author portrait
© Kathy Pintair/Ambient Photography

Tanya Lee Stone

I love my job. There, I said it. I mean, who wouldn’t? I get to go to work in my pajamas, eat cold pizza for breakfast if I want, and make up stories all day. And hey, if I’m watching a movie or reading a book, that’s not goofing off–that’s called research.

All right, it’s true, there is a lot more to it than that. I work hard. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. To get paid for doing what you absolutely love–that’s success in my book. I’ve been writing stories since I was seven years old. Some of them were even published–in the school newspaper. Hey, that counts! I went to a performing arts high school and studied theater and music. Then I moved to Ohio to attend Oberlin College, where I got my degree in English and studied voice at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

After college, I hit Manhattan and got my first job as an editor. I thought it would be so glamorous! It wasn’t. But I did learn a lot of really important things, like how to write contracts, file in an organized fashion, walk not run, check facts, not use office time to talk to my boyfriend, secure photo permissions–you get the idea. Soon, though, I was reading and editing manuscripts. Now that was cool. I was an editor for more than a dozen years, before I moved away from the city to a place where there were more cows than editors.

So, I went back to my roots and I started writing again. I think it worked out pretty well. I hope you do, too. Oh, and if you want to know some quirky things about me, I made a list.

5 Things I Hate

Fois gras
The word “tasty”
Driving slow
Small talk
Small mindedness

5 Things I Love

Chocolate-covered pretzels
Singing in the rain
Marathon movie-watching on a rainy day
Broadway musicals
Springer spaniels

Books

Videos from the 2024 First-Year Experience® Conference are now available

We’re pleased to share videos from the 2024 First-Year Experience® Conference. Whether you weren’t able to join us at the conference or would simply like to hear the talks again, please take a moment to view the clips below.   Penguin Random House Author Breakfast Monday, February 19th, 7:15 – 8:45 am PST This event

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Changing the World One Girl at a Time: Ideas for using Tanya Lee Stone’s GIRL RISING for school- or community-wide reading projects

Girl Rising, a global campaign for girls’ education, created a film that chronicled the stories of nine girls in the developing world, allowing viewers to witness how education can break the cycle of poverty.   Now, award-winning author Tanya Lee Stone deftly uses new research to illuminate the dramatic facts behind the film in a

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