Tui T. Sutherland


Tui Tamara Sutherland is an American children's book author who has written more than 60 books under her own name and under several pen names. In 2009, she won $46,200 over three games on Jeopardy! She is best known for writing the Wings of Fire series of epic dragon fantasy novels. Sutherland's books have sold over 67 million copies.
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Early life and education

Tui T. Sutherland was born on July 31, 1978, in Caracas. Her mother, who was from New Zealand, named her after the tūī, a bird native to that country. Sutherland lived in Asuncion, Miami, and Santo Domingo for short periods before moving to New Jersey in high school. While in high school she began doing theater, mostly backstage work. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Williams College in 1998, writing her college thesis about Ophelia from William Shakespeare's Hamlet, then earned a Master of Arts in Art History. Sutherland's thesis was titled The beautified Ophelia: Shakespeare in British Art, 1850-1900.
Sutherland abandoned ideas of a career in theater in favor of writing children's books after "she partook in creative writing courses over six months in New Zealand", a decision she half-joked allowed her career path "to be far more stable and lucrative".

Career

Sutherland began her professional literary career as an editor in Brooklyn, New York, at Grosset & Dunlap, then at HarperCollins; her debut solo work, This Must Be Love, was published in 2004. She achieved initial commercial success on the New York Times bestseller list with her junior novel adaptation of the screenplay for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, and joined the Erin Hunter team alongside Victoria Holmes, Kate Cary and Cherith Baldry on the popular Warriors and Seekers series, from the perspective of cats and bears respectively. Her success during this time, coupled with what she learned about the inside workings of the publishing industry, helped her work up the courage to write and see through to publication several books of her own. Sutherland eventually quit her position as an editor to write full-time and later moved to Watertown, Massachusetts.
Sutherland has written books under her actual name as well as under pseudonyms and pen names, including Tamara Summers, Heather Williams, and Rob Kidd, the latter of which was shared.
After the conclusion of her dog-focused Pet Trouble series, Sutherland pitched her agent Steven Malk and the team at Scholastic Inc. about writing an epic fantasy series starring dragons as the focus. With Amanda Maciel as her editor, the Wings of Fire series debuted on July 1, 2012 to commercial success, generally receiving mixed to positive critical reviews. Over time the series gradually amassed a fan following and became an international bestseller.

Personal life

Sutherland grew up sharing original ideas and exploring the classics with her younger sister Kari. She married her husband Adam in October 2007, and the two live in Watertown, Massachusetts with their two sons.
Though she has generally refrained from revealing private details about her life in her frequent public events, Sutherland's religious background has been noted. She is known to borrow influences from a variety of religious traditions and backgrounds; she "attended a Baptist missionary school in Paraguay, studied Buddhism in college" and is raising her children with Judeo-Christian influences, having "married a wonderful Jewish man". Though she has woven philosophical and spiritual aspects from a variety of sources and traditions into her work, she has also said that "religion isn't something talked about as freely" in her daily life, instead hoping that her writing can open up discussions among readers and pose questions to contemplate in the freer, larger-than-life fantasy worlds she creates.
Sutherland has drawn inspiration from locations she has visited over the years, including the Waitomo Caves in New Zealand and the Amber Palace in India, and develops her fantasy worlds' environments through watching nature documentaries such as Planet Earth and Life in the Undergrowth.
Although she is not a member of the Writers Guild of America, Sutherland marched in support of the 2007-08 Writers Guild of America strike in Boston.
A long-time fan of Jeopardy!, Sutherland named the sixth dog in the Pet Trouble series after it. In 2009, she was a two-day champion on the show, winning a total of $46,200 over three episodes; the first two games she won by a fine margin, whereas she lost in her latter appearance as she did not wager enough money on the final clue; had she wagered everything, she would have won the game.
Sutherland began a free online newsletter in late June 2024.

Individual titles

Kermit's Mixed-Up Valentines Meet Mo and Ella Fun with Mo and Ella Who Was Harry Houdini? This Must Be Love
  • ''Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - The Junior Novelization''

Under pseudonym

As [Erin Hunter]

Warriors: Secrets of the Clans Seekers: The Quest Begins Seekers: Smoke Mountain Seekers: Fire in the Sky ''
  • ''Seekers: The Melting Sea''

As Rob Kidd

Legends of the Brethren Court: The Caribbean Legends of the Brethren Court: The East Legends of the Brethren Court: The Turning Tide Legends of the Brethren Court: Wild Waters
  • ''Legends of the Brethren Court: Day of the Shadow''

As Tamara Summers

He's With Me Save the Date
  • ''Never Bite a Boy on the First Date''

As Heather Williams

Nellie Oleson meets Laura Ingalls
  • ''Farmer Boy Goes West''

Anthologies

  • "Skittering"
  • "The Incredibly Important True Story of Me!"

Series

Avatars

Avatars: So This Is How It Ends Avatars: Shadow Falling
  • ''Kingdom of Twilight''

Pet Trouble

Pet Trouble: Runaway Retriever Pet Trouble: Loudest Beagle on the Block Pet Trouble: Mud-Puddle Poodle Pet Trouble: Bulldog Won't Budge Pet Trouble: Oh No, Newf! Pet Trouble: Smarty-Pants Sheltie Pet Trouble: Bad to the Bone Boxer
  • ''Pet Trouble: Dachshund Disaster''

The Menagerie

The Menagerie The Menagerie: Dragon on Trial
  • ''The Menagerie: Krakens and Lies''

Spirit Animals

  • ''Spirit Animals: Against the Tide''

Wings of Fire">Wings of Fire (novel series)">Wings of Fire

Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy Wings of Fire: The Lost Heir Wings of Fire: The Hidden Kingdom Wings of Fire: The Dark Secret Wings of Fire: The Brightest Night Wings of Fire: Moon Rising Wings of Fire: Winter Turning Wings of Fire: Escaping Peril Wings of Fire: Talons of Power Wings of Fire: Darkness of Dragons Wings of Fire: The Lost Continent Wings of Fire: The Hive Queen Wings of Fire: The Poison Jungle Wings of Fire: The Dangerous Gift Wings of Fire: The Flames of Hope

Wings of Fire: Winglets

Wings of Fire: Winglets #1 - Prisoners Wings of Fire: Winglets #2 - Assassin Wings of Fire: Winglets #3 - Deserter Wings of Fire: Winglets #4 - Runaway Wings of Fire - A Winglets Collection: The First Three Stories Wings of Fire: The Winglets Flip Book
  • ''Wings of Fire: The Winglets Quartet - The First Four Stories''

Wings of Fire: Legends

Wings of Fire: Legends - Darkstalker
  • ''Wings of Fire: Legends - Dragonslayer''

Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel

Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel: The Dragonet Prophecy Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel: The Lost Heir Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel: The Hidden Kingdom Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel: The Dark Secret Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel: The Brightest Night Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel: Moon Rising Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel: Winter Turning Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel: Escaping Peril
  • ''Wings of Fire - The Graphic Novel: Talons of Power''

Wings of Fire (Spin-offs and Tie-ins)

Wings of Fire: Forge Your Dragon World Wings of Fire: The Official Coloring Book Wings of Fire: A Guide to the Dragon World Wings of Fire: How to Draw The Official Wings of Fire Stained Glass Art Book The Official Wings of Fire Stickerpedia
Note: All books credited under the name Tui T. Sutherland unless otherwise stated.