Rainbow Rowell Explained

Rainbow Rowell
Birth Date:24 February 1973[1] [2]
Birth Place:Nebraska, United States
Occupation:Writer
Nationality:American
Period:2011–present
Genre:Young adult, New adult fiction, Contemporary fiction
Notableworks:Fangirl, Carry On, Eleanor & Park, Runaways

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

Early career

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

Adult novels

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. 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

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

Young adult novels

Eleanor & Park

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

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

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

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

Young adult

Adult

Short fiction collections

Short fiction

Comic books

External links

Notes and References

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