
Career
[edit]Ursula Vernon grew up in Oregon and Arizona. She studied anthropology at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where she first took art classes.[2] She first became known for her webcomics and as a freelance artist, particularly for her works containing anthropomorphic animals. She then moved into writing and illustrating a number of children's books, her first being published in 2008, and then books for adults under the pseudonym T. Kingfisher.[3][4] She decided to start using the pseudonym in order to avoid confusion amongst parents who were only familiar with her as a children's book author,[5] and chose it because she loves kingfishers (and as an homage to Ursula K. LeGuin, who once joked that the initials "U.K." could stand for "Ulysses Kingfisher").[6] Vernon has published short fiction under both names, and has won a number of awards for them including the Hugo Award and Nebula Award.
She regularly attends conventions to exhibit and sell her work. She has been a guest of honor at Midwest FurFest 2004 and 2009, and the Artist Guest of Honor at Further Confusion 2010. Vernon was the Author Guest of Honor for Mythcon 45[7] and a Guest of Honor at Eurofurence 20, both in August 2014. In 2017, she was the Author Guest of Honor at Arisia '17.
Vernon podcasts with her husband, Kevin Sonney.[8]
In June 2023, Vernon announced she had been diagnosed with breast cancer;[9] however, by December of that year, she announced that her treatment had been successful and she was "cancer-free".[10]
Works
[edit]Books for younger audiences
[edit]Vernon is the author and illustrator of the Dragonbreath and Hamster Princess children's book series, published by Dial Books:
Dragonbreath series
[edit]- Dragonbreath. (2009). 0-8037-3363-1
- Dragonbreath: Attack of the Ninja Frogs. (2010). 0-8037-3365-8
- Dragonbreath: Curse of the Were-Weiner. (2010). 0-8037-3469-7
- Dragonbreath: Lair of the Bat Monster. (2011). 0-8037-3525-1
- Dragonbreath: No Such Thing as Ghosts. (2011). 0-8037-3527-8
- Dragonbreath: Revenge of the Horned Bunnies. (2012). 0-8037-3677-0
- Dragonbreath: When Fairies Go Bad. (2012). 0-8037-3678-9
- Dragonbreath: Nightmare of the Iguana. (2013). 0-8037-3846-3
- Dragonbreath: The Case of the Toxic Mutants. (2013). 0-8037-3847-1
- Dragonbreath: Knight-napped!. (2015). 0-8037-3849-8
- Dragonbreath: The Frozen Menace. (2016). 0-8037-3986-9
Hamster Princess series
[edit]- Hamster Princess: Harriet the Invincible. (August 18, 2015). 0-8037-3983-4
- Hamster Princess: Of Mice and Magic. (March 15, 2016). 0-8037-3984-2
- Hamster Princess: Ratpunzel. (October 18, 2016). 0-8037-3985-0
- Hamster Princess: Giant Trouble. (May 9, 2017). 0-3991-8652-2
- Hamster Princess: Whiskerella. (January 23, 2018). 0-3991-8655-7
- Hamster Princess: Little Red Rodent Hood. (September 25, 2018). 0-3991-8658-1
Other children's books
[edit]- Nurk: The Strange Surprising Adventures Of A (Somewhat) Brave Shrew. (2008). Harcourt. ISBN 0-15-206375-7
- Castle Hangnail. (April 21, 2015) Dial Books. ISBN 978-0-803741-29-4)
Books for older audiences
[edit]Written as Ursula Vernon:
- It Made Sense at the Time: Selected Sketches. (November 18, 2004). Sofawolf Press. 978-0-971267-06-0
- Black Dogs Part 1: The House of Diamond. (March 1, 2007). Sofawolf Press. 978-0-976921-24-0
- Black Dogs Part 2: The Mountain of Iron. (January 1, 2011). Sofawolf Press. 978-1-936689-03-3
Temple of the White Rat books
[edit]The following books were written under the name T. Kingfisher and take place in what Vernon calls "the Temple of the White Rat world."[11][12]
- Clockwork Boys. Clocktaur War #1. (November 21, 2017). Red Wombat Tea Company. ISBN 1614504067
- The Wonder Engine. Clocktaur War #2. (February 27, 2018). Red Wombat Tea Company ISBN 978-1614504177
- Swordheart. (November 27, 2018). Argyll Productions. ISBN 978-1614504634
- Paladin's Grace. The Saint of Steel #1. (February 11, 2020) Red Wombat Studio. ISBN 978-1614505211
- Paladin's Strength. The Saint of Steel #2. (February 28, 2021). Red Wombat Studio. ISBN 978-1614505303
- Paladin's Hope. The Saint of Steel #3. (October 9, 2021). Red Wombat Studio. ISBN 978-1614505518
- Paladin's Faith. The Saint of Steel #4. (December 5, 2023). Red Wombat Studio. ISBN 978-1614506096
The Sworn Soldier books
[edit]Under the pen name T. Kingfisher:
- What Moves The Dead. (July 12, 2022). Tor Nightfire. ISBN 978-1250830753
- What Feasts at Night. (February 13, 2024). Tor Nightfire. ISBN 978-1250830852
Other books for older audiences
[edit]Under the pen name T. Kingfisher:
- Nine Goblins. (October 27, 2013). Red Wombat Tea Company. ISBN 978-1310505768
- The Seventh Bride. (November 11, 2014). Red Wombat Tea Company. ISBN 978-1503949751
- Bryony & Roses. (May 18, 2015). Red Wombat Tea Company. ISBN 978-1614503996
- The Raven & The Reindeer. (February 7, 2016). Red Wombat Tea Company. ISBN 978-1614503897
- Summer in Orcus. (September 2016). Red Wombat Tea Company. ISBN 978-1936689606
- The Halcyon Fairy Book. (January 19, 2017). NESFA Press. ISBN 978-1610373265
- Minor Mage. (July 29, 2019). Argyll Productions. ISBN 978-1614505006
- The Twisted Ones. (October 1, 2019). Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1534429574
- A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking. (July 21, 2020). Argyll Productions. ISBN 978-1614505242
- The Hollow Places. (October 6, 2020). Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1534451124
- Nettle & Bone. (April 26, 2022). Tor Books. ISBN 978-1250244048
- Illuminations. (November 25, 2022). Argyll Productions. ISBN 978-1614505778
- A House with Good Bones. (March 28, 2023). Tor Nightfire. ISBN 978-1250829795
- Thornhedge. (August 15, 2023). Tor Books. ISBN 978-1250244093
Webcomics
[edit]Vernon is the author of the Eisner Award-nominated and Hugo Award-winning webcomic Digger.[13] A fantasy story featuring an anthropomorphic wombat,[2][14] it is also available in six paperback books published between 2005 and 2011: Vol. 1 (ISBN 0-9769212-2-7), Vol. 2 (ISBN 0-9769212-6-X), Vol. 3 (ISBN 0-9791496-3-0), Vol. 4 (ISBN 0-9819883-3-4), Vol. 5 (ISBN 0-9819883-9-3), and Vol. 6 (ISBN 1-9366890-6-5), and as Digger: The Complete Omnibus Edition (ISBN 1-936689-32-4), published in 2013. She is also the writer and illustrator of the webcomic Irrational Fears and the short stories "Little Creature" and "Little Creature and the Redcap".
Illustrations and art
[edit]Before becoming a published children's book author Vernon was primarily a freelance artist and illustrator, and she still regularly produces new works of art. Her work includes the creation of digital art as well as the use of more traditional mediums such as watercolour and acrylics, with much of her more recent work being mixed media. Most of her art work is available as prints. Vernon has also taken commercial commissions such as book covers and game art.
The game Black Sheep designed by Reiner Knizia and published by Fantasy Flight Games uses art by Vernon on its playing cards.[15]
Her artwork titled The Biting Pear of Salamanca became an internet meme in the form of the "LOL WUT pear"[16] and has been made into a resin figurine due to its popularity.[17] She has also designed labels for a series of tea and soap products.[18][19][citation needed]
Awards and nominations
[edit]Award | Category | Year | Work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
British Fantasy Award | Horror Novel | 2020 | The Twisted Ones | Nominated | [20] |
2021 | The Hollow Places | Nominated | [20] | ||
Dragon Award | Horror Novel | 2020 | The Twisted Ones | Won | [21] |
2021 | The Hollow Places | Won | [22] | ||
YA / Middle Grade Novel | 2021 | A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking | Won | [22] | |
Hugo Award | Graphic Story | 2012 | Digger | Won | [23] |
Novelette | 2017 | "The Tomato Thief" | Won | [24] | |
Short Story | 2018 | "Sun, Moon, Dust" | Nominated | [25] | |
2019 | “The Rose MacGregor Drinking and Admiration Society” | Nominated | [20] | ||
2021 | “Metal Like Blood in the Dark” | Won | [26] | ||
Series | 2022 | The World of the White Rat | Nominated | [20][27] | |
Novel | 2023 | Nettle & Bone | Won | [28] | |
Locus Award | Fantasy Novel | 2017 | The Wonder Engine | Nominated | [20] |
2022 | Paladin's Strength | Nominated | [29] | ||
Horror Novel | 2020 | The Twisted Ones | Nominated | [20] | |
2021 | The Hollow Places | Nominated | [20] | ||
2023 | What Moves the Dead | Won | [30] | ||
Short Story | 2021 | "Fisher-Bird" | Nominated | [20] | |
Young Adult Book | 2021 | A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking | Won | [31] | |
Lodestar Award | Young Adult Book | 2018 | Summer in Orcus | Nominated | [20] |
2020 | Minor Mage | Nominated | [20] | ||
2021 | A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking | Won | [26] | ||
Mythopoeic Award | Adult Literature | 2012 | Digger | Won | [32] |
Children's Literature | 2017 | Castle Hangnail | Won | [33] | |
2021 | A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking | Won | [34] | ||
Nebula Award | Novel | 2023 | Nettle and Bone | Nominated | [35] |
Andre Norton Award[a] | 2021 | A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking | Won | [38] | |
Short Story | 2015 | "Jackalope Wives" | Won | [39] | |
World Fantasy Award | Short Fiction | 2015 | "Jackalope Wives" | Nominated | [40] |
Vernon has also received the following accolades:
- Her cover for Best in Show won the 2003 Ursa Major Award for Best Anthropomorphic Published Illustration.[41]
- For her work on Digger, Vernon was nominated for the 2006 Eisner Awards in the category "Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition",[42] and won the 2005 Web Cartoonists' Choice Award for "Outstanding Black and White Art". Digger has also been nominated in the "Outstanding Anthropomorphic Comic" category.[43][44]
- "Jackalope Wives" (2014), "The Tomato Thief" (2016) and "Metal Like Blood in the Dark" (2020) won the WSFA Small Press Award.[45][46][47]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ locusmag (April 12, 2021). "Ursula Vernon: Shiny New Idea". Locus Online. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
- ^ a b Vernon, Ursula; Patrick Keith (September 2004). "Interview with Ursula Vernon". www.epilogue.net. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
Digger, ... is a fantasy about a wombat
- ^ "T. Kingfisher". Goodreads. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
- ^ Books for Adults, by Ursula Vernon, at RedWombatStudio.com; retrieved October 20, 2020
- ^ "Interview with Ursula Vernon". Apex Magazine. January 6, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
- ^ "Q&A: T.Kingfisher". www.thenerddaily.com. October 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
- ^ "Mythcon 45 – August 2014 – Mythopoeic Society". Mythopoeic Society. Archived from the original on April 6, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
- ^ "Other media". Red Wombat Studio. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
- ^ "Pixel Scroll 6/17/23 Whoever Lives in Glass Pixels Should Not Throw Scrolls". June 18, 2023.
- ^ "Pixel Scroll 12/30/23 Always Cool To See A Reference To Big Pixel And The Scrolling Company". December 29, 2023.
- ^ Vernon, Ursula [@UrsulaV] (February 11, 2020). "You do not have to read the other books in the Temple of the White Rat world, this is a fine entry point! But if you like it, we have three other books that you may enjoy afterward in the same universe!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Vernon, Ursula [@UrsulaV] (February 11, 2020). "Oh no obtuseness! No worries! Clockwork Boys & The Wonder Engine are a duology in the same universe. Swordheart stands alone but will eventually be a trilogy" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Cruz, Larry (July 16, 2010). "The Webcomic Overlook #127: Digger". Retrieved February 17, 2011.
best known for Digger
- ^ Boxer, Sarah (August 17, 2005). "CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK; Comics Escape a Paper Box, and Electronic Questions Pop Out". The New York Times. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
- ^ "Reiner Knizia's Black Sheep". Fantasy Flight Games. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
- ^ Ursula Vernon (February 27, 2006). "The Biting Pear of Salamanca". Retrieved March 30, 2009.
- ^ "Biting Pear (AKA LOL WUT PEAR)". www.patchtogether.com. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
- ^ Vernon, Ursula (June 5, 2008). "Tea! Tea! Tea!". Red Wombat Studio. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ Vernon, Ursula (July 12, 2007). "Red Wombat Studio". Red Wombat Studio. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "T. Kingfisher Awards". Science Fiction Awards Database. Locus Science Fiction Foundation. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
- ^ "2020 Recipients – The Dragon Award". Dragon Con. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
- ^ a b "2021 Recipients – The Dragon Award". Dragon Con. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
- ^ "2012 Nominees". The Hugo Awards. World Science Fiction Society. April 7, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
- ^ "2017 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. World Science Fiction Society. December 31, 2016. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
- ^ "2018 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. World Science Fiction Society. March 15, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
- ^ a b "Announcing the 2021 Hugo Award Winners". Tor.com. Macmillan. December 18, 2021.
- ^ "2022 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. April 7, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
- ^ "2023 Hugo Award Winners". File 770. October 21, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ "2022 Locus Awards Top Ten Finalists". Locus Magazine. May 10, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ "2023 Locus Awards Winners". Locus Online. June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
- ^ "2020 Locus Award for Young Adult Novel". Locus Magazine. June 26, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
- ^ "Mythopoeic Awards: 2013 Winners Announced". Mythopoeic Society. Archived from the original on October 6, 2013. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
- ^ "Mythopoeic Awards". Mythopoeic Society. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
- ^ "Mythopoeic Awards — 2021". The Mythopoeic Society. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ "SFWA Names the 58th Nebula Award Finalists". Nebula Awards. March 7, 2023.
- ^ "Nebula Rules". Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. October 2011. Archived from the original on July 1, 2011. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
- ^ Levine, David D. (April 10, 2019). "I am now officially a Nebula Award winner!". daviddlevine.com. Archived from the original on February 25, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
- ^ "2020 Andre Norton Award". Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
- ^ "2014 Nebula Award Winners Announced". Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. June 6, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
- ^ "World Fantasy Awards 2015". Science Fiction Awards Database. Locus Science Fiction Foundation. Archived from the original on November 2, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ "Award Winners 2003". Ursa Major Awards. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
- ^ "Master Nominee List 2006 Eisner Awards". San Diego Comic-Con International. Archived from the original on June 14, 2006. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
- ^ "2005 Results". Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
- ^ "2007 Results". Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards. Archived from the original on February 4, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
- ^ "WSFA Small Press Award Winner". Locus Magazine. October 12, 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
- ^ "Ursula Vernon Awards". Science Fiction Awards Database. Locus Science Fiction Foundation. Archived from the original on July 2, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
- ^ "WSFA Small Press Award - The History". Washington Science Fiction Association. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
External links
[edit]Personal websites
- RedWombatStudio.com
- Bark Like a Fish, Damnit!, public Livejournal blog (last updated 2017)
- Digger webcomic
Socials
- Ursula Vernon on X
- Ursula Vernon at Goodreads
- UrsulaV, Ursula Vernon's deviantART page
Catalogs
- Ursula Vernon at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Ursula Vernon at Library of Congress
- Ursula Vernon at Fantastic Fiction
- Free Speculative Fiction Online, accessed March 4, 2022,
Publishers