Elaine Cunningham

Elaine Cunningham (born August 12, 1957 in New York City)[1] is an American fantasy and science fiction author, especially known for her contributions to the Dungeons & Dragons role playing game campaign setting of Forgotten Realms, including the realms of Evermeet, Halruaa, Ruathym and Waterdeep.

For the West Indies cricketer, see Elaine Cunningham (cricketer).

Elaine Cunningham
Born (1957-08-12) August 12, 1957
New York City, New York
OccupationNovelist
Period1991–present
GenreFantasy, Science fiction
Notable worksForgotten Realms, Starlight & Shadows, and The New Jedi Order novels
Website
elainecunningham.com

Biography

Elaine Cunningham grew up in New York state and New England.[2] She earned a degree in music, taught Music and History for several years, and then went back to grad school.[2] Her interests include Celtic and Renaissance music, folklore and mythology, costuming, living history, and travel.[3] Trained primarily as a singer, she has taken up Irish fiddle and harp.[3]

Cunningham started writing when her oldest son was a baby.[2] She has written a number of novels set in the Forgotten Realms.[4] Her first book was titled Elfshadow: "Even though its my first book and admittedly has some rough spots, I think that Elfshadow [1991] remains my favorite."[2] Cunningham grew fond of the book's stars, Arilyn Moonblade, a half-elf with blood ties to the royal family, and a bard named Danilo Thann. "I’ve written two sequels (Elfsong [1994] and Silver Shadows [1996]) and several short stories... I really enjoy time spent with them."[2] Her 1998 book Evermeet: Island of Elves chronicles the whole history of Evermeet and features the return of Arilyn and Danilo: "Evermeet still terrifies me, but I think it turned out to be a good story. It adds a bit more color and dimension to Toril's elves and perhaps suggests a few new ways to think about them."[2]

Amongst Cunningham's most popular characters are the half-elf Arilyn Moonblade, the bard Danilo Thann, the quirky drow wizard Liriel Baenre, her companion the Rashemi berserker Fyodor, and Elaith "The Serpent" Craulnober (created by Ed Greenwood).

Cunningham is also the New York Times bestselling author of Dark Journey,[1] book 10 from the Star Wars New Jedi Order saga.[3]

Cunningham lives in New England with her husband and their two sons.[1]

Bibliography
  • Songs & Swords (featuring Arilyn, Danilo and Elaith)
    • I. Elfshadow[5] (1991/2000 reprint)
    • II. Elfsong (1994/2000 reprint)
    • III. Silver Shadows[5] (1996/2001 reprint)
    • IV. Thornhold (1998/2001 reprint)
    • V. The Dream Spheres[5] (1999)
  • Starlight and Shadows (featuring Liriel, Fyodor, and Gorlist)
  • Evermeet: Island of Elves (1998)
  • Counselors & Kings (featuring Matteo and Tzigone)
  • City of Splendors: A Novel of Waterdeep (With Ed Greenwood; 2005)
  • Forgotten Realms anthology novellas
    • The Best of the Realms, Book 1 (2003)
      • "Rite of Blood"—Realms of the Underdark (1996)
    • The Best of the Realms, Book III: The Stories of Elaine Cunningham (2007)
      • "The Bargain"—Realms of Valor (1993)
      • "The More Things Change"—Realms of Infamy (1994)
      • "The Direct Approach"—Realms of Magic (1995)
      • "Secrets of Blood, Spirits of the Sea"—Realms of the Arcane (1997)
      • "The Great Hunt"—Dragon magazine #246 (1998)
      • "Speaking with the Dead"—Realms of Mystery (1998)
      • "Stolen Dreams"—Dragon magazine #259 (1999)
      • "Fire is Fire"—Realms of the Deep (2000)
      • "Possessions"—Dragon magazine #282 (2002)
      • "A Little Knowledge"—Realms of Shadow (2002)
      • "Gorlist's Dragon"—Realms of Dragons (2004)
      • "Games of Chance"—Dragon magazine #335 (2005)
      • "The Knights of Samular"
      • "Tribute"
      • "Answered Prayers"
  • Del Rey's Star Wars books
  • The Changeling Detective Agency series
    • I. Shadows in the Darkness (2004)
    • II. Shadows in the Starlight (2006)
  • Fantasist Enterprises anthology novellas
    • "Juniper"—Cloaked in Shadow: Dark Tales of Elves (2005)
    • "Raven"—Modern Magic: Tales of Fantasy and Horror (2005)
    • "Dead Men Tell No Tales"—Sails & Sorcery (2007)
  • Star Wars Gamer Magazine short stories
    • Red Sky, Blue Flame
    • The Apprentice
    • The Crystal (2001)

Quotes
  • (From Candlekeep web forums): Ravens and crows will also interact with humans. Occasionally they'll imitate human behavior (such as helping gardeners pull weeds.) Sometimes they're willing to cut a deal. I've got one going with the local "raven mafia." They always gather on trash pickup day, but in exchange for some "protection bread," they'll leave my trash alone and even chase other birds away from it.
  • (From Elaine Cunningham's website, on the subject of author photos): I find this sort of thing unnecessary and irrelevant. It's like that scene from "Wizard of Oz," when the wizard admonishes Dorothy and company, "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!" It's the illusion—in this case, the story—that matters. What difference does it make if an author is male or female, young or old, or for that matter, a Caucasian human or a sentient dolphin?

References
  1. "Cunningham, Elaine 1957-". Contemporary Authors. January 1, 2007. Archived from the original on March 16, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2012. – via HighBeam Research (subscription required)
  2. Varney, Allen (April 1998). "ProFiles: Elaine Cunningham". Dragon. Renton, Washington: Wizards of the Coast (#246): 120.
  3. "Elaine Cunningham". Archived from the original on May 11, 2009.
  4. Buker, Derek M. (2002). The science fiction and fantasy readers' advisory: the librarian's guide to cyborgs, aliens, and sorcerers. ALA readers' advisory series. ALA Editions. pp. 127–128. ISBN 0-8389-0831-4.
  5. Bassingthwaite, Don. "A Conversation With Elaine Cunningham". SF Site. Retrieved January 23, 2010.
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