Lael Jensen Littke (born 1929) is an American

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

of young adult literature and around 75 short stories.

Biography

Littke grew up in Mink Creek,

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

and studied education and English at

Utah State University Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah's ...

. While working in Denver, Colorado as a secretary, she met her husband George through their local congregation of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

. They moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, where she attended the

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

and her husband studied at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

. They moved to California with their young daughter, Lori, when George was hired to teach political science at California State University, Los Angeles. Littke would teach at

Pasadena City College Pasadena City College (PCC) is a Public college, public community college in Pasadena, California. History Pasadena, California, Pasadena City College was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. From 1928 to 1953, it operated as a four- ...

and

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

(UCLA). Her husband died in 1991. Her first published pieces were for the ''

Relief Society Magazine ''Relief Society Magazine'', including the ''Relief Society Bulletin'' of 1914, was the official publication of the Relief Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1915 to 1970. It succeeded the earlier and priva ...

'', '' Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'', ''

Ladies’ Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States. In 18 ...

'', and ''

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''. She later began writing books, including titles for young adults and children, of which she has now published more than forty. She has served on the board of directors for the Miller Eccles Study Group, and has also been active with '' Sunstone'' and ''

Exponent II Exponent II is a quarterly periodical, the longest-running independent publication for Latter-day Saint women. At its launch, by a women's group in Massachusetts in 1974, it described itself as a "spiritual descendent" of the ''Woman's Exponent' ...

'', publications about Mormon issues. She currently resides in

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

Publications

*''

Prom Dress A dress (also known as a frock or a gown) is a garment traditionally worn by women or girls consisting of a skirt with an attached bodice (or a matching bodice giving the effect of a one-piece garment). It consists of a top piece that covers ...

'' (1989),

Point Horror ''Point Horror'' is a series of young adult horror fiction books. The series was most popular among teenaged girls.Coles, Martin. Hall, Christine. ''Children's Reading Choices''. Routledge, 1998, p 46. History The ''Point Horror'' series was laun ...

series *''Lucinda'' (1991), included in the

anthology ''Thirteen: 13 Tales of Horror'') *''The Mystery of Ruby's Ghost'' (1992) *''The Watcher'' (1994),

series *''The Phantom Fair'' (1996) *''Haunted Sister'' (1998) *''Lake of Secrets'' (2002) *''Stories from the life of Joseph Smith'' (2003), coauthored with Richard Turley *''The Company of Good Women'', 3 volumes (2006–08), coauthored with Nancy Anderson and Carroll Hofeling Morris

Notes

External links

Lael Littke interview at California Readers website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Littke, Lael 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers American Latter Day Saint writers American horror writers American women novelists Living people Utah State University alumni American women horror writers 1929 births People from Franklin County, Idaho Latter Day Saints from Idaho Latter Day Saints from Colorado Latter Day Saints from New York (state) Latter Day Saints from California American women non-fiction writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers