Kim Harrison

Kim Harrison, the pen name of American author Dawn Cook, is widely recognized for her bestselling urban fantasy series, "The Hollows." Born in the Midwest and identifying as a former tomboy, Harrison developed an unconventional approach to writing, avoiding advanced English courses in her early education. She began her career writing traditional science fiction but shifted to contemporary fantasy to focus more on character development. After a period of aspiring authorship, she secured representation and began publishing, with her debut novel "Dead Witch Walking" released in 2004. This marked the beginning of the "Hollows" series, which has achieved New York Times #1 bestseller status and includes numerous novels, graphic novels, and supplementary materials. Harrison also writes traditional fantasy under her birth name, Dawn Cook, with series like "Decoy Princess" and "Truth." Her work has earned critical praise and she is considered an influential figure in the urban fantasy genre. Music serves as a significant influence on her writing, with character-specific song lists.

Kim Harrison's literary journey began with traditional science fiction before she pivoted to contemporary fantasy, prioritizing character development. Her breakthrough came with the "Hollows" series, a New York Times #1 bestseller, which features an alternate history where a pandemic drastically reduced the human population. This series, also known as the Rachel Morgan series, includes over a dozen novels, two graphic novels, and a detailed world-building book, with many titles referencing Clint Eastwood films. Harrison also publishes traditional fantasy under her birth name, Dawn Cook. She has acknowledged Ray Bradbury as a favorite author and incorporates music into her writing process, creating playlists for her characters. Her engagement with fans is maintained through a self-managed website and blog.

For a period, Harrison maintained a dual authorial identity, publishing urban fantasy as Kim Harrison and traditional fantasy as Dawn Cook. This separation was disclosed in 2009, with Harrison expressing relief at no longer needing to manage two distinct personas. Her work has garnered significant acclaim, reaching the #1 spot on the New York Times Best Seller list. She is considered a leading and influential voice in urban fantasy, with fellow authors citing her as an inspiration. Amazon.com recognized her in 2007 as "one of the hottest authors in the incredibly popular genre of sexy supernaturalism."

“I'm glad it's out in the open, because it is hard to maintain these two separate identities, and remind your friends or family when you go out, "I'm Kim today, so don't call me Dawn." The division has served its purpose. I'm still going to be Kim, but now if somebody calls me Dawn I won't have to say "Shut your mouth!"”

“one of the hottest authors in the incredibly popular genre of sexy supernaturalism.”