Jacquelyn Stolos

Jacquelyn Stolos grew up in Derry, New Hampshire. She loves tromping through the forest and reading good books.

Asterwood is her first novel for children.

Stolos holds an MFA in fiction from NYU, where she was a Writers in the Public School Fellow. Her short fiction has appeared in Joyland and No Tokens. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter.

Recently I asked Stolos about what she was reading. Her reply:

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin

No one needs me to say that LeGuin is a master of fantasy that deftly tackles social and existential questions. I returned to this classic to remind myself of everything that's possible in children's literature. The archipelago of Earthsea is the most vivid place I've ever been, the action gripping to the point of it being unfair. Prickly, arrogant Ged is a singular protagonist. The engineering of this world's magic, with its Taoist principles, is sublime. LeGuin's small, subtle moves--like Vetch offering Ged trust right after his darkest failure of character--radiate out into the collective soul. If I could write with a fraction of LeGuin's guts, for only a moment-- the story starts off running at word one and blazes forward without self-consciousness or apology--well, my gosh, I don't know. I might fall off my desk chair and die.

Visit Jacquelyn Stolos's website.

--Marshal Zeringue