Mette Ivie Harrison

Mette Ivie Harrison (born September 30, 1970) is an American novelist. She writes young adult fiction and in 2014 began publishing an adult mystery series. Her background as a Mormon has influenced her topics of interest as a writer, especially in the A Linda Willheim Mystery series which focuses on a Mormon woman within her religious community. Her novel, Mira, Mirror won the Utah Letters About Literature award in 2006, and three other novels were finalists for the AML Awards in 2007, 2014 and 2015.

Mette Ivie Harrison
Mette Ivie Harrison at CONduit 17
Born (1970-09-30) September 30, 1970
Summit, New Jersey
NationalityAmerican
Alma materBrigham Young University
Princeton University
OccupationAuthor

Early life

Born on September 30, 1970, in Summit, New Jersey,[1] Mette Harrison grew up in New Jersey as the ninth of eleven children in a Mormon family.[2] The Harrisons eventually moved to Provo when she was ten years old. In high school she studied German and in 1985 spent the year attending a German gymnasium. In 1988, Harrison received Brigham Young University's "Ezra Taft Benson Scholarship".[3] She graduated from Brigham Young University two years later with bachelor's and master's degrees in German Literature. Harrison received a full scholarship to attend Princeton University and in 1995 earned a PhD in Germanic Languages and Literatures. She wrote her dissertation on the female Bildungsroman of the 18th century.[2][3]

Career

Harrison quit her job as an adjunct professor at Brigham Young University in 1997.[3] In 1999, her first book, The Monster In Me, was accepted for publication.[2]

Works and awards

Her novel, Mira, Mirror won the Utah Letters About Literature award in 2006.[4] In 2007 Harrison's The Princess and the Hound was a finalist for the Association for Mormon Letters (AML) Young Adult Literature award.[5] The Bishop's Wife was a finalist for the AML Novel Award in 2014, and His Right Hand was a finalist for the same award in 2015.

Harrison regularly wrote in the religion section of The Huffington Post on topics of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) over the span of 2015–2017.[2][6] Her articles describe common misconceptions of LDS beliefs, addressing people outside of the LDS Church and also focusing on her internal religious audience. Harrison's articles describe her concern about the culture of the LDS Church while also pointing out the positives of her religion.[6]

Harrison writes for Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show, giving writing advice to authors.[7]

A Linda Wallheim Mystery series

Harrison uses her religious background to write mysteries on LDS cultural issues. The A Linda Wallheim Mystery series is about a Mormon bishop's wife who uncovers terrible truths within her community. In an interview with Publishers Weekly, Harrison said, "I want to make a 'regular' Mormon woman the heroine of the story".[8] Harrison feels that Mormon women are often overlooked or forgotten. This series gives others a look into LDS culture while delving into situations LDS members neglect to address.[9]

Kirkus Reviews favorably reviewed The Bishop's Wife (2014), the first book in the series, stating that "this decidedly adult tale adds twists aplenty to an insider's look at a religion replete with its own mysteries".[10] Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote that the novel was "apt to offend most Mormon men" and praised the way Harrison helped readers contemplate the "question of how dangerous fire-breathing extremists really are".[11] The Bishop's Wife was an ABA IndieNext Selection for December 2015 and a national bestseller.[12]

Bibliography

The Hound Saga
This series is also sometimes called the Animal Magic Universe.[13]

  • The Princess and the Hound, May 2008, HarperTeen, ISBN 978-0-06-113188-2[14]
  • The Princess and the Bear, May 2009, HarperTeen, ISBN 978-0-06-155314-1[15]
  • The Princess and the Snowbird, May 2010, HarperTeen, ISBN 978-0-06-155317-2[16]
  • The Princess and the Horse, March 2015, self, ISBN 978-1-939993-54-0[17]
  • The Princess and the Wolf, March 2015, self, ISBN 978-1-939993-56-4[18]

Linda Wallheim mysteries

  1. The Bishop's Wife, December 2014, Soho Crime, ISBN 978-1-61695-476-5[19]
  2. His Right Hand, December 2015, Soho Crime, ISBN 978-1-61695-610-3[20]
  3. For Time and All Eternities, January 2017, Soho Crime, ISBN 978-1-61695-666-0[21]
  4. Not of This Fold, December 2018, Soho Crime, ISBN 978-1-61695-942-5[22]

Standalone

  • The Monster In Me, May 2003, Holiday House, ISBN 0823417131[23]
  • Mira, Mirror, September 2004, Viking Juvenile, ISBN 0-670-05923-4[24]
  • Tris & Izzie, October 2011, Egmont USA, ISBN 978-1-60684-173-0[25]
  • The Rose Throne, May 2013, Egmont USA, ISBN 978-1-60684-365-9[26]
  • The Book of Laman, July 2017, By Common Consent Press, ISBN 9780998605241[27]

Short fiction

  • "A Mother's Curse", collected in The Usual Santas, October 2017, Soho Crime, ISBN 978-1-61695-775-9[28]

Essays

  • "A Teenless World", collected in "Ender's World", April 2013, BenBella Books, ISBN 978-1-937856-21-2[29]

Non-fiction

  • Ironmom: Training and Racing with a Family of 7, June 2013, Familius, ISBN 9781938301360[30]

Personal life

In 2017, Harrison was diagnosed with high-functioning autism, which initially made her hyper-aware of her differences from neurotypical people. She wrote about her experience with high-functioning autism in Sunstone, where she noted that participation in the LDS Church helped her to make social connections she otherwise would not have pursued. She also described how her lack of "normal facial expressions" leads other church members to underestimate the depth of her feelings, especially depression.[31] Since Harrison does not intuitively understand human interactions, she attributes her proficiency in portraying human interactions in her writing to her need to analyze human behavior closely.[31]

Harrison is married to her husband Matt, and together they have six children.[3]

Notes
  1. "Harrison, Mette Ivie 1970-". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  2. Weist 2017.
  3. Harrison 2018c.
  4. Library of Congress 2006.
  5. Twenty-First Century Mormon Literature 2007.
  6. Harrison 2018b.
  7. Chopsticks 2008.
  8. Foster 2014.
  9. NPR Staff 2014.
  10. Kirkus Reviews 2014.
  11. Maslin 2014.
  12. Penguin Random House.
  13. "Series: Animal Magic Universe / The Hound Saga". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  14. "Title: The Princess and the Hound". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  15. "Title: The Princess and the Bear". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  16. "Title: The Princess and the Snowbird". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  17. "Title: The Princess and the Horse". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  18. "Title: The Princess and the Wolf". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  19. "The Bishop's Wife". Soho Crime. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  20. "His Right Hand". Soho Crime. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  21. "For Time and All Eternities". Soho Crime. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  22. "Beth Kanell in The New York Journal of Books". 2018-12-04. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
  23. Harrison, Mette Ivie (2003). "The Monster in Me". Worldcat. Holiday House.
  24. "Title: Mira, Mirror". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  25. "Title: Tris and Izzie". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  26. "Title: The Rose Throne". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  27. Harrison, Mette Ivie (2017). "The Book of Laman". Worldcat. Common Consent Press.
  28. Tursten, Helene; Herron, Mick; Limón, Martin; Hallinan, Timothy; Dovalpage, Teresa; Harrison, Mette Ivie; Cotterill, Colin; Lin, Ed; Neville, Stuart; Goldberg, Tod; Chang, Henry; Benn, James A; Kaaberbøl, Lene; Friis, Agnete; Massey, Sujata; Corby, Gary; Black, Cara; Barron, Stephanie; Lovesey, Peter (2017). "The usual Santas: a collection of Soho Crime Christmas capers". WorldCat. Soho Crime.
  29. "Title: A Teenless World". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  30. "Ironmom". Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  31. Harrison 2018d.

References
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