Taylor Stevens
Born1972/1973
Upstate New York, United States
NationalityAmerican
Notable works
Notable awards

Taylor Stevens (born circa 1973) is an American author of mystery novels. She grew up in the Children of God.

Early life

Circa 1973, Stevens was born in upstate New York as part of the Children of God,[1] her parents having joined the cult in 1969 and 1970, respectively.[2] She has four younger siblings, all of whom were also born into the cult.[3] Due to the cult's beliefs regarding familial bonds, at age 12, Stevens was separated from her biological family.[4] She was also denied access to education beyond the sixth grade.[1][3] Instead of attending school, much of her childhood was spent on city streets, as she was forced to beg by cult leaders, or care for the commune and the people living there. Before reaching the age of 14, she lived in communes in Mexico, Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland, Japan, and South Korea.[4] At age 15, Stevens began writing stories, which group leaders punished her for, separating her from her peers and calling her "a witch and full of devils."[3]

Following the death of cult leader David Berg in 1994, Stevens and her husband, who was also a member of Children of God, moved to a commune in Kenya, then set out on a successful mission in Equatorial Guinea.[3] With increased confidence from their success away from the Children of God, Stevens to Germany with her husband and toddler.[3] In her late twenties, Stevens broke away from the Children of God, marking a significant turning point in her life.[5][3]

As of 2011, Stevens's father was still involved with the Children of God, though her parents had divorced; she had developed a strong relationship with her mother.[4]

Awards and honors

The Informationist reached the top ten of The New York Times Best Seller list.[3]

Awards for Stevens's writing
Year Title Award Result Ref.
2012 The Informationist Anthony Award for Best First Novel Finalist [6]
2012 The Informationist Barry Award for Best First Novel Winner [6]
2012 The Informationist Macavity Award for Best First Mystery Finalist [6]
2014 The Doll Barry Award for Best Thriller Winner [6]
2016 The Mask Barry Award for Best Thriller Winner [6]

Personal life

As of 2012, Stevens lived near Dallas with her two daughters.[4]

Publications

A Jack and Jill Thriller series

  1. Liars' Paradox. Kensington Publishing. 2018. ISBN 9781496718631.[7][8]
  2. Liars' Legacy. Kensington Publishing. 2019. ISBN 9781496718655.[9]

Vanessa Michael Munroe series

  1. The Informationist. Crown Publishing Group. 2011. ISBN 9780307717092.[10][11][12][13][14]
  2. The Innocent. Crown Publishing Group. 2011. ISBN 9780307717122.[15][16][17][18][19]
  3. The Doll. Crown Publishing Group. 2013. ISBN 9780307888785.[20][21][22][23][24]
    1. The Vessel. Broadway Books. 2014.
  4. The Catch. Crown Publishing Group. 2014. ISBN 9780385348935.[25][26][27][28]
  5. The Mask. Crown Publishing Group. 2015. ISBN 9780385348966.[29][30][31][32]

References

  1. 1 2 Aubyn (2012-01-06). "Book Brahmin: Taylor Stevens". Shelf Awareness. Archived from the original on 2022-10-07. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  2. ↑ Smith, Julia Llewellyn (2014-11-01). "How a cult stole my life". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2023-08-24. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Smith, Julia Llewellyn (2014-11-01). "How a cult stole my life". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Johnson, Rebecca (2011-02-24). "Nobody's Child". Vogue. Archived from the original on 2023-05-30. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  5. ↑ Aubyn (2012-01-06). "Book Brahmin: Taylor Stevens". Shelf Awareness. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Taylor Stevens". Stop, You're Killing Me!. Archived from the original on 2023-06-07. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  7. ↑ "Liars' Paradox by Taylor Stevens". Publishers Weekly. 2018-10-01. Archived from the original on 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  8. ↑ Verma, Henrietta (2020-01-10). "Liars' Legacy". Booklist. Archived from the original on 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  9. ↑ "Liars' Legacy by Taylor Stevens". Publishers Weekly. 2019-10-29. Archived from the original on 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  10. ↑ Weinman, Sarah (2011-03-06). "Dark passages: Hungry for justice". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2021-09-17. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  11. ↑ Susan, Moritz (2011-02-01). "The Informationist". Library Journal. Archived from the original on 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  12. ↑ "The Informationist by Taylor Stevens". Publishers Weekly. 2011-01-03. Archived from the original on 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  13. ↑ Crinklaw, Don (2011-02-01). "The Informationist". Booklist. Archived from the original on 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  14. ↑ "The Informationist". Kirkus Reviews. 2010-12-30. Archived from the original on 2020-10-28. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  15. ↑ Susan, Moritz (2011-10-15). "The Innocent". Library Journal. Archived from the original on 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  16. ↑ Jenkins, Julia (2012-01-10). "The Innocent". Shelf Awareness. Archived from the original on 2023-01-30. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  17. ↑ "The Innocent: A Vanessa Michael Munroe Novel by Taylor Stevens". Publishers Weekly. 2011-10-24. Archived from the original on 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  18. ↑ "The Innocent". Booklist. 2011-11-01. Archived from the original on 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  19. ↑ "The Innocent". Kirkus Reviews. 2011-10-31. Archived from the original on 2015-09-13. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  20. ↑ Brosie, Laura (2013-09-01). "The Doll". Library Journal. Archived from the original on 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  21. ↑ Jenkins, Julia (2013-06-11). "The Doll". Shelf Awareness. Archived from the original on 2023-02-06. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  22. ↑ "The Doll: A Vanessa Michael Munroe Novel by Taylor Stevens". Publishers Weekly. 2013-03-11. Archived from the original on 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  23. ↑ "The Doll". Booklist. 2013-05-01. Archived from the original on 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  24. ↑ "The Doll". Kirkus Reviews. 2013-02-17. Archived from the original on 2015-09-19. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  25. ↑ Moritz, Susan (2014-06-01). "The Catch". Library Journal. Archived from the original on 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  26. ↑ "The Catch by Taylor Stevens". Publishers Weekly. 2014-05-05. Archived from the original on 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  27. ↑ "The Catch". Booklist. 2014-05-01. Archived from the original on 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  28. ↑ "The Catch". Kirkus Reviews. 2014-06-18. Archived from the original on 2021-05-11. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  29. ↑ Moritz, Susan (2015-06-15). "The Mask: A Vanessa Michael Munroe Novel". Library Journal. Archived from the original on 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  30. ↑ "The Mask: A Vanessa Michael Munroe Novel by Taylor Stevens". Publishers Weekly. 2015-04-20. Archived from the original on 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  31. ↑ "The Mask". Booklist. 2015-05-01. Archived from the original on 2021-09-23. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  32. ↑ "The Mask". Kirkus Reviews. 2015-03-28. Archived from the original on 2015-12-04. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
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