Tamora Pierce

Tamora Pierce (born 1954) is an American fantasy writer for young readers, best known for the Song of the Lioness quartet (1983 to 1988) about Alanna, a girl who disguises herself as a boy to train as a knight in the land of Tortall.

She was born on 13 December 1954 in South Connellsville, Pennsylvania. She first wrote Alanna's story as a single adult novel of 732 pages called The Song of the Lioness, then reshaped it into four books for teenagers: Alanna: The First Adventure (1983), In the Hand of the Goddess, The Woman Who Rides Like a Man and Lioness Rampant (1988).

Tortall became the setting for a series of linked quartets and sequences, including The Immortals (opening with Wild Magic), Protector of the Small, Daughter of the Lioness and Provost's Dog. In 2013 the Young Adult Library Services Association gave her the Margaret A. Edwards Award for her lasting contribution to writing for teenagers.

For collectors. The book to look for is the first edition of Alanna: The First Adventure, published by Atheneum in the United States in September 1983, with cover art by David Wiesner. The original long manuscript does not survive: Pierce has said she no longer has a copy.