Jessica Townsend (born 18 April 1985 in

Caloundra Caloundra ( ) is a coastal town and the southernmost town in the Sunshine Coast Region in South East Queensland, Australia. Geography Caloundra is north of the Brisbane central business district. Caloundra is accessible from Landsborough ra ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

) is an Australian author known for the children's fantasy novel series, '' The Nevermoor series''. Her

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

''Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow '' won the Book of the Year Award at the Australian Book Industry Awards, and was shortlisted for the 2019

NSW Premier's Literary Awards The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, th ...

, Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children's Literature. At the

Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature The Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature comprise a group of biennially-granted literary awards established in 1986 by the Government of South Australia, announced during Adelaide Writers' Week, as part of the Adelaide Festival. The awards i ...

''Nevermoor'' won both the Premier's Award for best overall published work and the Children's award. It also won the 2018

Waterstones Children's Book Prize The Waterstones Children's Book Prize is an annual award given to a work of children's literature published during the previous year. First awarded in 2005, the purpose of the prize is "to uncover hidden talent in children's writing" and is there ...

for Younger Fiction. Film rights to ''Nevermoor'' were sold to

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

in 2016. Screenwriter

Drew Goddard Andrew Brion Hogan Goddard (born February 26, 1975) is an American filmmaker. He began his career writing episodes for the television shows ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', ''Angel'', ''Alias'', and ''Lost''. After moving into screenwriting in fi ...

has been selected to adapt the screenplay.

Works

''The Nevermoor series''

* '' Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow'' (2017) * '' Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow'' (2018) * '' Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow'' (2020) *''Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow'' (Expected 10 October 2023)

Biography

Jessica Townsend grew up in Queensland, Australia. She wrote her first story at the age of 7, and it was published in a local library newsletter. Townsend began writing what would become the first ''Nevermoor'' book the year she left high school. She worked as a copywriter for 8 years and at Steve Irwin's

Australia Zoo Australia Zoo is a zoo located in the Australian state of Queensland on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sunshine Coast near Beerwah, Queensland, Beerwah/Glass House Mountains National Park, Glass House Mountains. It is a member of the Zoo and A ...

for 5 years, including as an editor of its children's magazine Crikey! She moved to London at age 22 and has lived off and on in Queensland and London for the last 10 years. The sale of the ''Nevermoor'' books has allowed Townsend to become a full-time writer. ''Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow'' was Townsend's first novel. Interest in the publishing rights began at the 2016

Frankfurt Book Fair The Frankfurt Book Fair (German: Frankfurter Buchmesse, FBM) is the world's largest trade fair for books, based on the number of publishing companies represented. It is considered to be the most important book fair in the world for internationa ...

, and the rights were bid on by eight different publishing companies. Townsend chose to sell the rights to

Hachette Hachette may refer to: * Hachette (surname) * Hachette (publisher), a French publisher, the imprint of Lagardère Publishing ** Hachette Book Group, the American subsidiary ** Hachette Distribution Services, the distribution arm See also * Hachett ...

as part of a six-figure three-book contract. In 2019 the contract with Hachette was expanded for three more books. Townsend has stated that she has written plots for nine books in the series.

Literary Influences

Jessica Townsend has referenced several literary influences for her writing. Written influences include ''

Little Women ''Little Women'' is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888). Alcott wrote the book, originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869, at the request of her publisher. The story follows the lives ...

'', which she's called her favorite book, ''The Babysitter's Club'', ''

His Dark Materials ''His Dark Materials'' is a trilogy of fantasy novels by Philip Pullman consisting of '' Northern Lights'' (1995; published as ''The Golden Compass'' in North America), ''The Subtle Knife'' (1997), and ''The Amber Spyglass'' (2000). It follows ...

'', ''Wicked'', ''Tomorrow When the War Began'', ''No Gun For Asmir'', and the

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...

series. Her work has been compared to that of

J.K. Rowling Joanne Rowling ( "rolling"; born 31 July 1965), also known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British author and philanthropist. She wrote ''Harry Potter'', a seven-volume children's fantasy series published from 1997 to 2007. The ser ...

, and she has cited Rowling as a major influence. Film influences include ''Willow'' and ''

Return to Oz ''Return to Oz'' is a 1985 dark fantasy film released by Walt Disney Pictures, co-written and directed by Walter Murch. It stars Nicol Williamson, Jean Marsh, Piper Laurie, and Fairuza Balk as Dorothy Gale in her first screen role. The film is an ...

''. Critics have also noted similarities between the world of Nevermoor and contemporary

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. In particular, Courage Square in the novels is inspired by

Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London, laid out in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. At its centre is a high column bearing a statue of Admiral Nelson commemo ...

and the Wunderground is inspired by the

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...

References

External links

Jessica Townsend
Hachette Australia {{DEFAULTSORT:Townsend, Jessica 1985 births Writers from Queensland Living people