Jessica Townsend
BornJessica Townsend
(1985-04-18) April 18, 1985
Caloundra, Queensland, Australia
LanguageEnglish
NationalityAustralian
Genre
Years active2017–present
Notable works

Jessica Townsend (born 18 April 1985 in Caloundra, Queensland) is an Australian author known for the children's fantasy novel series, The Nevermoor series.[1][2] Her debut novel Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow won the Book of the Year Award at the Australian Book Industry Awards,[3] and was shortlisted for the 2019 NSW Premier's Literary Awards, Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children's Literature.[4] At the Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Nevermoor won both the Premier's Award for best overall published work and the Children's award.[5] It also won the 2018 Waterstones Children's Book Prize for Younger Fiction.[6] Film rights to Nevermoor were sold to 20th Century Fox in 2016. Screenwriter Drew Goddard has been selected to adapt the screenplay.[7]

Works

The Nevermoor series

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.[10] Townsend began writing what would become the first Nevermoor book the year she left high school.[1] She worked as a copywriter for 8 years[11] and at Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo for 5 years, including as an editor of its children's magazine Crikey![10] She moved to London at age 22 and has lived off and on in Queensland and London for the last 10 years.[10] The sale of the Nevermoor books has allowed Townsend to become a full-time writer.[1]

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow was Townsend's first novel.[11] Interest in the publishing rights began at the 2016 Frankfurt Book Fair, and the rights were bid on by eight different publishing companies.[10] Townsend chose to sell the rights to Hachette as part of a six-figure three-book contract.[1] In 2019 the contract with Hachette was expanded for three more books.[12] Townsend has stated that she has written plots for nine books in the series.[10]

Literary Influences

Jessica Townsend has referenced several literary influences for her writing. Written influences include Little Women, which she's called her favorite book, The Babysitter's Club, His Dark Materials, Wicked, Tomorrow When the War Began,[10] No Gun For Asmir,[13] and the Harry Potter series.[1] Her work has been compared to that of J.K. Rowling,[14] and she has cited Rowling as a major influence.[10] Film influences include Willow and Return to Oz.[1]

Critics have also noted similarities between the world of Nevermoor and contemporary London.[10] In particular, Courage Square in the novels is inspired by Trafalgar Square[10] and the Wunderground is inspired by the London Underground.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Morris, Linda (28 September 2017). "Nevermoor author Jessica Townsend moves into JK Rowling territory". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  2. ↑ "Jessica Townsend Books". www.hachette.com.au. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  3. ↑ Jefferson, Dee (4 May 2018). "Nevermoor by first-time novelist Jessica Townsend wins Book of the Year at Australian Book Industry Awards". ABC News. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  4. ↑ Perkins, Cathy (Summer 2019). "Excellence in Literature and History". SL Magazine. 12 (4): 52–55.
  5. ↑ "Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature winners announced". Books+Publishing. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  6. ↑ "Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2018 | Waterstones". www.waterstones.com. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  7. ↑ McNary, Dave (23 October 2017). "Drew Goddard Producing 'Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow' for Fox". Variety. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  8. ↑ "Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow: Nevermoor 3". Hachette Australia.
  9. ↑ "Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow: Nevermoor 4". Hachette. 24 August 2021.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Jessica Townsend | 'Life is really silly and it's really serious' | The Bookseller". www.thebookseller.com. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  11. 1 2 "Jessica Townsend". The Bent Agency. 30 August 2017. Archived from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  12. ↑ "HCG signs three new books in Townsend's Nevermoor series | The Bookseller". www.thebookseller.com. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  13. ↑ "Nevermoor series author Jessica Townsend on crafting diverse characters, comparisons to JK Rowling". Firstpost. 15 January 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  14. ↑ On, Thuy (4 January 2018). "Nevermoor review: Jessica Townsend and the appeal of children's fantasy". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
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