Amanda Cockrell is an American author and academic at

Hollins University Hollins University is a private university in Hollins, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1842 as Valley Union Seminary in the historical settlement of Botetourt Springs, Virginia, Botetourt Springs, it is Timeline of women's colleges in the Un ...

, a private women's university in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, United States. She has written historical novels under the pseudonym Damion Hunter.

Academic career

Amanda Cockrell co-founded the children's literature graduate program at Hollins University in 1992, along with R.H.W. Dillard, and was director of the program until she retired from it. Since then, she has been managing editor of ''The Hollins Critic'', a position she holds .

Writing career

Cockrell is the author of a number of historical novels for adults, some written under her own name and some under the pseudonym Damion Hunter. She has written novels about the Romans and about the indigenous peoples of the Americas. In 1981, she published ''The Centurions'', the first book in a historical fiction series about the 1st-century

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

. Set primarily in

Roman Britain Roman Britain was the territory that became the Roman province of ''Britannia'' after the Roman conquest of Britain, consisting of a large part of the island of Great Britain. The occupation lasted from AD 43 to AD 410. Julius Caes ...

circa AD 72–75, it follows the adventures of a pair of Roman brothers – one free-born and one slave-born – as they serve in the

Roman legions The Roman legion (, ) was the largest military unit of the Roman army, composed of Roman citizens serving as legionaries. During the Roman Republic the manipular legion comprised 4,200 infantry and 300 cavalry. After the Marian reforms in 1 ...

. The other three books in the series are ''Barbarian Princess'', ''The Emperor's Games'', and ''The Border Wolves''. The three first books were written back in the 1980s, while the last novel in the series was published in 2021 finally wrapping up the story. Her first young adult novel, ''What We Keep Is Not Always What Will Stay'', was published in 2011 and was named one of the best children's books of the year by ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

''."For children: Best books of the year" by Liz Rosenberg
''

'', December 18, 2011

Selected bibliography

As Amanda Cockrell

*''Legions of the Mist'', 1979 *''Pomegranate Seed'', 2002 *''What We Keep Is Not Always What Will Stay'', 2011 The Deer Dancers *''Daughter of the Sky'', 1995 *''Wind Caller's Children'', 1996 *''The Long Walk'', 1996 The Horse Catchers *''When the Horses Came'', 1999 *''Children of the Horse'', 2000 *''The Rain Child'', 2001

As Amanda Cockrell "writing as Damion Hunter"

*''The Wall at the Edge of the World'', 2020 ::(sequel to ''Legions of the Mist'') *''The Border Wolves'', 2021 ::(fourth book in ''The Centurions'' series)

As Damion Hunter

The Centurions Trilogy *''The Centurions'', 1981 *''Barbarian Princess'', 1982 *''The Emperor's Games'', 1984

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cockrell, Amanda Living people Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American historical novelists American writers of young adult literature Hollins University faculty Novelists from Virginia American women historical novelists American women writers of young adult literature 20th-century American women writers American women academics 21st-century American women writers