Marjorie Liu

Marjorie Liu
Liu at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con
Born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Occupation Novelist, poet, comic book writer, lawyer
Language English, Chinese
Nationality American
Alma mater Lawrence University
University of Wisconsin Law School
Period 2007—present
Genre Adventure, urban fantasy, romance, superhero fantasy
Notable works Monstress
Tiger Eye
NYX
X-23
Dark Wolverine
Website
marjoriemliu.com

Marjorie M. Liu (born 1979) is an American New York Times best-selling author and comic novelist. Her paranormal romance and urban fantasy novels[1] include most notable The Hunter Kiss and Tiger Eye series. Her work for Marvel Comics include NYX, X-23, Dark Wolverine, and Astonishing X-Men. She also writes Monstress for Image Comics for which she was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best New Series. In 2017 she won a Hugo Award for Monstress Vol. 1. In July 2018 she became the first woman in the 30-year history of the Eisner Awards to win the Eisner Award for Best Writer for her work on Monstress, though she shared the award with writer Tom King, who won for his work on other books.[2]

Early life

Marjorie M. Liu was born in Philadelphia in 1979, and grew up in Seattle, Washington.[3] Her father is Taiwanese, while her mother is an American of French, Scottish and Irish descent.[4] She developed an early love of reading, from books such as Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie books, and the works of Robert Louis Stevenson, Joseph Campbell, Charles de Lint and Jorge Luis Borges.[5]

Liu majored in East Asian Languages and Cultures and minored in Biomedical Ethics at the Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin.[3][5] During her undergraduate years there, she also practiced her web design skills by designing a fan site called The Wolverine and Jubilee page, based on her discovery of numerous X-Men fan sites that she found to be well-designed. Although she had never read comic books in her youth, she was familiar with the X-Men through the animated TV series and fan fiction, and to familiarize herself with them more closely, she purchased X-Men and Wolverine comics for reference from Powerhouse Comics in Appleton, Wisconsin. In the process, she became a fan of the franchise herself, and wrote her own X-Men fan fiction, finding it an experimental exercise that improved her storytelling skills.[5][6][7]

After graduating, she attended law school at the University of Wisconsin, as she was impressed with their East Asian legal center, and the presence of top U.S. experts in Biotech Law on the University's faculty. She found an internship in Beijing working at the Foreign Agriculture Service at the U.S. Embassy, which at the time, was dealing with the Chinese government's new rules regarding the import of genetically modified food. She graduated in May 2003, and was soon admitted to the bar.[3][5]

Career

Liu at a June 29, 2011 book signing at Midtown Comics Times Square in Manhattan

Despite enjoying law school, Liu was disillusioned with the life of a lawyer by the time she graduated, and decided to become a writer.[3] After she published poetry, short stories, and non-fiction pieces, she submitted her first novel, a paranormal romantic adventure set in China and the United States called Tiger Eye, which she wrote in a month, to several publishers before it was acquired by Dorchester.[5] It was published in November 2007.[8] She eventually wrote a sequel to Tiger Eye, as well as A Taste of Crimson, the sequel to Liz Maverick's Crimson City, which was published in August 2005.[9]

Seeing a little boy dressed as Spider-Man at a book convention in Tucson, Arizona, Liu remarked to her former literary agent, Lucienne Diver, how she would enjoy writing for Marvel Comics. Diver, who knew an editor who was acquiring authors to write Marvel tie-in novels for Pocket Books, made some inquiries, and found that while the publisher had already employed enough writers to write Spider-Man books amid the release of the 2002 film, they had not hired anyone to write tie-in novels for the X-Men.[3][7]

After writing the X-Men novel Dark Mirror in 2005, Liu began talking with Marvel editors about doing comics work for them. It was three years later that she got her first assignment, the X-Men spin-off NYX.[7][10][11] She served as co-writer on Marvel's Daken: Dark Wolverine with Daniel Way, and wrote the X-23 series, which ended with #21.

Liu teaches a course at MIT on comic book writing and participates at the VONA/VOICES Workshop as guest lecturer at UC Berkeley for popular fiction.[12][13]

In July 2018 she became the first woman in the 30-year history of the Eisner Awards to win the Eisner Award for Best Writer for her work on Monstress. She shared the award with writer Tom King, who was awarded it for his work on a number of Batman books and Mister Miracle.[2]

Selected writings

Liu at 2013 New York Comic Con

Liu wrote the final 21 issues for Marvel's Astonishing X-Men series with artist Mike Perkins from 2012 to 2013. The series received media attention for featuring Marvel Comics' first gay wedding between Northstar and longterm partner Kyle in issue #51.[14] According to Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Axel Alonso, the issue comes as a response to real world's legalization of same sex marriage in New York.[15] Liu was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award in 2013.[16]

In 2015 Image Comics debuted Liu's comics series, Monstress, which gained wide publicity as it explores racism, the effects of war, and feminism.[17]

Personal life

She has been living in Boston with author Junot Diaz since 2011.[18]

Her favorite TV shows include Stargate, Castle, Lost Girl, and The Amazing Race.

Bibliography

Novels

  • Dirk & Steele series
    • Book 1 - Tiger Eye (2005)
    • Book 2 - Shadow Touch (2006)
    • Book 3 - The Red Heart of Jade (2006)
    • Book 4 - A Dream of Stone and Shadows (2006) - in Dark Dreamers anthology, NYT Best Seller [1]
    • Book 5 - Eye of Heaven (2006)
    • Book 6 - Soul Song (2007)
    • Book 7 - The Last Twilight (2008)
    • Book 8 - The Wild Road (2008)
    • Book 9 - The Fire King (2009)
    • Book 10 - In the Dark of Dreams (2010)
    • Book 11 - Within the Flames (2011)
  • Hunter Kiss series
    • The Iron Hunt (2008)
    • Darkness Calls (2009)
    • Hunter Kiss(1/2009) - Companion Novella to The Iron Hunt and Darkness Calls in Wild Thing anthology
    • Armor of Roses (1/2010) - Hunter Kiss Novella in Inked anthology
    • A Wild Light (7/2010)
    • The Mortal Bone (2011)
    • Labyrinth of Stars (2014)
  • Other novels
    • A Taste of Crimson: Crimson City, Book 2 (2005)
    • X-Men: Dark Mirror (2005)
  • Novellas
    • Six (anthology: Holidays are Hell)
    • Minotaur in Stone (anthology: Hotter than Hell)
    • The Robber Bride (anthology: Huntress)
    • After the Blood (anthology: Songs of Love and Death)
    • Sympathy for the Bones (anthology: An Apple for the Creature)
    • The Last Dignity of Man (anthology: The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination)
    • The Tangleroot Palace (anthology: Never After)
    • Call Her Savage (anthology: Masked)

Comics

  • NYX: No Way Home #1 - 6 (Marvel Comics, 2008–2009)
  • Dark Wolverine #75 - 90 (co-written with Daniel Way, Marvel Comics, 2009–2010)
  • X-23 Vol. 2 #1- Women of Marvel one-shot (Marvel Comics, 2010)
  • Black Widow Vol. 4 #1 - 5 (Marvel Comics, 2010)
  • Girl Comics #3 (Wolverine & Jubilee story only, Marvel Comics, 2010)
  • Wolverine: Road to Hell - one-shot (Marvel Comics, 2010)
  • Daken:Dark Wolverine #1 - 9 (co-written with Daniel Way, Marvel Comics, 2010–2011) (continuation of Dark Wolverine)
  • X-23 Vol. 3 #1 - 21 (Marvel Comics, 2010–2012)
  • Jim Henson's Storyteller ("Puss in Boots", Archaia, 2013)
  • Astonishing X-Men Vol. 3 #48 - #68, (Marvel Comics, 2012–2013)
  • X-Termination #1 (Marvel Comics, 2013)
  • X-Treme X-Men Vol. 2 #13 (Marvel Comics, 2013)
  • Legends of Red Sonja #4 (Dynamite, 2014)
  • Monstress (Image Comics, 2015)
  • Star Wars: Han Solo (Marvel Comics, 2016)

Short stories

Awards and nominations

Year Award Name Category Work Result Ref
2018 Hugo Award Best Graphic Story Monstress, Volume 2: The Blood Won [19]
2018 Eisner Award Best Writer Monstress Won [2]
2017 Hugo Award Best Graphic Story Monstress, Volume 1: Awakening Won [20]
2016 Eisner Award Best Writer Monstress Nominated [21][22]
2013 GLAAD Media Award Outstanding Comic Book Astonishing X-Men Nominated [16]
2012 Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award Urban Fantasy Worldbuilding The Mortal Bone Won [23]
2011 Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Nominee Paranormal Romance The Mortal Bone Nominated [24]
2011 Romantic Times Book of the Year Editor's Choice Within the Flames Nominated [25]
2008 Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award Best Shapeshifter Romance The Last Twilight Nominated [26]
2008 Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award Best Urban Fantasy The Iron Hunt Nominated [27]
2005 PEARL Award Best Futuristic A Taste of Crimson Won [28]
2005 PEARL Award Best New Author n/a Won [28]
2005 Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award Best Contemporary Paranormal Romance Tiger Eye Won [29]

References

  1. 1 2 "PAPERBACK BEST SELLERS: September 24, 2006". New York Times. 2006-09-24. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
  2. 1 2 3 Ducharme, Jamie (21 July 2018). "A Woman Has Finally Won the Top Writing Award in Comic Books". Time.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Liu, Marjorie M. "About the Author", marjoriemliu.com, accessed December 29, 2010.
  4. ↑ Tan. "Marjorie's fantasies". http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2010-10/17/content_11419687.htm. External link in |website= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help); |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 White, Claire E. "A Conversation With Marjorie M. Liu", The Internet Writing Journal, accessed December 29, 2010.
  6. ↑ The Wolverine and Jubilee Page, accessed December 29, 2010.
  7. 1 2 3 Press, David. "INTERVIEW: Marjorie Liu talks ‘Dark Wolverine’ and ‘Darkness Calls’.", Daily Planet, June 23, 2009
  8. ↑ Tiger Eye at Amazon.com, accessed December 30, 2010.
  9. ↑ A Taste of Crimson at Amazon.com, accessed December 29, 2010.
  10. ↑ Lin, Peter. "X-23: Daddy’s Little Girl", Here Be Geeks, November 20, 2010
  11. ↑ "Interview with NYX writer Marjorie Liu live from Comic-Con". Comic Vine. Archived from the original on 2010-06-05. Retrieved 2010-03-11.
  12. ↑ "Marjorie Liu - MIT Comparative Media Studies/Writing". MIT Comparative Media Studies/Writing. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  13. ↑ "Books: Comic book author Marjorie Liu on the writing of superheroes". Hyphen Magazine. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  14. ↑ "Marvel Comics plans wedding for gay hero Northstar" 5/22/2012, www.sfgate.com - http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/05/22/entertainment/e091701D28.DTL&tsp=1
  15. ↑ "Marvel Comics Hosts First Gay Wedding in 'Astonishing X-Men'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  16. 1 2 Veselinovic, Milena (16 December 2014). "How a lawyer left the courtroom to discover she had X-Men powers". CNN. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  17. ↑ "'Monstress': Inside The Fantasy Comic About Race, Feminism And The Monster Within". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  18. ↑ Swidey, Neil (December 23, 2012). "Acclaimed novelist Junot Diaz delivers". The Boston Globe. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  19. ↑ "2018 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  20. ↑ "2017 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. Archived from the original on 2017-08-11. Retrieved 2017-08-11.
  21. ↑ http://www.kotaku.com.au/2016/04/here-are-your-2016-eisner-award-nominees/
  22. ↑ http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/07/23/comic-con-2016-2016-eisner-award-winners-revealed
  23. ↑ "Urban Fantasy Worldbuilding | RT Book Reviews". www.rtbookreviews.com. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  24. ↑ "Paranormal Romance | RT Book Reviews". www.rtbookreviews.com. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  25. ↑ "RT Book of the Year | RT Book Reviews". www.rtbookreviews.com. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  26. ↑ "Shapeshifter Romance | RT Book Reviews". www.rtbookreviews.com. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  27. ↑ "Urban Fantasy Protagonist | RT Book Reviews". www.rtbookreviews.com. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  28. 1 2 "ParaNormalRomance: 2005 Paranormal Excellent Award for Romantic Literature PEARL Nomination". www.paranormalromance.org. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  29. ↑ "Contemporary Paranormal Romance | RT Book Reviews". www.rtbookreviews.com. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
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