The official picture
The less official but far more representative picture
Courtney Schafer was born in Georgia, raised in Virginia, and spent her childhood dreaming of
adventures in the jagged mountains and sweeping deserts of her favorite fantasy novels.
She escaped the east coast by attending Caltech for college,
where in addition to obtaining a B.S. in electrical engineering,
she learned how to rock climb, backpack, ski, scuba dive, and stack her massive book collection so
it wouldn't crush anyone in an earthquake. She then moved to the climber's paradise
of Boulder, Colorado, and somehow managed to get a masters in EE from C.U. Boulder in between racking up ski days and
peak climbs.
After completing her masters, she got a job in the space industry, married an Australian
scientist who shared her love for speculative fiction and wilderness adventures, and took up figure
skating since her other hobbies weren't challenging enough. She had to slow down a little on
the adrenaline sports after the birth of her son, but only until he grew old enough to join in. Now the
Schafer family resides in Lake Hawea, New Zealand, where together they're enjoying
a multitude of new adventures amid the stunning scenery of the Southern Alps.
A voracious reader, Courtney always wished new fantasy novels were published faster - until she realized
she could write her own stories to satisfy her craving for new worlds full of magic
and wonder. Now she writes every spare moment she's not working or adventuring with her family.
Favorite series:
Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles
Favorite science fiction novel:
Cyteen by C.J. Cherryh
Favorite fantasy novel:
Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin
Favorite YA novel:
King of Attolia, by Megan Whalen Turner
Other favorite authors:
Madeleine L'Engle, Patricia McKillip, Diana Wynne Jones,
Emma Bull, Carol Berg, Martha Wells, Elizabeth Bear, Barbara Hambly, Tad Williams, Guy Gavriel Kay
If you read one mountaineering book, read this one:
This Game of Ghosts, by Joe Simpson
The mountain Courtney most wants to climb:
A tie between Starlight Peak in the Sierra Nevada and Tititea/Mt. Aspiring in the Southern Alps