Scott, Michael 1959–

(Anna Dillon, Mike Scott)

PERSONAL:

Born 1959, in Dublin, Ireland; married; children: two.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Dublin, Ireland. Agent—Barry Krost, Barry Krost Management, 9229 Sunset Blvd., Ste. 303, Los Angeles, CA 90069. E-mail—michaeldillonscott@gmail.com; annadillonscott@gmail.com.

CAREER:

Writer, 1982—. Also worked as a dealer in rare and antique books and as a television producer.

WRITINGS:

Irish Folk and Fairy Tales (also see below), Sphere (London, England), Volume 1, 1983, Volume 2, 1983, Volume 3, 1984.

The Song of the Children of Lir, De Vogel (Dublin, Ireland), 1983, published as The Children of Lir, Methuen (London, England), 1986.

A Celtic Odyssey: The Voyage of Maildun, Sphere (London, England), 1985.

The Last of the Fianna, illustrated by Gary Ward, Methuen (London, England), 1987.

Navigator: The Voyage of Saint Brendan, Methuen (London, England), 1988.

The Quest of the Sons, Methuen (London, England), 1988.

Green and Golden Tales: Irish Fairytales, illustrated by Joseph Gervin, Mercier Press (Cork, Ireland), 1988.

Irish Folk and Fairy Tales Omnibus, Penguin Books (New York, NY), 1989.

Irish Hero Tales, illustrated by Joseph Gervin, Mercier Press (Cork, Ireland), 1989.

Banshee, Mandarin (London, England), 1990.

The Story of Ireland, Dent (London, England), 1990.

Saint Patrick, translated by Bríd Ní Chuilinn and illustrated by Peter Haigh, Anna Livia Press (Dulbin, Ireland), 1990.

The River Gods, illustrated by Alan Nugent, Real Ireland Design (Bray, Ireland), 1991.

Image, Sphere (London, England), 1991.

The Seven Treasures: The Quest of the Sons of Tuireann, illustrated by Gary Ward, O'Brien Press (Dublin, Ireland), 1992.

Irish Myths and Legends, Warner (London, England), 1992.

The Piper's Ring, Dent (London, England), 1992.

Reflection, Warner (London, England), 1992.

Lottery, O'Brien Press (Dublin, Ireland), 1993.

Gemini Game, O'Brien Press (Dublin, Ireland), 1993.

Imp, Warner (London, England), 1993.

Irish Ghosts and Hauntings, Warner Books (London, England), 1994.

Fungie and the Magical Kingdom, Sonas (Dublin, Ireland), 1994.

Magical Irish Folk Tales, Mercier Press (Dublin, Ireland), 1995.

(With Morgan Llywelyn) Ireland: A Graphic History, illustrated by Eoin Coveney, Gill & Macmillan (Dublin, Ireland), 1995.

The Hallows, Signet (London, England), 1995.

Vampyre, Poolbeg Press (Dublin, Ireland), 1995.

Wolf Moon, O'Brien Press (Dublin, Ireland), 1995.

Nineteen Railway Street, Poolbeg Press (Dublin, Ireland), 1996.

(With Morgan Llywelyn) Etruscans: Beloved of the Gods ("Beloved of the Gods’ series), Tor (New York, NY), 2000.

(With Armin Shimerman) The Merchant Prince, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 2000.

The Quiz Master, New Island (Dublin, Ireland), 2004.

The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, Delacorte (New York, NY), 2007.

Also author of scripts for movies and television. Contributor to anthologies, including A Treasury of Irish Stories, The Irish Leprechaun Book, Shiver, Nightmares, and Big Pictures.

"TALES FROM THE LAND OF ERIN’ SERIES

A Bright Enchantment, Sphere (London, England), 1985.

A Golden Dream, Sphere (London, England), 1985.

A Silver Wish, Sphere (London, England), 1985.

Tales from the Land of Erin, Sphere (London, England), 1985.

"TALES OF THE BARD’ SERIES

Magician's Law, Sphere (London, England), 1987.

Demon's Law, Sphere (London, England), 1988.

Death's Law, Sphere (London, England), 1989.

The Culai Heritage, Meisha Merlin Publishing (Atlanta, GA), 2001.

"DE DANNAN TALES’ SERIES

Windlord, Wolfhound Press (Dublin, Ireland), 1991.

Earthlord, Wolfhound Press (Dublin, Ireland), 1992.

Firelord, Wolfhound Press (Dublin, Ireland), 1994.

"OTHER WORLD’ SERIES

October Moon, O'Brien Press (Dublin, Ireland), 1992, Holiday House (New York, NY), 1994.

House of the Dead, O'Brien Press (Dublin, Ireland), 1993.

"ARCANA’ SERIES

(With Morgan Llywelyn) Silverhand, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1995.

(With Morgan Llywelyn) Silverlight, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1996.

NONFICTION

(Editor) Hall's Ireland: Mr. & Mrs. Hall's Tour of 1840, Sphere (London, England), 1984.

(Editor) John K'Eogh, An Irish Herbal: The Botanalogia Universalis Hibernica, Aquarian Press (New York, NY), 1986.

Celtic Wisdom for Business, Newleaf (Dublin, Ireland), 2001.

The Book of Celtic Wisdom: Poems, Proverbs, and Blessings, Warner Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Contributor to books, including Irish Pubs, Irish Castles, and Irish Cottages.

UNDER PSEUDONYM ANNA DILLON

Seasons, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1988.

Another Time, Another Season, Sphere (London, England), 1989, published as Another Season, Poolbeg Press (Dublin, Ireland), 2003.

Season's End, Sphere (London, England), 1990.

Lies, Brookside (Dublin, Ireland), 1998.

The Affair, Poolbeg Press (Dublin, Ireland), 2004.

Consequences, Poolbeg Press (Dublin, Ireland), 2005.

Closure, Poolbeg Press (Dublin, Ireland), 2007.

UNDER NAME MIKE SCOTT

Judith and the Traveller, Wolfhound Press (Dublin, Ireland), 1991.

Judith and Spider, Wolfhound Press (Dublin, Ireland), 1992.

Good Enough for Judith, Wolfhound Press (Dublin, Ireland), 1994.

SIDELIGHTS:

Michael Scott, an Irish folklorist and mythologist, is the author of more than one hundred books for readers of all ages, including works of fantasy, science fiction, and horror. Considered an expert on Celtic lore, Scott published his first collection, Irish Folk and Fairy Tales, in 1983; the work has remained in print ever since. In addition, Scott has written such acclaimed titles as The Hallows, Silverhand, and The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel. Writing in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Orson Scott Card described the author as ‘a man of musical speech, unflappable charm, and incisive wit."

Scott often uses his knowledge of Irish folklore in his novels. Windlord, Earthlord, and Firelord, the works in the ‘De Dannan Tales,’ are based on Celtic legend. The series concerns a brother and sister who are transported back in time where they encounter shape-shifters, flying serpents, and sorcerers. The ‘Tales of the Bard’ series, which includes Magician's Law, Demon's Law, and Death's Law, chronicles the adventures of the bard Paedur, who travels through supernatural realms at the command of Mannam, the Lord of the Dead.

The Hallows, a work of horror, concerns a set of thirteen ancient artifacts that seal the gateway to the demon world. Known as the Hallows, the magical relics have been entrusted to the Guardians for more than half a century. Shadowy figures hoping to unleash the demons begin slaughtering the Guardians and activating the Hallows through a gory ritual. According to a contributor in the St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost & Gothic Writers, the novel ‘uses techniques of dreams and historical flashback, and gives a mythological bias to the supernatural elements.’ In October Moon, Rachel Stone, an American teen, moves to historic Seasonstown House in Ireland with her family. The Stones are tormented by a series of mysterious fires, however, and the police believe Rachel may be the culprit. In truth, however, the fires are tied to a clan that is under an ancient spell. ‘Scott is a master of the naturally unfolding mystery,’ Card stated, ‘and the tension never lets up as he takes Rachel—and us—deeper into the darkness."

Scott has published a number of works in collaboration with Morgan Llywelyn, an award-winning author of historical fiction and nonfiction. Silverhand and Silverlight, the two works in the ‘Arcana’ series, center on young Caeled, a prophesied hero who can restore order to his world using the Arcana, the treasures of the Gods. ‘This rich tale shows how good fantasy can be,’ noted a Publishers Weekly contributor in a review of Silverhand. A later work, Etruscans: Beloved of the Gods, follows the exploits of Horatius, a supernatural being who must travel to the underworld to confront his demon father. The authors ‘evoke a vivid sense of time and place,’ observed Library Journal critic Jackie Cassada.

In The Alchemyst, a contemporary fantasy set in San Francisco, fifteen-year-old twins Sophie and Josh discover that bookstore owner Nick Fleming is really Nicholas Flamel, a fourteenth-century alchemist who guards the Book of Abraham the Mage, an ancient text of powerful spells. When golems serving the villainous Dr. John Dee steal the magical book, the twins, who possess magical powers, manage to escape with its two most important pages, placing their lives in danger. ‘After the requisite scene-setting and character introductions, the story takes off like a turbocharged magic carpet,’ noted Seattle Post-Intelligencer critic Cecelia Goodnow, and Sue Giffard, writing in School Library Journal, observed that ‘Scott keeps his sights on the small details of character and dialogue and provides evocative descriptions of people, mythical beings, and places."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost & Gothic Writers, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 1998.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, March 15, 1995, Sally Estes, review of Silverhand, p. 1313.

Kliatt, May, 2007, Lesley Farmer, review of The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, p. 19.

Library Journal, April 15, 2000, Jackie Cassada, review of Etruscans: Beloved of the Gods, p. 126.

Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, May, 1993, Orson Scott Card, review of October Moon, p. 36.

Publishers Weekly, March 13, 1995, review of Silverhand, p. 64; April 24, 2000, review of Etruscans, p. 66; January 21, 2002, Jackie Cassada, review of The Book of Celtic Wisdom: Poems, Proverbs, and Blessings, p. 74; March 5, 2007, review of The Alchemyst, p. 61.

School Library Journal, May, 2007, Sue Giffard, review of The Alchemyst, p. 142.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer, June 10, 2007, Cecelia Goodnow, ‘The Alchemyst Could Be the Start of Something Harry Big in Young-adult Fantasy."

ONLINE

Michael Scott Home Page,http://www.dillonscott.com (October 11, 2007).