Biography
February 1, 2008 by will shetterly
I live in Tucson, Arizona, with my wife, Emma Bull, and our cat, Toby, the Terror of the West. When I was a boy, I lived at a tourist attraction attraction called Dog Land that inspired my novel, Dogland.
In 1994, I ran for Governor of Minnesota and finished third in a field of six. My greatest political concern is democracy. I believe vox populi, vox dei: the voice of the people is the voice of God.
I agree with Thomas Paine, who said, “My country is the world, and my religion is to do good.” The world would be a wonderful place if every Christian tried to live like Jesus, every Buddhist tried to live like Buddha, every Muslim tried to live like Muhammad, every Jew tried to live like Moses, and every Hindu tried to live like the Hindu saints who inspired Gandhi.
One year, I worked on my parents’ trading post at Rat Rapids, Ontario, where my duties included carrying 100 pound bags of wild rice. You would think that would make me hate it, but it’s one of my favorite foods.
It really isn’t worth watching Toxic Zombies for my very brief appearance at the end. But it is worth baking Shetterly’s Finest-Kind Cookies.
Books
- Cats Have No Lord. Ace Books.
- Witch Blood, Ace Books.
- The Tangled Lands. Ace Books.
- Elsewhere. Harcourt Brace, Tor Books. Winner of the Minnesota Book Award for Fantasy and Science Fiction.
- Double Feature (story collection, with Emma Bull). NESFA Press.
- Nevernever. Harcourt Brace, Tor Books. One of the International Reading Association’s 20 favorite books of US teenagers.
- Dogland. Tor Books.
- Chimera. Tor Books.
- Thor’s Hammer. Random House.
- The Gospel of the Knife. Tor Books.
Stories
- “A Happy Birthday” Liavek: The Players of Luck, Ace Books.
- “Danceland” (with Emma Bull) Bordertown, Terri Windling, ed., Signet and Tor Books.
- “Bound Things” Liavek, Ace Books.
- “Six Days Outside the Year” Liavek: Grand Festival, Ace Books.
- “Nevernever,” Life on the Border, Terri Windling, ed., Tor Books.
- “Time Travel, the Artifact, and a Significant Historical Personage,” Xanadu, Jane Yolen, ed., Tor Books.
- “Oldthings,” Xanadu 2, Jane Yolen, ed., Tor Books.
- “The Princess Who Kicked Butt,” A Wizard’s Dozen, Michael Stearns, ed., Harcourt Brace; Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror, Seventh Annual Edition, Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, eds., St. Martin’s Press.
- “Brian and the Aliens,” Bruce Coville’s Book of Aliens: Tales to Warp Your Mind, Bruce Coville, ed., Scholastic.
- “Dream Catcher,” The Armless Maiden, Terri Windling, ed., Tor Books.
- “Taken He Cannot Be,” Peter Beagle’s Immortal Unicorn, Peter Beagle et.al., eds., HarperPrism.
- “Secret Identity,” Starfarer’s Dozen, Michael Stearns, ed., Harcourt Brace.
- “Splatter,” The Sandman Book of Dreams, N. Gaiman & E. Kramer, ed., Harper Prism.
- “Little Red and the Big Bad,” Swan Sister, Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, eds., Simon & Shuster.
- “Black Rock Blues,” The Coyote Road, Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, eds., Viking.
Anthologies
- Liavek (edited with Emma Bull), Ace Books.
- Liavek: The Players of Luck (edited with Emma Bull), Ace Books.
- Liavek: Wizard’s Row (edited with Emma Bull), Ace Books.
- Liavek: Spells of Binding (edited with Emma Bull), Ace Books.
- Liavek: Festival Week (edited with Emma Bull), Ace Books.
Non-fiction
- “My Life, So Far,” Something About the Author Vol. 106, Alan Hedblad, ed., Gale Group.
Comic Books and Graphic Albums
- “In Charge” Grimjack #39, First Comics.
- Captain Confederacy #1 - #12, SteelDragon Press. (White male Captain Confederacy.)
- Captain Confederacy #1 - #4, Epic/Marvel Comics. (Black female Captain Confederacy.)
- “Home is a Hard Place” Open Space #3, Marvel Comics.
Screenplays and a TV series bible
- Nightspeeder. A feature-length science fiction script (written with Emma Bull). Commissioned by Perfect World Ent.
- William Tell, a feature-length historical adventure script (written with Emma Bull and Don Helverson). Optioned by Robert Greenwald; now available.
- Masters of Earth, a TV series bible (written with Emma Bull). Commissioned by SciFi Channel.
Hello, Mr. Shetterly! My name is Mar and I’m a student from Puerto Rico. I’ve read two of your books, Elsewhere and Never Never. I enjoy them so much that I’ve been reading them once a year since I was 15. I feel that every time I read them I discover more to each story. I really enjoy the style and the creativity with which you wrote the novels. Punk/Hippie elves high on dragons milk? Ha, I thought it was hilarious, especially back when I was 15. Just thought I would drop by and let you know how much I enjoy reading your work. At least the stuff that I’ve managed to unearthed thus far from the black hole of books that is Border’s. =P
Take care!
Mar
Mar, glad to hear it! If you haven’t found it already, look for Emma Bull’s Finder. It uses some of the same characters, and it’s great.
I can’t find an email address for you on the site. I wanted to draw your attention to Class is not a footnote - it sounded right up your alley.
Will:
Great bio. I can attest to all the parts that affirm you are principled, highly moral, smart as smart gets, and fun to work with. My time with you and Emma was one of the most exciting and optimistic moments I ever had in Hollywood. Now that I am a working screenwriter, as well as a teacher, I can tell you that dreaming was much more fun with you and Emma to dream with. I miss you every day.
I hope you are both loving the bejesus out of Arizona, because Los Angeles feels very lonely without the two of you. Sometime, please, come give me two hours. One hour I want to sing along with Emma and play guitars off the cuff, like in our writing breaks at your old apartment. And the next hour I want to go for delicious tea or coffee and just dream out loud again. Maybe we’ll accidentally find ourselves collaborated on some adventurous romp through history. I take my students on adventurous romps through history every day, and, though they are great fun, they would be outstanding with you two leading the way!
Very cool to read about you, especially since I know how awesome you both are.
Donzo
Larry, I should put the email somewhere it’s easier to find. It’s shetterly at gmail.com.
Donzo, great to hear from you! Man, we miss you and L.A. and the church! Well, we continue to plan to return someday– We love Arizona, but it ain’t the same.
I’m just about finished my 7th or 8th reading of Witch Blood (my tattered copy has followed me through 7 moves over the past 20 years or so - Rifkin Wanderer) and though I periodically scour the ‘nets looking for word of a possible sequel this time I thought the direct approach was best …
[Gets down on bended knee]
Please Mr. Shetterly [Rifkin Diplomat], please tell me that Witchhold is almost complete and will be published within the next few years … [Hopes Mr. Shetterly doesn't notice how I oh so cleverly sidestepped the question of whether a sequel would even be written - Rifkin Trickster].
[Dusts knees off and gets up slowly with various creaks and cracks - Rifkin Infirm]
“We found it, of course. But that’s another story.”
I’m sure there are many people who would love to hear that story.
Thanks for the as-close-to-perfect-as-I’ve-seen 197 pages and here’s hoping for at least another 197.
[Now I have to go talk to a man about a giant talking raccoon and another story that is not finished]
John, sorry not to answer sooner! Taxes added to the fun of a busy week.
Would you be the fellow who writes me every year asking for a sequel? I really would like to do it someday, and the occasional reminder makes it more likely that’ll happen.
And it’s always great to hear from anyone who’s read one of my books more than once!
Will,
In response to number 6 above, that would be me sending the yearly request/ reminder for a Witch Blood sequel… You will be receiving it again shortly.
Best wishes.
S
Sean, if I do the sequel, I promise, it’ll be dedicated to you. Maybe not exclusively to you, but you are a Hero of the Revolution, and I appreciate it.
My annual reminder went out to you last week. As always, I look forward to your response and will set my reminder for the same time next year.
Sean
Sean, meaning in the mail?
Hey, i’m from Australia and i’m 16. I received Elsewhere and NeverNever ages ago and never got around to reading them, but finally started on Saturday. It’s Monday, I’ve finished them both, and i love them!
the writing style is incredible, the worlds are extremely imaginative, and the pictures in my mind are awesome. thanks heaps for such a great read.
I want to become a film director when I’m older– this is my first choice for a film-adapted novel.
thanks again,
Jonno.
Jonno, glad to hear that! It’s a great time to go into film. Good luck!