Tui T. Sutherland
Sutherland at the 2017 New York Comic Con
Sutherland at the 2017 New York Comic Con
BornTui Tamara Sutherland
(1978-07-31) July 31, 1978
Caracas, Venezuela
Pen nameHeather Williams
Erin Hunter (shared)
Rob Kidd (shared)
Tamara Summers
OccupationAuthor
NationalityAmerican
GenreChildren's literature
Notable worksWings of Fire (novel series)
Website
tuibooks.com

Tui Tamara Sutherland (born July 31, 1978, in Caracas, Venezuela)[1] is an American children's book author who has written more than 50 books under her own name and under several pen names.[2] In 2009, she won $46,200 over three games on Jeopardy![3] Sutherland's books have sold over 15 million copies; she is best known for writing the Wings of Fire series of epic dragon fantasy novels.

Early life, education and literary career

Tui T. Sutherland was born on July 31, 1978, in Caracas. Her mother, who was from New Zealand, named her after the tūī, a bird native to that country.[4][5] Sutherland lived in Asuncion, Miami, and Santo Domingo for short periods before moving to New Jersey in high school. While in high school she began doing theater, mostly backstage work.[1] She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Williams College in 1998, writing her college thesis about Ophelia from William Shakespeare's Hamlet,[6] then earned a Master of Arts in Art History.[7]

Sutherland abandoned ideas of a career in theater in favor of writing children's books after "she partook in creative writing courses over six months in New Zealand",[7] a decision she half-joked allowed her career path "to be more far stable and lucrative".[1]

Sutherland began her professional literary career as an editor in Brooklyn, New York, at Grosset & Dunlap, then at HarperCollins; she rose to initial notoriety after becoming a member of the Erin Hunter team alongside Victoria Holmes, Kate Cary and Cherith Baldry on the popular Warriors and Seekers series, from the perspective of cats and bears respectively. Her initial success during this time, coupled with what she learned about the inside workings of the publishing industry, helped her build the courage to publish books of her own and to eventually quit her position as an editor to write full-time.[7] She later moved to Watertown, Massachusetts.

Her debut solo work, This Must Be Love (a retelling of A Midsummer Night's Dream), was published in 2004. Sutherland wrote books under her actual name (or an initialized variation) as well as under pseudonyms and pen names, including Tamara Summers, Heather Williams, and Rob Kidd, the latter of which was shared.[1]

After the conclusion of her dog-oriented Pet Trouble series, Sutherland pitched the team at Scholastic Inc.[8] about writing an epic fantasy series starring dragons as the heroes. With Amanda Maciel as her editor, the Wings of Fire series debuted on July 1, 2012[9] to commercial success, generally receiving mixed to positive critical reviews. Over time the series gradually amassed a fan following and became an international bestseller.

In January 2024 Publishers Weekly reported that the seventh graphic novel adaptation in the Wings of Fire series was the number one bestselling book in the United States.[10]

Personal life

Sutherland grew up sharing original ideas and exploring the classics with her younger sister Kari. She married her husband Adam in October 2007, and the two live in Watertown, Massachusetts with their two sons.[3][7]

Though she has generally refrained from revealing private details about her life in her frequent public events, Sutherland's religious background has been noted. Sutherland is known to borrow influences from a variety of religious traditions and backgrounds; she "attended a Baptist missionary school in Paraguay, studied Buddhism in college" and is raising her children with Judeo-Christian influences, having "married a wonderful Jewish man". Though she has woven philosophical and spiritual aspects from a variety of sources and traditions into her work, she has also said that "religion isn't something talked about as freely" in her daily life, instead hoping that her writing can open up discussions among readers and pose questions to contemplate in the freer, larger-than-life fantasy worlds she creates.[7][11]

Sutherland has drawn inspiration from locations she has visited over the years, including the Waitomo Caves in New Zealand and the Amber Palace in India.[12]

A long-time fan of Jeopardy!, she named the sixth dog in the Pet Trouble series after it. In 2009, she was a two-day champion on the show, winning a total of $46,200 over three episodes;[3][13][14] the first two games she won by a fine margin, whereas she lost the latter game by not wagering enough money on the final clue; had she wagered everything, she would have won the game.[6]

Bibliography

Single titles

  • Kermit's Mixed-Up Valentines (January 2, 2001, with Emily Sollinger; Out of Print)
  • Meet Mo and Ella (February 1, 2001; Out of Print)
  • Fun with Mo and Ella (February 1, 2002; Out of Print)
  • Who Was Harry Houdini? (July 1, 2002, as Tui Sutherland)
  • This Must Be Love (September 1, 2004; Out of Print)
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - The Junior Novelization (April 10, 2007, as T.T. Sutherland, Pirates of the Caribbean Junior Book #3; Out of Print)

Under pseudonym

As Erin Hunter

  • Warriors: Secrets of the Clans (May 29, 2007, under Erin Hunter, Warriors Companion Book #1)
  • Seekers: The Quest Begins (May 27, 2008, under Erin Hunter, Seekers Book #1)
  • Seekers: Smoke Mountain (May 14, 2009, under Erin Hunter, Seekers Book #3)
  • Seekers: Fire in the Sky (May 11, 2010, under Erin Hunter, Seekers Book #5)
  • Seekers: The Melting Sea (June 5, 2012, under Erin Hunter, Seekers: Return to the Wild Book #2)

As Rob Kidd

  • Legends of the Brethren Court: The Caribbean (October 14, 2008, under Rob Kidd, Legends of the Brethren Court Book #1; Out of Print)
  • Legends of the Brethren Court: The East (December 9, 2008, under Rob Kidd, Legends of the Brethren Court Book #2; Out of Print)
  • Legends of the Brethren Court: The Turning Tide (March 17, 2009, under Rob Kidd, Legends of the Brethren Court Book #3; Out of Print)
  • Legends of the Brethren Court: Wild Waters (August 18, 2009, under Rob Kidd, Legends of the Brethren Court Book #4; Out of Print)
  • Legends of the Brethren Court: Day of the Shadow (November 1, 2009, under Rob Kidd, Legends of the Brethren Court Book #5; Out of Print)

As Tamara Summers

  • He's With Me (May 1, 2007, as Tamara Summers; Out of Print)
  • Save the Date (April 29, 2008, as Tamara Summers; Out of Print)
  • Never Bite a Boy on the First Date (September 16, 2009, as Tamara Summers; Out of Print)

As Heather Williams

  • Nellie Oleson meets Laura Ingalls (September 1, 2007, as Heather Williams; Out of Print)
  • Farmer Boy Goes West (February 14, 2012, as Heather Williams; Out of Print)

Anthologies

  • "Skittering" (Half-Minute Horrors, Short Story Anthology, August 25, 2009; Out of Print)
  • "The Incredibly Important True Story of Me!" (Lucky Dog: Twelve Tales of Rescued Dogs, Short Story Anthology, January 28, 2014; Out of Print)

Series

Avatars

  • Avatars: So This Is How It Ends (October 1, 2006, Avatars Book #1; Out of Print)
  • Avatars: Shadow Falling (October 1, 2007, Avatars Book #2; Out of Print)
  • Kingdom of Twilight (October 1, 2008, Avatars Book #3; Out of Print)

Pet Trouble

  • Pet Trouble: Runaway Retriever (April 1, 2009, as T.T. Sutherland, Pet Trouble Book #1)
  • Pet Trouble: Loudest Beagle on the Block (April 1, 2009, as T.T. Sutherland, Pet Trouble Book #2)
  • Pet Trouble: Mud-Puddle Poodle (July 1, 2009, as T.T. Sutherland, Pet Trouble Book #3)
  • Pet Trouble: Bulldog Won't Budge (November 1, 2009, as T.T. Sutherland, Pet Trouble Book #4)
  • Pet Trouble: Oh No, Newf! (February 1, 2010, as T.T. Sutherland, Pet Trouble Book #5)
  • Pet Trouble: Smarty-Pants Sheltie (May 1, 2010, as T.T. Sutherland, Pet Trouble Book #6)
  • Pet Trouble: Bad to the Bone Boxer (August 1, 2010, as T.T. Sutherland, Pet Trouble Book #7)
  • Pet Trouble: Dachshund Disaster (November 1, 2010, as T.T. Sutherland, Pet Trouble Book #8)

The Menagerie

  • The Menagerie (March 12, 2013, with Kari Sutherland, The Menagerie Book #1)
  • The Menagerie: Dragon on Trial (March 11, 2014, with Kari Sutherland, The Menagerie Book #2)
  • The Menagerie: Kraken on Trial (March 10, 2015, with Kari Sutherland, The Menagerie Book #3)

Spirit Animals

  • Spirit Animals: Against the Tide (September 30, 2014, Spirit Animals Book #5)

Wings of Fire

  • Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy (July 1, 2012, Wings of Fire Book #1)
  • Wings of Fire: The Lost Heir (January 1, 2013, Wings of Fire Book #2)
  • Wings of Fire: The Hidden Kingdom (May 28, 2013, Wings of Fire Book #3)
  • Wings of Fire: The Dark Secret (October 29, 2013, Wings of Fire Book #4)
  • Wings of Fire: The Brightest Night (March 25, 2014, Wings of Fire Book #5)
  • Wings of Fire: Moon Rising (December 30, 2014, Wings of Fire Book #6)
  • Wings of Fire: Winter Turning (June 30, 2015, Wings of Fire Book #7)
  • Wings of Fire: Escaping Peril (December 29, 2015, Wings of Fire Book #8)
  • Wings of Fire: Talons of Power (December 27, 2016, Wings of Fire Book #9)
  • Wings of Fire: Darkness of Dragons (July 25, 2017, Wings of Fire Book #10)
  • Wings of Fire: The Lost Continent (June 26, 2018, Wings of Fire Book #11)
  • Wings of Fire: The Hive Queen (December 26, 2018, Wings of Fire Book #12)
  • Wings of Fire: The Poison Jungle (July 30, 2019, Wings of Fire Book #13)
  • Wings of Fire: The Dangerous Gift (March 2, 2021, Wings of Fire Book #14)
  • Wings of Fire: The Flames of Hope (April 5, 2022, Wings of Fire Book #15)

Wings of Fire: Winglets

  • Wings of Fire: Winglets #1 - Prisoners (March 31, 2015, Wings of Fire Short Story #1)
  • Wings of Fire: Winglets #2 - Assassin (September 29, 2015, Wings of Fire Short Story #2)
  • Wings of Fire: Winglets #3 - Deserter (March 29, 2016, Wings of Fire Short Story #3)
  • Wings of Fire: Winglets #4 - Runaway (September 27, 2016, Wings of Fire Short Story #4)
  • Wings of Fire - A Winglets Collection: The First Three Stories (September 1, 2016, Wings of Fire Compilation of Prisoners, Assassin and Deserter; Limited Print)
  • Wings of Fire: The Winglets Flip Book (April 27, 2019, Wings of Fire Compilation of Assassin and Deserter; Limited Print)
  • Wings of Fire: The Winglets Quartet - The First Four Stories (October 6, 2020, Wings of Fire Compilation of Prisoners, Assassin, Deserter and Runaway)

Wings of Fire: Legends

  • Wings of Fire: Legends - Darkstalker (June 28, 2016, Wings of Fire Legends Special Edition #1)
  • Wings of Fire: Legends - Dragonslayer (March 3, 2020, Wings of Fire Legends Special Edition #2)

Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel

  • Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel: The Dragonet Prophecy (January 2, 2018, with Mike Holmes, Wings of Fire Graphic Novel #1)
  • Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel: The Lost Heir (February 26, 2019, with Mike Holmes, Wings of Fire Graphic Novel #2)
  • Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel: The Hidden Kingdom (October 15, 2019, with Mike Holmes, Wings of Fire Graphic Novel #3)
  • Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel: The Dark Secret (December 29, 2020, with Mike Holmes, Wings of Fire Graphic Novel #4)
  • Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel: The Brightest Night (December 28, 2021, with Mike Holmes, Wings of Fire Graphic Novel #5)
  • Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel: Moon Rising (December 27, 2022, with Mike Holmes, Wings of Fire Graphic Novel #6)
  • Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel: Winter Turning (December 26, 2023, with Mike Holmes, Wings of Fire Graphic Novel #7)
  • Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel: Escaping Peril (TBA with Mike Holmes, Wings of Fire Graphic Novel #8)
  • Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel: Talons of Power (TBA with Mike Holmes, Wings of Fire Graphic Novel #9)
  • Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel: Darkness of Dragons (TBA with Mike Holmes, Wings of Fire Graphic Novel #10)

Wings of Fire (Spin-offs and Tie-ins)

  • Wings of Fire: Forge Your Dragon World (May 4, 2021, with Mike Holmes, Wings of Fire Activity Book)
  • Wings of Fire: The Official Coloring Book (April 5, 2022, with Brianna C. Walsh, Wings of Fire Activity Book)
  • Wings of Fire: A Guide to the Dragon World (October 3, 2023, Wings of Fire Companion Book)
  • Wings of Fire: How to Draw (November 7, 2023, with Brianna C. Walsh, Wings of Fire Activity Book)

Note: All books credited as Tui T. Sutherland unless otherwise stated.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Sutherland, Tui T. (2004-03-22). "Meet Tui". TuiBooks. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
  2. ↑ "Honors and awards". Suburban News (Franklin Lakes, New Jersey). June 10, 2009. p. A8.
  3. 1 2 3 "J! Archive - Tui Sutherland". J! Archive. Retrieved 2022-10-03.
  4. ↑ "Tui Sutherland's Studio Tour". Andrea Skyberg. 2014-10-06. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
  5. ↑ DiFulco, Denise (2008-09-01). "Making a Name for Herself" (PDF). Williams Alumni Review - Life of the Mind. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  6. 1 2 Sutherland, Tui T. (2009-07-01). "And SCENE". TuiBooks. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Sieben, Cole S. (2022-07-01). "Mastery of Morality and Wings of Fire". Substack. Archived from the original on 2023-03-05. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
  8. ↑ Maughan, Shannon (2016-07-19). "'Wings of Fire' Flying High". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  9. ↑ Sutherland, Tui T. (2012-08-11). "Wings of CHOCOLATE". TuiBooks. Archived from the original on 2023-04-28. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  10. ↑ Juris, Carolyn (2024-01-05). "This Week's Bestsellers: January 8, 2024". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  11. ↑ Frost, A. J. (2018-06-21). "INTERVIEW: Conjuring Up Prophecies and Dragon Adventures with WINGS OF FIRE author TUI T. SUTHERLAND". The Beat. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
  12. ↑ Biohazardia (9 November 2019). "Rochester Book Fest: The Aftermath + Tui Answers". DeviantArt. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
  13. ↑ Springen, Karen (2009-07-10). ""Children's Book Authors for $1,000, Alex..."". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  14. ↑ Sutherland, Tui T. (2009-07-08). "Extreme Total Geekiness Revealed". TuiBooks. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
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