The Princess in Black and the Mysterious Playdate

Shannon Hale

Shannon Hale (born January 26, 1974) is an American author primarily of young adult fantasy, including the Newbery Honor book Princess Academy and The Goose Girl. Her first novel for adults, Austenland, was adapted into a film in 2013. She is a graduate of the University of Utah and the University of Montana. She has also co-written with her husband, Dean. Hale was born on January 26, 1974 in Salt Lake City to Wallace and Bonnie Bryner. She is the middle child of five children; she has two older sisters, one younger sister, and one younger brother. She enjoyed writing, reading, and acting as a young girl; she often created plays which she would act out with friends. She also began to write fantasy books at age 10, often featuring herself as the protagonist. Her elementary school teachers encouraged her creative endeavors; and, in the fourth grade, Hale announced that she wanted to be a writer as an adult. In junior high, Hale participated on the school literary magazine. Author Dean Hughes visited her English class. She then attended West High School, where she cultivated passions for English and drama. She took a creative writing class and worked as an editor of fiction for her high school’s literary magazine. She participated in both school and community theater productions, including The Secret Garden. Hale also took part in drama competitions and traveled throughout Utah and the U.S. with an improvisational theater group whose productions highlighted a range of teen issues. She met her spouse, Dean Hale, freshman year at West High School; he was also involved in theater. Hale has said that her theater experience has improved her writing skills, particularly in character creation and world building.