Lisle, Holly 1960-

PERSONAL: Born October, 1960, in Salem, OH; divorced; children: three. Education: Richmond Technical College, associate degree in nursing, 1981.

ADDRESSES: Agent—Robin Rue, Writers House, 21 W. 26th St., New York, NY 10010. E-mail—holly@hollylisle.com.

CAREER: Writer. Worked as an advertising representative for a newspaper, sang in restaurants, taught guitar, did commercial artwork, and worked as a registered nurse for ten years, primarily in emergency and critical care units; full-time writer, 1993–.

MEMBER: Science Fiction Writers of America.

AWARDS, HONORS: Compton Crook Award for Best First Novel, 1993; finalist for John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, 1993 and 1994.

WRITINGS:

"ARHEL" SERIES

Fire in the Mist, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1992.

Bones of the Past, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1993.

Mind of the Magic, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1995.

"GLENRAVEN" SERIES

(With Marion Zimmer Bradley) Glenraven, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1996.

(With Marion Zimmer Bradley) In the Rift: Glenraven II, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1998.

"DEVIL'S POINT" SERIES

Sympathy for the Devil, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1996.

(With Walter Spence) The Devil and Dan Cooley, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1996.

(With Ted Nolan) Hell on High, Baen Books (River-dale, NY), 1997.

"BARD'S TALE" SERIES

(With Aaron Allston) Thunder of the Captains, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1996.

(With Aaron Allston) Wrath of the Princes, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1997.

Curse of the Black Heron, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1998.

"SECRET TEXTS" SERIES

Diplomacy of Wolves, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1998.

Vengeance of Dragons, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Courage of Falcons, Warner Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Vincalis the Agitator (stand-alone prequel to trilogy), Warner (New York, NY), 2002.

The Secret Texts (omnibus), Gollancz (London, England), 2002.

"WORLD GATES" SERIES

Memory of Fire, EOS (New York, NY), 2002.

The Wreck of Heaven, EOS (New York, NY), 2003.

Gods Old and Dark, EOS (New York, NY), 2004.

"WORLD OF KORRE" SERIES

Talyn: A Novel of Korre, Tor (New York, NY), 2005.

OTHER

(With Mercedes Lackey) When the Bough Breaks, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1993.

Minerva Wakes, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1994.

(With S.M. Stirling) The Rose Sea, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1994.

(With Chris Guin) Mall, Mayhem, and Magic, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1995.

Hunting the Corrigan's Blood, Baen Books (River-dale, NY), 1997.

(With Mercedes Lackey and Mark Shepherd) The Otherworld, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 2000.

Midnight Rain, ONYX (New York, NY), 2004.

Last Girl Dancing, ONYX (New York, NY), 2005.

I See You, ONYX (New York, NY), 2006.

Also author of the e-books Mugging the Muse: Writing Fiction for Love AND Money, 2000; and Create a Character Clinic: A Step-by-Step Course for the Fiction Writer, One More Word Books, 2006.

Contributor of short stories to anthologies, including Women at War, edited by Lois McMaster Bujold, Tor Books (New York, NY), 1992; The Enchanter Reborn, edited by L. Sprague de Camp and Christopher Stasheff, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1992; and Chicks in Chainmail, edited by Esther Friesner, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1995.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Hawkspar, the second novel in the "World of Korre" series, to be published by Tor.

SIDELIGHTS: Holly Lisle is an author of fantasy novels that often center on female protagonists who possess or come under the influence of magical powers. After a ten-year career as a nurse, Lisle decided to get serious about writing in the early 1990s. "I'd been writing all along," she explained in an article on her home page. "Short stories, poems, twenty-page 'I'm going to write a novel now' false starts. I finally got serious. Writing was how I was going to make my way out of the increasingly bitter world of nursing." After selling her first three novels, she quit nursing for good: "And the major themes of my life have become the major themes of my writing, too—so it has all worked out pretty well."

In her first novel, Fire in the Mist, Lisle presents the story of Faia, a young shepherdess who exhibits a natural talent for magic. She joins a group of more advanced practitioners in order to develop her abilities but ultimately rebels against the strict social arrangement of the society, in which men and women reside separately and celibately. According to an essayist for the St. James Guide to Fantasy Writers, Fire in the Mist is "an impressive first novel. Most of the story takes place in a university where various forms of magic make up the subject matter, and the setting is perfect for the mysterious conspiracy that drives the main story line. Nor is Faia a one-dimensional character leadenly performing the tasks laid out for her. She has doubts as well as certainties, and tries to stay aware of the way her environment shapes her personality." Carolyn Cushman, reviewing Fire in the Mist in Locus, called the novel "exceptionally well-crafted and readable," concluding that the work is "a real page-turner that should be highly popular with genre fans."

In Minerva Wakes, protagonist Minerva Kiakra inadvertently gains possession of a wedding ring with magical powers, setting off a series of fantasy adventures that include an encounter with a dragon, the abduction of Minerva's children, and a trip to an alternate universe. Susan E. Chmurynsky, reviewing the novel in Kliatt, described Minerva Wakes as "a good natured and breezy tale that moves along at a rapid clip."

In Mind of the Magic, published in 1995, Lisle returns to the saga of Faia, the protagonist of Fire in the Mist, who has grown into adulthood and is now the mother of a five-year-old child. The novel centers on circumstances that evolve when all the inhabitants of the town of Arhel suddenly develop magical abilities, then just as suddenly lose their magical gifts, leaving the town in a nightmarish state of ruin. Through Faia the community is reborn and establishes harmonious contacts with the Klaue, nonhuman beings who also inhabit the region. Commenting on Mind of the Magic, Sister Avila Lamb in Kliatt wrote that "there are instances of very fine writing…. Readers will be charmed by the delightful characters."

Lisle and coauthor Chris Guin penned a young adult fantasy novel, Mall, Mayhem, and Magic, wherein magic wreaks havoc in the local mall when a bookstore clerk attempts to cast a love spell on the girl he admires. Karen S. Ellis, reviewing Mall, Mayhem, and Magic in Kliatt, noted that coauthors Lisle and Guin "have created an interesting combination of fantasy, horror, and humor." Ellis described the pace of the novel as "quick and exciting."

In Sympathy for the Devil, published in 1996, a young woman's wish that all those in Hell receive a second chance at redemption brings the condemned back to earth. "This clever tale gives a down-to-earth look at religious 'fates,'" remarked Lesley S.J. Farmer, reviewing Sympathy for the Devil in Kliatt. "Character development is well done, and the tone is actually light-hearted."

Glenraven, coauthored with noted fantasy writer Marion Zimmer Bradley, follows the adventures of two women who visit Glenraven, a fictitious country that harbors secrets of Europe's past. Recommending Glenraven in a review for the Library Journal, one critic noted that "Bradley and Lisle expertly juxtapose contemporary women and a medieval, magical culture."

In the Rift: Glenraven II tells of Kate Beacham's attempt to close a dangerous pathway that allows demons to enter our world. With the help of inhabitants of Glenraven, Kate battles her own enemies on Earth and those from other worlds. While a reviewer for Publishers Weekly found that the book spends "too much time preaching to the converted against sexism, racism, and religious intolerance," Jackie Cassada, writing in the Library Journal, called In the Rift a "well-crafted stand-alone sequel to Glenraven."

In the first three novels of the "Secret Texts" series, Lisle imagines a world run by noble clans who use magic and treachery to gain power. In Diplomacy of Wolves, Kait Galweigh must use her magical powers to withstand a plot by her family's deadly enemies, who are employing assassination and black magic to further their ends. "Definitely a page turner," wrote Roland Green of the novel in Booklist. Cassada judged the novel to be "a satisfying tale of a young woman's coming of age." Green concluded that it was "an excellent work with which to make first contact with a fantasy writer who deserves greater repute."

In the second book of the series, Vengeance of Dragons, Kait must find the Mirror of Souls, a magical object of great power, to bring her murdered family back to life. She must also fight off a clan of necromancers who are bent on destroying her. A critic for Kirkus Reviews called the book "engaging if wildly overcomplicated."

The "Secret Texts" series ends with Courage of Falcons, the story of Kait's final battle against those who have enslaved her land. Reviewing the novel in Publishers Weekly, one contributor felt that "plot complications just pad out the slender narrative," but noted that the story did provide "some genuine goose-bumps." Cassada described the "Secret Texts" trilogy as a "rousing fantasy epic" and praised Lisle for bringing "her heroes face to face with difficult choices that mirror their own souls' deepest qualities."

Though the "Secret Texts" series was brought to a close with Courage of Falcons, Lisle reopened the story with a prequel, Vincalis the Agitator. Set one thousand years before Diplomacy of Wolves, Vincalis the Agitator introduces the early days of Dragon Magic in the empire of Hats Ticlarim, an underwater utopia secretly run by the evil Inquestors. The citizens of the empire need not worry about danger and unpleasantness—all citizens that is, except for the Warreners, a race of slaves whose bodies are burned in order to power the dark magic that keeps the society running. However, one Warrener child, Wraith, does not succumb to the powerful magic. He escapes and meets apprentice sorcerer Solander Artis, who is fascinated by Wraith's resistant abilities. The two team up to rebel against the Inquestors in hopes of finding an alternate form of power that does not require loss of life.

In a review of Vincalis the Agitator for Kliatt, Lesley S.J. Farmer commented on the book's "rich detail," advising readers that "this is a story to savor rather than rush through as it gently unfolds." Roland Green, writing for Booklist, thought the story contained "brisk pacing" and "superior characterization and world building," as well as "interesting twists and variations" that set it apart from other books of its genre. Ultimately, Green termed the book an "evocative page turner." Likewise, in a review of the book posted on AllSciFi.com, Harriet Klausner noted that "Lisle entertains her readers with an action-packed tale that never slows down" until the end.

Lisle's "World of Korre" series begins with Talyn: A Novel of Korre. This story focuses on the Magics and Conventionals, two groups of the fantasy Tonk Confederacy who are battling against the Eastil monarchy. In a seemingly peaceful mission to end the war, the Feegash, traders from a faraway land, arrive in the Eastil lands and propose a successful stop to the fighting. However, Talyn, a Tonk soldier, learns of the Eastil plot to assassinate the Feegash, and she sets out to stop the Eastil warrior Gair from enacting the plan. Once he is captured, Talyn discovers that the Feegash are not as peaceful as they would appear and that they intend to take over everything. Gair's imprisonment was a mistake, and she helps to right the wrong, but inadvertently becomes the mind-slave of a Feegash diplomat named Skirmig. Gair—still Talyn's enemy, but now with a common goal—dreams that she is in danger and sets off to save her. Some reviewers found Lisle's use of alternating narrative—Talyn tells her story in the first person, while Gair's thoughts are presented in the third person—a bit distracting but nevertheless enjoyed the story. "Lisle has crafted an original plot," wrote Freida Murray in a review of Talyn for Booklist. Murray went on to describe the plot and characters as "very convincing." One Kirkus Reviews contributor called the story "an unusually thoughtful work, unsparing of detail."

Lisle took some time out from series writing to pen some stand-alone stories as well. In the 2005 publication Last Girl Dancing, Atlanta detective Jess Brubraker tracks a serial killer who targets exotic dancers. Posing as a stripper, Jess and her psychic friend Hank Kamien enter the seedy world of exotic dance to uncover the killer—and possibly find an explanation for the long-ago disappearance of a dancer named Ginny, Jess's twin sister. In an online review for RomanticTimes.com, contributor Jill M. Smith acknowledged the story's "gritty drama, eerie paranormal twists, and heart-pounding suspense," remarking: "Add Lisle's name to the list of exceptional romantic suspense authors."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

St. James Guide to Fantasy Writers, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 1996.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, October 1, 1998, Roland Green, review of Diplomacy of Wolves, p. 313; March 15, 2002, Roland Green, review of Vincalis the Agitator, p. 1219; August, 2005, Frieda Murray, review of Talyn: A Novel of Korre, p. 2009.

Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 1998, review of In the Rift: Glenraven II; August 1, 1999, review of Vengeance of Dragons, p. 1181; June 1, 2005, review of Talyn, p. 616.

Kliatt, March, 1994, Susan E. Chmurynsky, review of Minerva Wakes, p. 18; September, 1995, Sister Avila Lamb, review of Mind of the Magic, p. 23; November, 1995, Karen S. Ellis, review of Mall, Mayhem, and Magic, p. 17; May, 1996, Lesley S.J. Farmer, review of Sympathy for the Devil, p. 18; July, 1997, review of Hunting the Corrigan's Blood, p. 18; March, 1999, review of Diplomacy of Wolves, p. 24; July, 2003, Lesley S.J. Farmer, review of Vincalis the Agitator, p. 33.

Library Journal, August, 1996, review of Glenraven, p. 120; April 15, 1998, Jackie Cassada, review of In the Rift, p. 119; October 15, 1998, Jackie Cassada, review of Diplomacy of Wolves, p. 103; October 15, 1999, Jackie Cassada, review of Vengeance of Dragons, p. 111; August, 2000, Jackie Cassada, review of Courage of Falcons, p. 167.

Locus, July, 1992, Carolyn Cushman, review of Fire in the Mist, p. 33.

Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, October-November, 1998, Charles de Lint, review of In the Rift, p. 36.

Publishers Weekly, February 23, 1998, review of In the Rift, p. 56; June 5, 2000, review of Mugging the Muse, p. 32; October 2, 2000, review of Courage of Falcons, p. 65; February 25, 2002, review of Vincalis the Agitator, p. 47; May 30, 2005, review of Talyn, p. 43.

Science Fiction Chronicle, June, 1997, review of Hunting the Corrigan's Blood, p. 41; July, 1998, review of Diplomacy of Wolves, p. 43, and review of Curse of the Black Heron, p. 45.

Voice of Youth Advocates, December, 1998, review of Diplomacy of Wolves, p. 369; April, 1999, review of Curse of the Black Heron, p. 48.

ONLINE

AllSciFi.com, http://www.allscifi.com/ (March 21, 2006), review of Fire in the Mist; Harriet Klausner, review of Vincalis the Agitator.

Holly Lisle Home Page, http://www.hollylisle.com (March 21, 2006).

RomanticTimes.com, http://www.romantictimes.com/ (March 21, 2006), Melinda Helfer, review of Diplomacy of Wolves; Kelly Rae Cooper, review of Vincalis the Agitator; Jill M. Smith, review of Midnight Rain; Jill M. Smith, review of Last Girl Dancing; Natalie A. Luhrs, review of Talyn.