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Rainbow Rowell

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Rainbow Rowell
Rowell at the 2019 Texas Book Festival.
Rowell at the 2019 Texas Book Festival.
Born (1973-02-24) February 24, 1973 (age 51)[1][2]
Nebraska, United States
OccupationWriter
NationalityAmerican
Period2011–present
GenreYoung adult, New adult fiction, Contemporary fiction
Notable worksFangirl, Carry On, Eleanor & Park, Runaways
Website
rainbowrowell.com

Rainbow Rowell (born February 24, 1973) is an American author known for young adult and adult contemporary novels. Her young adult novels Eleanor & Park (2012), Fangirl (2013), and Carry On (2015) have been subjects of critical acclaim.[3]

She was the writer of the 2017 revival of Marvel Comics' Runaways[4] and is currently the writer for She-Hulk.[5]

Career

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Early career

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Rowell was a columnist and ad copywriter at the Omaha World-Herald from 1995 to 2012.[6]

Adult novels

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After leaving her position as a columnist, Rowell began working for an ad agency and writing what would become her first published novel, Attachments, as a pastime.[7] Rowell gave birth to her first son during this period and paused work on the manuscript for two years.[7] The novel, a contemporary romantic comedy about a company's IT guy who falls in love with a woman whose email he has been monitoring, was published in 2011. Kirkus Reviews listed it as one of the outstanding debuts that year.[8]

In 2014, Rowell published Landline, a contemporary adult novel about a marriage in trouble.[9]

Upcoming works

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In August 2023, Rowell sold the future publishing rights to four adult novels. The first, titled Slow Dance, was released in June 2024.[10]

Young adult novels

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Eleanor & Park

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In 2012, Rowell published the young adult novel, Eleanor & Park. This and her other novel Fangirl were both named by The New York Times as among the best young adult fiction of the year.[11] Eleanor & Park was also chosen by Amazon as one of the 10 best books of 2013,[12] and it also won as Goodreads' best young adult fiction of the year.[13] In 2014, DreamWorks optioned Eleanor & Park, and Rowell worked on a screenplay, but in 2016, Rowell said the option timed out and the rights reverted to her.[14][15] In 2019, it was announced that Picturestart had acquired the film rights, with Rowell writing the screenplay and executive producing.[16]

Rowell's work garnered some negative attention in 2013 when a parents' group at a Minnesota high school challenged Eleanor & Park and Rowell was disinvited to a library event; a panel ultimately determined that the book could stay on library shelves.[17] Rowell noted in an interview that the material that these parents were calling "profane" was what many kids in difficult situations realistically had to deal with, and that "when these people call Eleanor & Park an obscene story, I feel like they’re saying that rising above your situation isn’t possible."[18]

Fangirl and Simon Snow trilogy

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In 2013, Rowell published the young adult novel Fangirl about Cath, a college freshman who writes fan fiction of a fictional book series about Simon Snow, a young mage at a magical school. It was influenced by the popularity of fan fiction of the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.[19]

In 2020, it was announced that Fangirl would receive a four-part manga adaptation, adapted by Sam Maggs and illustrated by Gabi Nam.[20]

Rowell created a trilogy of novels based on the characters from Cath's fan fiction in Fangirl. Her 2015 novel Carry On shares a title with the popular fan fiction story Cath wrote in Fangirl. In the novel, Simon Snow, in his eighth year at school, struggles to come to terms with his calling as the Chosen One meant to destroy the Insidious Humdrum, a magical force destroying the world of mages. He embarks on his quest with his best friend Penelope and his girlfriend Agatha, all the while "struggling" with Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Grimm-Pitch, his vampire "nemesis." Rowell's Simon Snow trilogy was completed with the 2019 novel Wayward Son and 2021's Any Way the Wind Blows.

Comics and graphic novels

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In January 2014, Rowell signed a two-book deal with First Second Books to author two young adult graphic novels, the first of which was illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks and released on August 27, 2019.[21][22]

Rowell has also written two series for Marvel Comics. Between 2017 and 2021, Rowell wrote Runaways.[23] Since 2022, she has written She-Hulk.[24]

Personal life

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Rowell lives in Omaha, Nebraska, with her husband and two sons.[25] She has a sister named Jade and a half sister, Abby, who owns a popular local coffee chain in Omaha, NE.[26]

Bibliography

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Young adult

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Adult

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Short fiction collections

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  • Almost Midnight (2017): Compilation of two short stories: "Midnights" and "Kindred Spirits.
  • Scattered Showers (2022)

Short fiction

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Comic books

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References

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  1. ^ "Rainbow Rowell loves local color". USATODAY.COM. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  2. ^ Rowell, Rainbow (February 24, 2013). "Every year on my birthday, I think, "Hey! It's Abe Vigoda's birthday!" And then I'm happy he's still alive". Twitter (verified account). Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  3. ^ Grady, Constance (June 3, 2019). "YA phenomenon Rainbow Rowell on how to write for a giant fandom". Vox.
  4. ^ Serrao, Nivea (2017-06-01). "Rainbow Rowell to write Marvel's new Runaways series". ew.com. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
  5. ^ "She-Hulk Is Back to Shake Up the Marvel Universe in New Comic Series by Rainbow Rowell and Rogê Antônio". Marvel.com. 2021-10-18. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  6. ^ Solem-Pfeifer, Chance (3 April 2011). "Q&A: Rainbow Rowell transitions from newspaper columns to novels". Daily Nebraskan. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  7. ^ a b Ford, Ashley C. (August 7, 2014). "How Rainbow Rowell Turned A Bomb Into A Best-Selling Novel". BuzzFeed Books. BuzzFeed. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  8. ^ "Outstanding Debuts of 2011". Kirkus Reviews. 2011. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  9. ^ Maslin, Janet (9 July 2014). "Marriage Gone Sour? Go Home to Ma Bell - In Rainbow Rowell's 'Landline,' Magic May Fix Things". New York Times. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  10. ^ Deahl |, Rachel. "Book Deals: Week of August 14, 2023". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
  11. ^ Schulten, Katherine (December 4, 2013). "What Are the Best Things You've Read, Watched, Heard or Played This Year?". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  12. ^ Deutsch, Lindsay (November 7, 2013). "Amazon releases its 10 best books of 2013". USA Today. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  13. ^ Willett, Megan (December 3, 2013). "The Best New Books Of The Year, According To Goodreads". Business Insider. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  14. ^ Elavsky, Cindy (27 April 2014). "Celebrity Extra". King Features. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  15. ^ "'Eleanor & Park' movie isn't happening, says Rainbow Rowell". Hypable. 2016-09-12. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
  16. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (2019-05-14). "Picturestart, Plan B Team For Film Adaptation Of Rainbow Rowell Bestseller 'Eleanor & Park'". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
  17. ^ Prather, Shannon (November 22, 2013). "Challenged book to stay on Anoka High library shelves". The Star Tribune. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  18. ^ Ortberg, Mallory (September 14, 2013). "A Chat With Rainbow Rowell About Love and Censorship". The Toast. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  19. ^ "Rainbow Rowell Says Carry On Isn't Fanfiction, It's Canon". Tor.com. 20 February 2015. Retrieved 2015-10-10.
  20. ^ Grunenwald, Joe (2020-03-31). "Syndicated Comics". The Beat. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
  21. ^ Brissey, Breia (January 30, 2014). "Rainbow Rowell signs two-book deal with First Second -- EXCLUSIVE". Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  22. ^ "Pumpkinheads". Goodreads. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  23. ^ Chris Arrant (2021-08-06). "Runaways grinds to a halt with surprise cancellation by Marvel". gamesradar. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
  24. ^ Chappell, Caitlin (2022-10-13). "REVIEW: Marvel's She-Hulk: Jen, Again". CBR. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
  25. ^ Rowell, Rainbow. "She lives in Nebraska with her husband and two sons". About — Rainbow Rowell.
  26. ^ Rowell, Rainbow (2011). Attachments. United States of America: Plume. p. 333. ISBN 9781101476345.
  27. ^ "My True Love Gave To Me". www.rainbowrowell.com. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
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