Tamora Pierce didn't just blaze a trail. Her heroines cut a swath through the fantasy world with wit, strength, and savvy. Her stories still lead the vanguard today. Pierce is the real lioness, and we're all just running to keep pace. -LEIGH BARDUGO, #1 New York Times bestselling author Tamora Pierce's books shaped me not only as a young writer but also as a young woman. Her complex, unforgettable heroines and vibrant, intricate worlds blazed a trail for young adult fantasy-and I get to write what I love today because of the path she forged throughout her career. She is a pillar, an icon, and an inspiration. Cracking open one of her marvelous novels always feels like coming home. -SARAH J. MAAS, #1 New York Times bestselling author In the world of YA fantasy, there's before Tamora Pierce, and then there's after her female heroes started kicking down the doors (and walls, and other barriers)! Having been with Tammy at signings and listened to the young women who speak from their hearts about how they were empowered by her books, I know it is impossible to overstate her impact! -BRUCE COVILLE, New York Times bestselling author Tamora Pierce is a trailblazer for so many fantasy writers, hacking through the old tropes with her narrative machete and showing us that girl- centered adventures are not just possible but amazing. Many of us might have peered at the impenetrable thicket of traditional fantasy and given up before we even began, if not for her. -RACHEL HARTMAN, New York Times bestselling author Tamora Pierce's writing is like water from the swiftest, most refreshingly clear, invigorating, and revitalizing river. I return to her books time and time again. -GARTH NIX, New York Times bestselling author It's impossible to overstate Tamora Pierce's impact on children's literature. Her tough, wise, and wonderful heroines have inspired generations of readers. Her encouragement of up-and-coming authors is unparalleled. Thank you, Tammy, for Alanna and Beka and more, for your generosity of spirit, for your incredible legacy. -RAE CARSON, New York Times bestselling author Tamora Pierce's novels gave me a different way of seeing the world. They were like nothing I'd encountered before. Alanna stormed her way into my thirteen-year-old heart and told me that I could write gorgeous, complicated novels about vibrantly real people in fantastic situations, and, to be honest, she's never left. -ALAYA DAWN JOHNSON, award-winning author of Love Is the Drug Tamora Pierce is the queen of YA fantasy, and we are all happy subjects in her court. -JESSICA CLUESS, author of A Shadow Bright and Burning
