Ursula Vernon (born May 28, 1977) is an American freelance writer, artist and illustrator. She has won numerous awards for her work in various mediums, including Hugo Awards for her graphic novel Digger and fantasy novel Nettle & Bone, the Nebula Award for her short story "Jackalope Wives", and Mythopoeic Awards for adult and children's literature. Vernon's books for children include Hamster Princess and Dragonbreath. Under the name T. Kingfisher, she is also the author of books for older audiences. She writes short fiction under both names.
Ursula Vernon
Vernon in 2017
Born
Ursula Vernon (1977-05-28) May 28, 1977 (age 46) Japan[1]
Ursa Major Award, Hugo Award, Nebula Award, Mythopoeic Award, WSFA Small Press Award
Careeredit
Ursula Vernon grew up in Oregon and Arizona. She studied anthropology at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where she first took art classes.[2] She first became known for her webcomics and as a freelance artist, particularly for her works containing anthropomorphic animals. She then moved into writing and illustrating a number of children's books, her first being published in 2008, and then books for adults under the pseudonym T. Kingfisher.[3][4] She decided to start using the pseudonym in order to avoid confusion amongst parents who were only familiar with her as a children's book author,[5] and chose it because she loves kingfishers (and as an homage to Ursula K. LeGuin, who once joked that the initials "U.K." could stand for "Ulysses Kingfisher").[6] Vernon has published short fiction under both names, and has won a number of awards for them including the Hugo Award and Nebula Award.
She regularly attends conventions to exhibit and sell her work. She has been a guest of honor at Midwest FurFest 2004 and 2009, and the Artist Guest of Honor at Further Confusion 2010. Vernon was the Author Guest of Honor for Mythcon 45[7] and a Guest of Honor at Eurofurence 20, both in August 2014. In 2017, she was the Author Guest of Honor at Arisia '17.
Vernon podcasts with her husband, Kevin Sonney.[8]
In June 2023, Vernon announced she had been diagnosed with breast cancer;[9] however, by December of that year, she announced that her treatment had been successful and she was "cancer-free".[10]
Worksedit
Books for younger audiencesedit
Vernon is the author and illustrator of the Dragonbreath and Hamster Princess children's book series, published by Dial Books:
Dragonbreath seriesedit
Dragonbreath. (2009). 0-8037-3363-1
Dragonbreath: Attack of the Ninja Frogs. (2010). 0-8037-3365-8
Dragonbreath: Curse of the Were-Weiner. (2010). 0-8037-3469-7
Dragonbreath: Lair of the Bat Monster. (2011). 0-8037-3525-1
Dragonbreath: No Such Thing as Ghosts. (2011). 0-8037-3527-8
Dragonbreath: Revenge of the Horned Bunnies. (2012). 0-8037-3677-0
Dragonbreath: When Fairies Go Bad. (2012). 0-8037-3678-9
Dragonbreath: Nightmare of the Iguana. (2013). 0-8037-3846-3
Dragonbreath: The Case of the Toxic Mutants. (2013). 0-8037-3847-1
Thornhedge. (August 15, 2023). Tor Books. ISBN 978-1250244093
Webcomicsedit
Vernon is the author of the Eisner Award-nominated and Hugo Award-winning webcomic Digger.[13] A fantasy story featuring an anthropomorphic wombat,[2][14] it is also available in six paperback books published between 2005 and 2011: Vol. 1 (ISBN 0-9769212-2-7), Vol. 2 (ISBN 0-9769212-6-X), Vol. 3 (ISBN 0-9791496-3-0), Vol. 4 (ISBN 0-9819883-3-4), Vol. 5 (ISBN 0-9819883-9-3), and Vol. 6 (ISBN 1-9366890-6-5), and as Digger: The Complete Omnibus Edition (ISBN 1-936689-32-4), published in 2013. She is also the writer and illustrator of the webcomic Irrational Fears and the short stories "Little Creature" and "Little Creature and the Redcap".
Illustrations and artedit
Before becoming a published children's book author Vernon was primarily a freelance artist and illustrator, and she still regularly produces new works of art. Her work includes the creation of digital art as well as the use of more traditional mediums such as watercolour and acrylics, with much of her more recent work being mixed media. Most of her art work is available as prints. Vernon has also taken commercial commissions such as book covers and game art.
Her artwork titled The Biting Pear of Salamanca became an internet meme in the form of the "LOL WUT pear"[16] and has been made into a resinfigurine due to its popularity.[17] She has also designed labels for a series of tea and soap products.[18][19][citation needed]
Her cover for Best in Show won the 2003 Ursa Major Award for Best Anthropomorphic Published Illustration.[41]
For her work on Digger, Vernon was nominated for the 2006 Eisner Awards in the category "Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition",[42] and won the 2005 Web Cartoonists' Choice Award for "Outstanding Black and White Art". Digger has also been nominated in the "Outstanding Anthropomorphic Comic" category.[43][44]
^In 2019, SFWA announced that the Andre Norton Award is considered a Nebula category.[36][37] It is awarded for middle grade or young adult science fiction or fantasy (or related genre), including graphic novels.
Referencesedit
^locusmag (April 12, 2021). "Ursula Vernon: Shiny New Idea". Locus Online. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
^ abVernon, Ursula; Patrick Keith (September 2004). "Interview with Ursula Vernon". www.epilogue.net. Retrieved March 6, 2011. Digger, ... is a fantasy about a wombat
^"T. Kingfisher". Goodreads. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
^Books for Adults, by Ursula Vernon, at RedWombatStudio.com; retrieved October 20, 2020
^"Interview with Ursula Vernon". Apex Magazine. January 6, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
^"Q&A: T.Kingfisher". www.thenerddaily.com. October 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
^"Mythcon 45 – August 2014 – Mythopoeic Society". Mythopoeic Society. Archived from the original on April 6, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
^"Other media". Red Wombat Studio. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
^"Pixel Scroll 6/17/23 Whoever Lives in Glass Pixels Should Not Throw Scrolls". June 18, 2023.
^"Pixel Scroll 12/30/23 Always Cool To See A Reference To Big Pixel And The Scrolling Company". December 29, 2023.
^Vernon, Ursula [@UrsulaV] (February 11, 2020). "You do not have to read the other books in the Temple of the White Rat world, this is a fine entry point! But if you like it, we have three other books that you may enjoy afterward in the same universe!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
^Vernon, Ursula [@UrsulaV] (February 11, 2020). "Oh no obtuseness! No worries! Clockwork Boys & The Wonder Engine are a duology in the same universe. Swordheart stands alone but will eventually be a trilogy" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
^Cruz, Larry (July 16, 2010). "The Webcomic Overlook #127: Digger". Retrieved February 17, 2011. best known for Digger
^Boxer, Sarah (August 17, 2005). "CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK; Comics Escape a Paper Box, and Electronic Questions Pop Out". The New York Times. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
^
"Reiner Knizia's Black Sheep". Fantasy Flight Games. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
^
Ursula Vernon (February 27, 2006). "The Biting Pear of Salamanca". Retrieved March 30, 2009.
^Vernon, Ursula (June 5, 2008). "Tea! Tea! Tea!". Red Wombat Studio. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
^Vernon, Ursula (July 12, 2007). "Red Wombat Studio". Red Wombat Studio. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
^ abcdefghij"T. Kingfisher Awards". Science Fiction Awards Database. Locus Science Fiction Foundation. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
^"2020 Recipients – The Dragon Award". Dragon Con. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
^ ab"2021 Recipients – The Dragon Award". Dragon Con. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
^"2012 Nominees". The Hugo Awards. World Science Fiction Society. April 7, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
^"2017 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. World Science Fiction Society. December 31, 2016. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
^"2018 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. World Science Fiction Society. March 15, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
^ ab"Announcing the 2021 Hugo Award Winners". Tor.com. Macmillan. December 18, 2021.
^"2022 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. April 7, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
^"2023 Hugo Award Winners". File 770. October 21, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
^"2022 Locus Awards Top Ten Finalists". Locus Magazine. May 10, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
^"2023 Locus Awards Winners". Locus Online. June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
^"2020 Locus Award for Young Adult Novel". Locus Magazine. June 26, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
^"Mythopoeic Awards: 2013 Winners Announced". Mythopoeic Society. Archived from the original on October 6, 2013. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
^Levine, David D. (April 10, 2019). "I am now officially a Nebula Award winner!". daviddlevine.com. Archived from the original on February 25, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
^"2020 Andre Norton Award". Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
^"World Fantasy Awards 2015". Science Fiction Awards Database. Locus Science Fiction Foundation. Archived from the original on November 2, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
^
"Award Winners 2003". Ursa Major Awards. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
^
"Master Nominee List 2006 Eisner Awards". San Diego Comic-Con International. Archived from the original on June 14, 2006. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
^
"2005 Results". Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
^
"2007 Results". Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards. Archived from the original on February 4, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
^"WSFA Small Press Award Winner". Locus Magazine. October 12, 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
^"Ursula Vernon Awards". Science Fiction Awards Database. Locus Science Fiction Foundation. Archived from the original on July 2, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.