Lynn Flewelling (born Lynn Elizabeth Beaulieu on October 20, 1958) is an American

fantasy fiction Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and dra ...

author.

Biography

Born at Presque Isle, Flewelling grew up in northern

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

, United States. She has worked as a teacher, a house painter, a necropsy technician, and a freelance editor and journalist. She has been married to Douglas Flewelling since 1981, and has two sons. She currently lives in Redlands, California, where she continues to write, and offers lectures and creative writing workshops at the

University of Redlands The University of Redlands is a private university headquartered in Redlands, California. The university's main, residential campus is situated on 160 acres (65 ha) near downtown Redlands. An additional eight regional locations throughout Califo ...

. Flewelling is a convert to Thiền Buddhism, having taken her vows with Engaged Buddhist monk

Thich Nhat Hanh Thích is a name that Vietnamese monks and nuns take as their Buddhist surname to show affinity with the Buddha. Notable Vietnamese monks with the name include: * Thích Huyền Quang (1919–2008), dissident and activist * Thích Quảng Độ ( ...

, and is a practitioner of

Buddhist meditation Buddhist meditation is the practice of meditation in Buddhism. The closest words for meditation in the classical languages of Buddhism are ''bhāvanā'' ("mental development") and '' jhāna/dhyāna'' (mental training resulting in a calm and ...

. Flewelling's writings promote

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

and

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...

causes, having said in relation to these topics, "I’ve always believed that people are people, and it’s wrong to discriminate against them just because of what gender or group they fall into."

Writings

Her first Nightrunner novel, ''Luck in the Shadows'', was a Locus Magazine Editor's Pick for Best First Novel and a finalist for the Compton Crook Award. Her novels ''

Traitor's Moon ''Traitor's Moon'' is a fantasy novel by American writer Lynn Flewelling, the third book in ''Nightrunner'' series. It was published in the Bantam Spectre division of Penguin Random House. It is preceded by ''Luck in the Shadows ''Luck in the ...

'' (2000) and '' Hidden Warrior'' (2004) were both finalists for th
Spectrum Award
Her novels are currently published in 13 countries, and in 2005, the first volume of the Japanese-language version of ''Luck in the Shadows'' was published. Flewelling is accessible to readers through her website, her

LiveJournal LiveJournal (russian: Живой Журнал), stylised as LiVEJOURNAL, is a Russian-owned social networking service where users can keep a blog, journal, or diary. American programmer Brad Fitzpatrick started LiveJournal on April 15, 1999, a ...

blog, her Yahoo! group, and numerous guest appearances at conventions including Comic-Con and Smith College's ConBust. Her work has been praised by other fantasy authors, including

George R. R. Martin George Raymond Richard Martin (born George Raymond Martin; September 20, 1948), also known as GRRM, is an American novelist, screenwriter, television producer and short story writer. He is the author of the series of epic fantasy novels ''A Song ...

Orson Scott Card Orson Scott Card (born August 24, 1951) is an American writer known best for his science fiction works. He is the first and (as of 2022) only person to win both a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award in consecutive years, winning both awards for both ...

, Elizabeth Hand, Robin Hobb, and

Katherine Kurtz Katherine Irene Kurtz (born October 18. 1944) is an American fantasy writer, author of sixteen historical fantasy novels in the '' Deryni'' series, as well as occult and urban fantasy. Resident in Ireland for over twenty years, she moved to Virg ...

. Independent film company Csquared Pictures has acquired film rights to the first three books in the Nightrunner series, but they have not yet started production. Flewelling has cited a number of authors as being major influences on her work, including

Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery fictio ...

William Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer known for his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, based on Lafayette County, Mississippi, where Faulkner spent most o ...

, T. S. Eliot,

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

, Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates,

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century f ...

Mary Renault Eileen Mary Challans (4 September 1905 – 13 December 1983), known by her pen name Mary Renault ("She always pronounced it 'Ren-olt', though almost everyone would come to speak of her as if she were a French car." ), was an English writer best ...

Anne Rice Anne Rice (born Howard Allen Frances O'Brien; October 4, 1941 – December 11, 2021) was an American author of gothic fiction, erotic literature, and Christian literature. She was best known for her series of novels '' The Vampire Chronicles''. ...

, and Arthur Conan Doyle, and has also expressed her admiration for works by additional authors, including Isaac Asimov, William Kotzwinkle,

Ellen Kushner Ellen Kushner (born October 6, 1955) is an American writer of fantasy novels. From 1996 until 2010, she was the host of the radio program '' Sound & Spirit'', produced by WGBH in Boston and distributed by Public Radio International. Background ...

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univers ...

Toni Morrison Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison (born Chloe Ardelia Wofford; February 18, 1931 – August 5, 2019), known as Toni Morrison, was an American novelist. Her first novel, ''The Bluest Eye'', was published in 1970. The critically acclaimed '' So ...

Shirley Jackson Shirley Hardie Jackson (December 14, 1916 – August 8, 1965) was an American writer known primarily for her works of horror and mystery. Over the duration of her writing career, which spanned over two decades, she composed six novels, two me ...

E. B. White Elwyn Brooks White (July 11, 1899 – October 1, 1985) was an American writer. He was the author of several highly popular books for children, including ''Stuart Little'' (1945), ''Charlotte's Web'' (1952), and '' The Trumpet of the Swan'' ...

J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succ ...

, and

Michael Moorcock Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an English writer, best-known for science fiction and fantasy, who has published a number of well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic novels and non-fiction. He has worke ...

.Flewelling, Lynn
"Interview: Lynn Flewelling"
, "Strange Horizons", April 9, 2001. Flewelling's work has frequently promoted

themes as well as topics related to

gender Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures ...

. The protagonists of the Nightrunner books are both bisexual, and Flewelling has stated their creation was in response to the near-absence of LGBT characters in the genre and marginalization of existing ones. The Tamir Triad, combining elements of psychological drama with ghost story horror, features a protagonist who transforms from one sex and gender to the other. Flewelling's works have drawn academic attention in relation to these themes.Battis, Jes (projected 2010)
"Queer Break-Ins: Erotic Service in the Novels of Chaz Brenchley and Lynn Flewelling"
"Are You Being Served", Ed. Jennifer Lokash, Columbia University Press. Accessed a

Bibliography

Novels

The Nightrunner Series

* * * * * * *

Tamír Triad

* * *

Shorts

* "Letter To Alexi", ''Prisoners of the Night'' #9, 1995 * "Raven's Cut", ''Assassin Fantastic'' anthology,

Martin Greenberg Martin Greenberg (June 28, 1918 – October 20, 2013) was an American book publisher and editor of science fiction anthologies. Biography Greenberg married in 1941. He was in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1945 where he attained the rank of corporal ...

and Alex Potter, ed. DAW Books, 2001 * "The Complete Nobody's Guide to Query Letters", '' Speculations'', 1999; reprinted on SFWA website and in ''The Writer's Guide to Queries, Pitches and Proposals'' by Moira Allen, Allsworth Press, 2001 * "Perfection", ''Elemental: The Tsunami Relief Anthology: Stories of Science Fiction and Fantasy'', Steven Savile and

Alethea Kontis Alethea Kontis is an American writer of Teen & Young Adult Books, picture books and speculative fiction, primarily for children. She lived in Ashburn, Virginia and then in Titusville, FL. Selected works Novels * ''Enchanted'' The Woodcutter Sis ...

, ed.,

Tor Books Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles, and is the largest publisher of Chinese sci ...

, 2006 *

References

External links

Lynn Flewelling's Official Web Site

Lynn Flewelling Blog on LiveJournal

Lynn Flewelling's Yahoo! group
*
Lynn Flewelling Blog on WordPress
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flewelling, Lynn 1958 births Living people 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American women writers American bloggers American fantasy writers American feminist writers American women short story writers American women novelists American Zen Buddhists Buddhist feminists Converts to Buddhism Engaged Buddhists Feminist bloggers American LGBT rights activists People from Presque Isle, Maine People from Redlands, California Rinzai Buddhists Sex-positive feminists Thiền Buddhists University of Redlands faculty Women science fiction and fantasy writers Novelists from Maine American women bloggers 20th-century American short story writers 21st-century American short story writers Activists from California Novelists from California American women academics