Charlie N. Holmberg Explained

Charlie N. Holmberg
Birth Name:Charlie Nicholes Holmberg
Birth Place:Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
Occupation:Writer
Language:English
Education:Brigham Young University (BA)
Genre:Fantasy, romance, young adult
Notable Works:The Paper Magician series
The Fifth Doll
Children:2
Awards:2017 Whitney Award for Speculative Fiction

Charlie Nicholes Holmberg (born April 4, 1988) is an American fantasy writer best known for The Paper Magician series. She is from Salt Lake City, Utah, and graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor's degree in English in 2010. Her first novel, The Paper Magician, was released in 2014. Holmberg expanded the book into a series, the film rights for which were purchased by Disney in 2016. In addition to her other book series (the Numina trilogy, Spellbreaker duology, Star Mother duology, and The Whimbrel House Series), Holmberg has published seven standalone novels. She is a multi-Whitney Award recipient for The Fifth Doll (2017), The Will and the Wilds (2020), Star Mother (2021), and Keeper of Enchanted Rooms (2022). The Hanging City was a 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist. Many of her other works have been nominated for literary awards as well. In addition to writing, Holmberg cohosts the podcast Your Mom Writes Books.

Early life

Charlie Nicholes Holmberg was born in Salt Lake City, Utah,[1] on April 4, 1988.[2] She has three sisters.[3] At a young age, she enjoyed watching and grew up a fan of Star Trek in general.[4] After seeing an anime series entitled The Vision of Escaflowne when she was 13, Holmberg decided she wanted to write her own stories.[5] She wrote fan fiction during her high school years. She played the French horn in her high school band, and first met her husband in band class.

She attended Brigham Young University (BYU), majoring in English (with a focus on creative writing) and minoring in editing. She took a class from fantasy author Brandon Sanderson while in college, and has cited that experience as helpful in her career.[6] She graduated from BYU with a BA in English in 2010 and published a poem entitled "Aeos" in Leading Edge, BYU's science fiction and fantasy magazine, in December of that same year.[7] Holmberg then worked as a technical editor and freelance editor for several years.

Career

Holmberg chose to write fantasy over science fiction so that she wouldn't be bound by the limitations of technology in her world building or writing.[8] Her debut novel, The Paper Magician,[9] was published on September 1, 2014,[10] by 47North, an imprint of Amazon.[11] [12] It was the ninth novel Holmberg completed and was listed on the American Library Association's 2015 shortlist for fantasy.[13] The Paper Magician was also a finalist for the 2014 AML Award for Best Young Adult Speculative Fiction Novel.[14] The book follows protagonist Ceony Twill as she becomes permanently bound to manipulating paper through magic. Holmberg decided to limit her characters in The Paper Magician to be able to manipulate only one man-made material after being taught by Brandon Sanderson that "limits are more interesting than the powers themselves". Holmberg was inspired, in part, by the art of origami in her idea for The Paper Magician. The novel was expanded into a series, including The Glass Magician (2014),[15] The Master Magician (2015),[16] [17] and The Plastic Magician (2018). The Master Magician was featured as a Wall Street Journal Best-Selling Book (under fiction e-books) in June 2015. The complete series was optioned by Disney in 2016.[18] [19]

Holmberg has also written seven standalone novels, including The Hanging City, which was a finalist in the 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards in the romantasy category.[20] She has described herself as "more of a standalone writer than... a series writer".[21] Her novel Followed by Frost was published in 2015,[22] also by 47North.[23] Followed by Frost originated as an idea Holmberg had while scraping snow off her car. The novel was nominated for a RITA Award for Best Young Adult Romance in 2016. Holmberg then came up with the concept for another standalone novel, The Fifth Doll (2017), while "preparing a class on magic systems for the LDStorymakers conference".[24] The Fifth Doll won the 2017 Whitney Award for Speculative Fiction.[25] Additionally, The Glass Magician, The Plastic Magician, Followed by Frost, Veins of Gold, and Smoke and Summons were all Whitney Award finalists. Veins of Gold made Barnes & Noble's list of "20 Favorite Indie Books of 2018" for its "hidden magic and... historical western setting". It was called "a unique tale coupled with talented writing".[26]

After being told by her agent that she needed to write another series, Holmberg published her Numina trilogy: Smoke and Summons, Myths and Mortals and Siege and Sacrifice.[27] She pulled together different ideas she'd had previously to write the story. All three books were published in 2019, just months apart. Holmberg has called Smoke and Summons "the best book [she's] ever written". She has stated that "sometimes current pop culture trickles into [her] novels", and cited Downton Abbey and Stranger Things as examples. Her focus in writing is to enable the reader to "feel something". Holmberg has since added the Spellbreaker and Star Mother duologies to her published works and in 2024, released Boy of Chaotic Making, the third installment in the Whimbrel House series.

Holmberg was on the board of directors of Deep Magic, a quarterly science fiction and fantasy magazine.[28] She interviewed Brandon Sanderson for issue 50 of Deep Magic, published in June 2016.[29] She also hosts the podcast Your Mom Writes Books with author Caitlyn McFarland.[30]

Personal life

Holmberg currently lives in Utah County, Utah. In addition to the French horn, Holmberg plays the piano, flute, and ukulele. She and her husband have two children.[31] She often writes in the mornings and takes care of her children in the afternoons. She enjoys reading fantasy novels by Brandon Sanderson, Juliet Marillier, Rosamund Hodge, Robert Jordan, and Martine Leavitt.

Published books

The Paper Magician series

Numina trilogy

Spellbreaker duology

Star Mother duology

Whimbrel House Series

Standalones

Non-Fiction

Short stories

Awards and nominations

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: About Charlie. live. June 25, 2021. charlienholmberg.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20140724041003/http://charlienholmberg.com/about-charlie/ . July 24, 2014 .
  2. Web site: Charlie N. Holmberg. live. June 25, 2021. Mormon Literature & Creative Arts Database. https://web.archive.org/web/20210624204624/https://mormonarts.lib.byu.edu/people/charlie-n-holmberg/ . June 24, 2021 .
  3. Interview with Charlie N. Holmberg. Writing for Children. Institute of Children's Literature. May 8, 2020. June 25, 2021. Davis. Katie.
  4. Web site: March 3, 2021. Finalist Spotlight: Charlie N. Holmberg. live. June 25, 2021. Whitney Awards. https://web.archive.org/web/20210421232300/https://whitneyawards.com/2021/03/03/finalist-spotlightcharlie-n-holmberg/ . April 21, 2021 .
  5. Web site: Disney purchases movie rights to Utah author's 'Paper Magician' series KSL.com. ksl.com. October 12, 2016.
  6. Web site: Hyde. Becca. January 6, 2015. Interview with Charlie Holmberg. live. June 25, 2021. Association for Mormon Letters. https://web.archive.org/web/20150927202117/http://associationmormonletters.org/blog/2015/01/interview-with-charlie-holmberg/ . September 27, 2015 .
  7. Web site: Title: Aeos. live. June 25, 2021. Internet Speculative Fiction Database. https://web.archive.org/web/20210624204241/http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?2338801 . June 24, 2021 .
  8. Web site: Wactor. Kayla. October 6, 2016. Interview with Charlie Holmberg. live. June 25, 2021. Pine Reads Review. https://web.archive.org/web/20201202003155/https://www.pinereadsreview.com/blog/interview-with-charlie-holmberg/ . December 2, 2020 .
  9. Web site: Debenham. Emily. February 11, 2021. A decade of novels (and more), #3: Speculative fiction. live. June 25, 2021. Association for Mormon Letters. https://web.archive.org/web/20210211233748/http://associationmormonletters.org/blog/2021/02/a-decade-of-novels-and-more-3-speculative-fiction/ . February 11, 2021 .
  10. Web site: Title: The Paper Magician. live. June 25, 2021. Internet Speculative Fiction Database. https://web.archive.org/web/20210625192807/http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?1758205 . June 25, 2021 .
  11. Web site: Fiction Book Review: The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg. live. PublishersWeekly.com. June 25, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20140720002049/http://www.publishersweekly.com:80/978-1-4778-2383-5 . July 20, 2014 .
  12. Web site: Writing Excuses 10.35: Breaking In, With Charlie N. Holmberg. writingexcuses.com. August 30, 2015. January 12, 2017.
  13. News: Hornung. Susan. February 1, 2015. 2015 Reading List announced: Year's best in genre fiction for adult readers. RUSA News. June 25, 2021.
  14. Web site: Goldberg. James. March 28, 2015. 2014 AML Awards. live. June 25, 2021. Association for Mormon Letters. https://web.archive.org/web/20150909205601/http://associationmormonletters.org/blog/2015/03/aml-awards-for-2014/ . September 9, 2015 .
  15. Book: The glass magician. June 25, 2021. WorldCat. 991173440.
  16. Book: The master magician. June 25, 2021. WorldCat. 991072385.
  17. Web site: The Paper Magician Trilogy. live. June 25, 2021. charlienholmberg.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20150608001901/http://charlienholmberg.com:80/books/the-paper-magician-trilogy/ . June 8, 2015 .
  18. Web site: Disney Nabs Movie Rights to 'The Paper Magician' Trilogy (Exclusive). The Hollywood Reporter. March 31, 2016. October 5, 2016.
  19. Web site: Book Club author Charlie Holmberg and "The Paper Magician". May 24, 2016. fox13now.com/. January 12, 2017.
  20. Web site: Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Best Romantasy! . 2024-03-17 . Goodreads.
  21. Web site: Dillon. Barbra. January 17, 2020. Fanbase Press Interviews Charlie N. Holmberg on the Novel, 'The Will and the Wilds'. live. June 25, 2021. Fanbase Press. https://web.archive.org/web/20200208052916/http://fanbasepress.com:80/index.php/press/interviews/books/item/10599-fanbase-press-interviews-charlie-n-holmberg-on-the-novel-the-will-and-the-wilds . February 8, 2020 .
  22. Book: Followed by frost. June 25, 2021. WorldCat. 907195915.
  23. News: Bulsiewicz. Michelle Garrett. February 23, 2019. A publisher's rejection spurred friendship of these two authors, BYU alumna. Here's how. Deseret News. June 25, 2021.
  24. News: Bulsiewicz. Michelle Garrett. July 20, 2017. Utah author creates magical nesting dolls in new 'Giver'-like fantasy novel. Deseret News. June 25, 2021.
  25. Web site: 2017. 2017 Winners The Whitney Awards. live. June 25, 2021. Whitney Awards. https://web.archive.org/web/20180510051437/http://whitneyawards.com/2017-winners/ . May 10, 2018 .
  26. Web site: Barnes & Noble Press. December 18, 2018. 20 Favorite Indie Books of 2018. live. June 25, 2021. Barnes & Noble Press. https://web.archive.org/web/20200923195823/https://press.barnesandnoble.com/bnpress-blog/2018-favorite-indie-books/ . September 23, 2020 .
  27. Web site: Summary Bibliography: Charlie N. Holmberg. live. June 25, 2021. Internet Speculative Fiction Database. https://web.archive.org/web/20170911215742/http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?206349 . September 11, 2017 .
  28. Web site: About Us DeepMagic. live. deepmagic.co. June 25, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20170202000933/http://deepmagic.co/about-us/ . February 2, 2017 .
  29. Web site: Title: Interview with Brandon Sanderson. live. June 25, 2021. Internet Speculative Fiction Database. https://web.archive.org/web/20210624205552/http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?2524093 . June 24, 2021 .
  30. Web site: About the show. live. June 25, 2021. Your Mom Writes Books. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20210624204838/https://yourmomwritesbooks.wixsite.com/my-site/home . June 24, 2021 .
  31. Web site: Holmberg . Charlie . About Charlie .
  32. Web site: June 11, 2015. Best-Selling Books Week Ended June 7. live. Wall Street Journal. June 25, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20150612141618/http://www.wsj.com/articles/best-selling-books-week-ended-june-7-1434050851 . June 12, 2015 .
  33. Web site: Book Deals: Week of January 16, 2017. Publishers Weekly. January 14, 2017.
  34. Web site: 21 Incredible Books Coming Your Way This November . PopSugar . November 2, 2020 . PopSugar Celebrity . January 2, 2021.
  35. Web site: SPELLBREAKER . Kirkus Reviews . Kirkus.
  36. Web site: The Fifth Doll. Publishers Weekly. July 6, 2017.
  37. Web site: 2015 Reading List announced: Year's best in genre fiction for adult readers. ala.org. February 2015. January 12, 2017.
  38. Web site: And the Finalists Are.... whitneyawards.com. January 12, 2017.
  39. Web site: FOLLOWED BY FROST – 2015 Whitney Awards Finalist. whitneyawards.com. January 12, 2017.
  40. Web site: 2016 RITA & Golden Heart Finalists Announced. www.rwa.org. October 12, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20180616001916/https://www.rwa.org/p/bl/et/blogid%3D20%26blogaid%3D1465. June 16, 2018. dead.
  41. Web site: 2021-10-29 . Current and Past Award Winners . 2024-03-17 . Storymakers . en-US.

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