Sarah L. Thomson
Mercy by Maine writer Sarah L. Thomson

Sarah L. Thomson

Sarah L. Thomson has published more than thirty books for young readers. A versatile writer, she has created fiction and nonfiction, poetry and prose, fantasy and realism for age levels from kindergarten through high school. Her books include an adventure about two friends who rescue a dragon’s egg, a picture-book biography of Abraham Lincoln, and a novel about a real-life vampire, along with poetry for picture book readers and nonfiction I-Can-Read titles about tigers, whales, sharks, gorillas, and snakes. She loves the field of children’s literature because readers are so committed to and passionate about books.

The Washington Post said that the plot of Thomson’s book, The Manny, is “worthy of Jane Austen,” and Booklist called her Arthurian novel, The Dragon’s Son, “a spellbinding tale of love, intrigue, and betrayal.” Her biography of Abraham Lincoln, What Lincoln Said, was reviewed in People magazine; her fantasy novel, Dragon’s Egg, was the winner of the Maine Lupine Award; and her most recent YA novel, Mercy, was selected as one of Barnes and Noble’s top ten YA books of 2011. In 2013, Thomson was featured on the Travel Channel’s show Monumental Mysteries, discussing the historical background to her eerie tale of a true vampire incident.

Thomson worked for nine years as a children’s book editor for HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster before leaving New York to devote herself full time to her own writing. She now lives in Portland, Maine, with her daughter and her two cats. Her daughter helps with inspiration, and her cats help by lying on the piece of paper she needs most.