Writing Wednesday - Favorite Author: Tamora Pierce

This week, I want to talk about one of my favorite authors and the one who inspired me to start seriously writing fantasy, though I'd been writing silly little stories for a few years by the point I first found her books. Her name is Tamora Pierce.

Tamora Pierce was born in 1953. She started writing at six. Her interest in science fiction and fantasy started, like I'm willing to bet it did for several of us, when she first read Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series. She began writing books like the ones she was reading and progressed from there.

The books that would become her first quartet, The Song of the Lioness, was written while she was still in college at the University of Pennsylvania. She has since written 28 books and several short stories.

The first books I found were that first quartet: Alanna, The First Adventure, In the Hand of the Goddess, Woman Who Rides Like a Man, and Lioness Rampant, though I didn't read Lioness Rampant until several years after I'd read the first three. I loved Alanna. I loved her story. I loved the character. I loved how tough she was and yet the fact that she showed great compassion as well. I loved the love triangle that formed between her and the prince and the king of thieves. I loved all of it. I wanted to write interesting and captivating books like that.

So I started writing more fantasy. I wasn't very good, but what 12 year old is? I didn't give up. Several years later, I stumbled upon her Immortals quartet. Once again I was sucked into the world of Tortall, this time through Daine. Daine was a teenager who'd survived a terrible tragedy to go on to help save the world. The path that she took to get there was amazing and full of wonderful adventures. I loved it.

I've only read the first book in her Protector of the Small books, and I haven't touched any of her others. Though they are on my TBR list for sure. I would highly recommend anyone who likes YA fiction to check out her books. They're a fun read.

You can find Tamora Pierce here or connect with her on Facebook here.