Ursula Vernon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ursula Vernon
Vernon in 2017
Born	Ursula Vernon (1977-05-28) May 28, 1977 (age 48) Japan
Nationality	American
Area(s)	Writer, artist, webcomics creator
Pseudonym(s)	T. Kingfisher
Notable works	Digger, Dragonbreath series, Nettle & Bone
Awards	Ursa Major Award, Hugo Award, Nebula Award, Mythopoeic Award, WSFA Small Press Award

Ursula Vernon (born May 28, 1977) is an American writer, artist, and illustrator. She has won many awards for her creative work. These include Hugo Awards for her graphic novel Digger, her fantasy novel Nettle & Bone, and her fantasy novella Thornhedge. She also won a Nebula Award for her short story "Jackalope Wives" and Mythopoeic Awards for both adult and children's books.

Ursula Vernon writes popular books for kids, like the Hamster Princess and Dragonbreath series. For older readers, she writes under the name T. Kingfisher. She also writes short stories using both names.

Ursula Vernon's Creative Journey

Ursula Vernon grew up in Oregon and Arizona. She studied anthropology in college, where she also started taking art classes. She first became known for her webcomics and as an artist who drew many anthropomorphic animals (animals that act like humans).

Later, she began writing and illustrating children's books. Her first book came out in 2008. She then started writing books for adults using the pen name T. Kingfisher. She chose this name so that parents who knew her from her children's books wouldn't get confused. She picked "Kingfisher" because she loves these birds.

Ursula Vernon has published many short stories under both her names. She has won several big awards for them, including the Hugo Award and Nebula Award.

She often goes to special events called conventions to show and sell her art and books. She has been a special guest at many of these events. Ursula also has a podcast with her husband, Kevin Sonney. In 2023, she shared news about her health, and later happily announced she was well again.

Books by Ursula Vernon

Books for Younger Readers

Ursula Vernon writes and illustrates the Dragonbreath and Hamster Princess series for children. These books are published by Dial Books.

The Dragonbreath Series

• Dragonbreath. (2009).
• Dragonbreath: Attack of the Ninja Frogs. (2010).
• Dragonbreath: Curse of the Were-Weiner. (2010).
• Dragonbreath: Lair of the Bat Monster. (2011).
• Dragonbreath: No Such Thing as Ghosts. (2011).
• Dragonbreath: Revenge of the Horned Bunnies. (2012).
• Dragonbreath: When Fairies Go Bad. (2012).
• Dragonbreath: Nightmare of the Iguana. (2013).
• Dragonbreath: The Case of the Toxic Mutants. (2013).
• Dragonbreath: Knight-napped!. (2015).
• Dragonbreath: The Frozen Menace. (2016).

The Hamster Princess Series

• Hamster Princess: Harriet the Invincible. (2015).
• Hamster Princess: Of Mice and Magic. (2016).
• Hamster Princess: Ratpunzel. (2016).
• Hamster Princess: Giant Trouble. (2017).
• Hamster Princess: Whiskerella. (2018).
• Hamster Princess: Little Red Rodent Hood. (2018).

Other Children's Books

• Nurk: The Strange Surprising Adventures Of A (Somewhat) Brave Shrew. (2008).
• Castle Hangnail. (2015).

Books for Older Readers

Ursula Vernon writes some books for older audiences under her own name and many more as T. Kingfisher.

Books as Ursula Vernon

• It Made Sense at the Time: Selected Sketches. (2004).
• Black Dogs Part 1: The House of Diamond. (2007).
• Black Dogs Part 2: The Mountain of Iron. (2011).

Books as T. Kingfisher: Temple of the White Rat World

These books are part of a fantasy world Ursula Vernon calls "the Temple of the White Rat world."

• Clockwork Boys. (2017). (Clocktaur War #1)
• The Wonder Engine. (2018). (Clocktaur War #2)
• Swordheart. (2018).
• Paladin's Grace. (2020). (The Saint of Steel #1)
• Paladin's Strength. (2021). (The Saint of Steel #2)
• Paladin's Hope. (2021). (The Saint of Steel #3)
• Paladin's Faith. (2023). (The Saint of Steel #4)

Books as T. Kingfisher: The Sworn Soldier Series

• What Moves The Dead. (2022).
• What Feasts at Night. (2024).

Other Books as T. Kingfisher

• Nine Goblins. (2013).
• The Seventh Bride. (2014).
• Bryony & Roses. (2015).
• The Raven & The Reindeer. (2016).
• Summer in Orcus. (2016).
• The Halcyon Fairy Book. (2017).
• Minor Mage. (2019).
• The Twisted Ones. (2019).
• A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking. (2020).
• The Hollow Places. (2020).
• Nettle & Bone. (2022).
• Illuminations. (2022).
• A House with Good Bones. (2023).
• Thornhedge. (2023).
• A Sorceress Comes to Call. (2024).

Webcomics and Art

Ursula Vernon is also known for her webcomics. Her most famous one is Digger, which won a Hugo Award. It's a fantasy story about an wombat that acts like a human. Digger was first published online and later in six paperback books. She also created the webcomic Irrational Fears and some short stories like "Little Creature."

Before becoming a well-known author, Ursula Vernon worked mainly as a freelance artist and illustrator. She still creates new art regularly. She uses both digital art and traditional methods like watercolour and acrylic paints. Many of her recent works use mixed media. You can often find her artwork available as prints. She has also done art for book covers and games.

For example, the game Black Sheep by Reiner Knizia uses Ursula Vernon's art on its playing cards. Her artwork called The Biting Pear of Salamanca became a very popular internet meme known as the "LOL WUT pear." It was even made into a resin figurine because so many people liked it. She has also designed labels for tea and soap products.

Awards and Recognition

Ursula Vernon has won many important awards for her writing and art:

• She won the 2003 Ursa Major Award for Best Anthropomorphic Published Illustration for her cover art on Best in Show.
• For her webcomic Digger, she was nominated for an Eisner Award in 2006. She also won the 2005 Web Cartoonists' Choice Award for "Outstanding Black and White Art" for Digger.
• Her short stories "Jackalope Wives" (2014), "The Tomato Thief" (2016), and "Metal Like Blood in the Dark" (2020) all won the WSFA Small Press Award.
• She has won multiple Hugo Awards, including for Digger (Graphic Story), "The Tomato Thief" (Novelette), "Metal Like Blood in the Dark" (Short Story), What Moves the Dead (Novella), Nettle & Bone (Novel), and Thornhedge (Novella).
• She won a Nebula Award for her short story "Jackalope Wives" and the Andre Norton Award for A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking.
• She has received Mythopoeic Awards for Digger (Adult Literature), Castle Hangnail (Children's Literature), and A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking (Children's Literature).
• Her books The Twisted Ones and The Hollow Places won Dragon_Awards for Horror Novel. A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking won a Dragon Award for YA / Middle Grade Novel.
• She also won Locus Awards for What Moves the Dead (Horror Novel) and A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking (Young Adult Book).
• A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking also won the Lodestar Award for Young Adult Book.