Cary, Kate 1967(?)-

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CARY, Kate 1967(?)-
(Erin Hunter, a joint pseudonym)

PERSONAL:

Born c. 1967, in England; partner's name Geoff; children: Joshua. Education: University graduate.

ADDRESSES:

Home—United Kingdom.

CAREER:

Novelist.

WRITINGS:

FOR CHILDREN

Detective Fun File, illustrated by Barry Green, Henderson (Woodbridge, England), 1995.

French Skipping, illustrated by Dave Mostyn, Henderson (Woodbridge, England), 1996.

Gemma James' Egyptian Adventure, Henderson (Woodbridge, England), 1997.

Gemma James' Pirate Adventure, Dorling Kindersley (New York, NY), 1997.

Gemma James' Amazon Adventure, Henderson (Woodbridge, England), 1997.

Gemma James' Atlantis Adventure, Dorling Kindersley (New York, NY), 1997.

Bloodline (novel), Razorbill (New York, NY), 2005.

"WARRIORS" SERIES; WITH CHERITH BALDRY UNDER JOINT PSEUDONYM ERIN HUNTER

Into the Wild, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2003.

Fire and Ice, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2003.

Forest of Secrets, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2003.

Rising Storm, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2004.

A Dangerous Path, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2004.

The Darkest Hour, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2004.

"WARRIORS: THE NEW PROPHECY" SERIES; WITH CHERITH BALDRY UNDER JOINT PSEUDONYM ERIN HUNTER

Midnight, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2005.

Moonrise, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2005.

Dawn, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2006.

Starlight, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2006.

Twilight, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2006.

Sunset, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

British writer Kate Cary has published several books for children and young adults, but she also has a separate career as one half of the pseudonymous Erin Hunter. Collaborating with noted fantasy writer Cherith Baldry, Cary alternates volumes in the Hunter-penned "Warriors" series. Including the novels Into the Wild, Fire and Ice, and A Dangerous Path, the six-volume "Warriors" series has expanded to include the "Warriors: The New Prophecy" fantasy novel sequence. Cary, an avid cat lover, shares her passion for felines with readers in the "Warriors" novels, which brings to life a world in which four clans of wild forest cats compete for supremacy and undertake numerous exciting adventures. In "Fire and Ice," Fireheart becomes part of the Thunderclan after leaving his life as a house pet. Joined by friend Graystripe, he works to support his clanfellows while navigating intrigue both inside and outside the clan. In Booklist, Sally Estes noted that the book's protagonists "add … to the plausibility of events in this tension-filled story."

In addition to her collaborations with Baldry, Cary takes solo credit for the young-adult novel Bloodline. An engaging vampire tale that stems from the classic Dracula tale, Bloodline introduces Mary Seward, a young woman working at the Purfleet sanatorium during World War I. It is wartime, and Mary recognizes one of her new patients as John Shaw, a young man who lived near her before becoming a lieutenant. Shaw now suffers from psychological horrors, and as a way to understand him Mary reads the diary he kept while at the front. Slowly falling in love with her recovering patient, Mary also stumbles upon the lieutenant's dark secret. Meanwhile, Shaw's sister Lily has fallen in love with his commanding officer, Captain Quincy Harker. Unaware that the Romanian-born Harker is directly related to the legendary Count Dracula, Lily accompanies Harker back to his home, where the pair are destined to be married. Prior to the wedding, Lily is confronted with a grave decision: to either lose her love or live forever as a vampire. As loyal Mary vainly attempts to dissuade her friend from following her heart, other secrets are revealed that threaten her own relationship with her beloved John.

Reviewing Bloodline for Booklist, Holly Koelling praised Cary's novel, commenting that as "a solid vampire story," the "compelling … and … eminently readable book will find fans." "Each character is fully realized, as are the environs that surround them," noted Jana R. Fine in School Library Journal, the critic adding that Cary "maintains suspense until the end." In Kirkus Reviews a critic wrote that "unexpected plot twists enliven this intriguing reinterpretation of a classic."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, February 15, 2003, Sally Estes, review of Into the Wild, p. 1064; September 1, 2003, Sally Estes, review of Fire and Ice, p. 114; September 15, 2003, Sally Estes, review of Forest of Secrets, p. 231; January 1, 2004, Cindy Welch, review of Rising Storm, p. 844; August, 2004, Sally Estes, review of A Dangerous Path, p. 1920; September 1, 2005, Sally Estes, review of Moonrise, p. 102, and Holly Koelling, review of Bloodline, p. 110; December 1, 2005, Sally Estes, review of Dawn, p. 47.

Kirkus Reviews, January 1, 2003, review of Into the Wild, p. 61; May 15, 2003, review of Fire and Ice, p. 752; July, 2005, review of Moonrise, p. 73; July 1, 2005, review of Bloodline, p. 732; December 1, 2005, review of Dawn, p. 1275.

Publishers Weekly, December 23, 2002, review of Into the Wild, p. 72; November 24, 2003, review of Forest of Secrets, p. 66.

School Library Journal, May, 2003, Mara Alpert, review of Into the Wild, p. 154; September, 2003, Lisa Prolman, review of Fire and Ice, p. 49; October, 2003, Sharon Rawlins, review of Forest of Secrets, p. 49; September, 2005, Jana R. Fine, review of Bloodline, p. 198; September, 2006, Robin Levin, review of Starlight (audiobook), p. 74.