Delilah S. Dawson (original) (raw)

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American author

Delilah S. Dawson
Dawson at WonderCon 2017Dawson at WonderCon 2017
Born (1977-10-21) October 21, 1977 (age 47)[1]Roswell, Georgia, U.S.
Pen name Lila Bowen
Occupation Novelist
Language English
Nationality American
Period 2012–present
Genre Science fictionFantasySteampunkParanormal romanceWeird WestStar WarsYoung adult

Delilah S. Dawson (born October 21, 1977) is an American author, primarily of fantasy and science fiction. She writes fantasy as Lila Bowen,[2] and has written erotica as Ava Lovelace.[3]

Her works include Star Wars tie-in fiction (novels Star Wars: Phasma and Galaxy's Edge: Black Spire, and short story Star Wars: The Perfect Weapon), as well as Rick and Morty Presents: Pickle Rick, Kill the Farm Boy and No Country for Old Gnomes (both with Kevin Hearne). She has also written comic books such as Star Pig and Sparrowhawk.

Dawson's work includes the Blud series of steampunk paranormal romance novels, the Shadow series of Weird West novels (as Bowen), as well as several young adult novels. She has also written Star Wars tie-in short stories, including the 2015 Bazine Netal adventure "Star Wars: The Perfect Weapon",[4] and the 2016 Greer Sonnel story "Scorched", published in Star Wars Insider No. 165.[5][6] In September 2017, Dawson released Star Wars: Phasma, a novel chronicling the backstory of Captain Phasma of the First Order.[7]

From 2025, Dawson took over Terry Brooks's Shannara series.[8][9] She wrote the first Ravenloft novel, Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd (May 2025), to be published in 17 years.[10][11]

Dawson lives in Roswell, Georgia.

In 2016, Alex Brown of Tor.com wrote that Dawson is "producing some of the best underappreciated books of the last few years", noting the "difficult subject matter [and] intense imagery" in her young adult works, and her diverse protagonists.[2] In a starred review, Publishers Weekly appreciated that in Dawson's Wake of Vultures, "themes of self-worth, gender, and the complexity of identity are treated with frank realism and sensitivity", as well as her "gritty and well-realized paranormal Wild West".[12] Kirkus Reviews wrote in a starred review of Wake of Vultures that "Bowen has created a fascinating, textured Wild West world. The monsters are gruesome, the battles are bloody, and the pace of this story never flags."[13] Her novel Camp Scare (2022) was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Middle Grade Novel.[14]

Tie-in short stories

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Shadow series (as Lila Bowen)

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Tales of Pell (with Kevin Hearne)

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Erotica (as Ava Lovelace)

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  1. ^ "Summary Bibliography: Delilah S. Dawson". ISFDB.
  2. ^ a b Brown, Alex (September 16, 2016). "Where to Start with Delilah S. Dawson". Tor.com. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Where to Start with Delilah S. Dawson". September 16, 2016. Archived from the original on September 17, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2023.{{[cite web](/wiki/Template:Cite%5Fweb "Template:Cite web")}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) "There’s a good chance you’ve never heard of Delilah S. Dawson—aka Lila Bowen, aka Ava Lovelace" ... "Lumberfox is the first in a “geekrotica” trilogy written under the nom de plume Ava Lovelace"
  4. ^ "JOURNEY TO THE FORCE AWAKENS PANEL AT NEW YORK COMIC CON – RECAP". StarWars.com. October 12, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
  5. ^ Wilkins, Jonathan (May 4, 2016). "Star Wars Insider #165: 10 Highlights!". StarWars.com. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  6. ^ Trivedi, Sachin (April 26, 2016). "Star Wars: Bloodline: New short story reveals Leia's ally Greer Sonnel". International Business Times. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  7. ^ Hall, Jacob (April 17, 2017). "'Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Will Bridge the Gap Between Episode 7 and 8 With Books and Comics". /Film. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  8. ^ Templeton, Molly (March 12, 2025). "Terry Brooks Announces Semi-Retirement, Passes Shannara to Delilah S. Dawson". Reactor. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  9. ^ McMillan, Graeme (March 9, 2025). "Acclaimed fantasy author Terry Brooks announces surprise retirement, and passes Shannara series to Delilah S. Dawson". Popverse. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  10. ^ a b Law, Eric (March 5, 2025). "Dungeons and Dragons Adapting Popular Campaign Into a Novel". Game Rant. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
  11. ^ a b Rusak, Rotem (May 8, 2025). "DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: RAVENLOFT: HEIR OF STRAHD Exclusive Excerpt". Nerdist. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
  12. ^ "Fiction Book Review: Wake of Vultures by Lila Bowen". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  13. ^ "Wake of Vultures by Lila Bowen". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  14. ^ "The 2022 Bram Stoker Awards® Winners". June 19, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  15. ^ "Steampunk". Romantic Times. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  16. ^ "RT Book of the Year". Romantic Times. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  17. ^ "Steampunk". Romantic Times. Archived from the original on January 2, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  18. ^ Diaz, Shelley (January 21, 2015). "Girl Power, High Fantasy, and Unconventional Lit – What's Hot in YA". School Library Journal.
  19. ^ "Teens Review Twilight, Lord of the Rings Readalikes, and More". School Library Journal. March 17, 2015.
  20. ^ Tomsu, Lindsey (April 19, 2016). "Political Thrillers, Flirty Romances, and Complex Sci-Fi – YA Series Update". School Library Journal.
  21. ^ Sanskrit, Derrick (June 6, 2016). "Authors find their inner Hulks and Batmen in Last Night, A Superhero Saved My Life". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  22. ^ McCardle, Megan M.; Chadwick, Kristi (October 15, 2016). "Johansen's Pick of the Month, Bonesteel, Cain, Itäranta, Liu, Hugo Awards & New Series Lineup – SF/Fantasy Reviews". Library Journal. Archived from the original on January 1, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2017.