Tui Tamara Sutherland (born July 31, 1978) is an American children's book author who has written more than 60 books under her own name and under several pen names. In 2009, she won $46,200 over three games on Jeopardy! She is best known for writing the Wings of Fire series of dragon fantasy novels. Sutherland's books have sold over 67 million copies.
Sutherland abandoned ideas of a career in theater in favor of writing children's books after "she partook in creative writing courses over six months in New Zealand", a decision she half-joked allowed her career path "to be far more stable and lucrative".
Sutherland has written books under her actual name (or an initialized variation) as well as under pseudonyms and pen names, including Tamara Summers, Heather Williams, and Rob Kidd, the latter of which was shared.
After the conclusion of her dog-focused Pet Trouble series, Sutherland pitched her agent Steven Malk and the team at Scholastic Inc. about writing an epic fantasy series starring dragons as the focus. With Amanda Maciel as her editor, the Wings of Fire series debuted on July 1, 2012 to commercial success, generally receiving mixed to positive critical reviews.[citation needed] Over time the series gradually amassed a fan following[citation needed] and became an international bestseller.
On May 6, 2025, Variety announced Sutherland would be executive producer and co-writer of an animated television adaptation of Wings of Fire for Amazon Prime Video and Jack Tar Productions, alongside showrunner and executive producer Aaron J. Waltke.
Personal life
Sutherland grew up sharing original ideas and exploring the classics with her younger sister Kari. She married her husband Adam in October 2007, and the two live in Watertown, Massachusetts with their two sons.
Though she has generally refrained from revealing private details about her life in her frequent public events, Sutherland's religious background has been noted. She is known to borrow influences from a variety of religious traditions and backgrounds; she "attended a Baptist missionary school in Paraguay, studied Buddhism in college" and is raising her children with Judeo-Christian influences, having "married a wonderful Jewish man". Though she has woven philosophical and spiritual aspects from a variety of sources and traditions into her work, she has also said that "religion isn't something talked about as freely" in her daily life, instead hoping that her writing can open up discussions among readers and pose questions to contemplate in the freer, larger-than-life fantasy worlds she creates.
A long-time fan of Jeopardy!, Sutherland named the sixth dog in the Pet Trouble series after it. In 2009, she was a two-day champion on the show, winning a total of $46,200 over three episodes; the first two games she won by a fine margin, whereas she lost in her latter appearance as she did not wager enough money on the final clue; had she wagered everything, she would have won the game.
Sutherland began a free online newsletter in late June 2024.
Bibliography
Individual titles
Kermit's Mixed-Up Valentines (January 2, 2001, with Emily Sollinger; Out of Print)
Meet Mo and Ella (February 1, 2001; Out of Print)
Fun with Mo and Ella (February 1, 2002; Out of Print)
This Must Be Love (September 1, 2004; Out of Print)
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - The Junior Novelization (April 10, 2007, as T.T. Sutherland, Pirates of the Caribbean Junior Book #3; Out of Print)
Wings of Fire: Winglets #1 - Prisoners (March 31, 2015, Wings of Fire Short Story #1)
Wings of Fire: Winglets #2 - Assassin (September 29, 2015, Wings of Fire Short Story #2)
Wings of Fire: Winglets #3 - Deserter (March 29, 2016, Wings of Fire Short Story #3)
Wings of Fire: Winglets #4 - Runaway (September 27, 2016, Wings of Fire Short Story #4)
Wings of Fire - A Winglets Collection: The First Three Stories (September 1, 2016, Wings of Fire Compilation of Prisoners, Assassin and Deserter; Limited Print)
Wings of Fire: The Winglets Flip Book (April 27, 2019, Wings of Fire Compilation of Assassin and Deserter; Limited Print)
Wings of Fire: The Winglets Quartet - The First Four Stories (October 6, 2020, Wings of Fire Compilation of Prisoners, Assassin, Deserter and Runaway)
Wings of Fire: Winglets #5 - Hero (February 3, 2026, Wings of Fire Short Story #5)
Wings of Fire: Forge Your Dragon World (May 4, 2021, with Mike Holmes, Wings of Fire Activity Book)
Wings of Fire: The Official Coloring Book (April 5, 2022, with Brianna C. Walsh, Wings of Fire Activity Book)
Wings of Fire: A Guide to the Dragon World (October 3, 2023, Wings of Fire Companion Book)
Wings of Fire: How to Draw (November 7, 2023, with Brianna C. Walsh, Wings of Fire Activity Book)
The Official Wings of Fire Stained Glass Art Book (February 4, 2025, Wings of Fire Activity Book)
The Official Wings of Fire Stickerpedia (March 3, 2026, with Brianna C. Walsh, Wings of Fire Activity Book)
Note: All books credited under the name Tui T. Sutherland unless otherwise stated.
References
↑"Honors and awards". Suburban News (Franklin Lakes, New Jersey). June 10, 2009. p.A8. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
1234Sutherland, Tui T. (March 22, 2004). "Meet Tui". TuiBooks. Archived from the original on July 22, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
↑Skyberg, Andrea (October 6, 2014). "Tui Sutherland's Studio Tour". Andrea Skyberg. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
↑DiFulco, Denise (September 1, 2008). "Making a Name for Herself"(PDF). Williams Alumni Review - Life of the Mind. Archived(PDF) from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
12Sutherland, Tui T. (July 1, 2009). "And SCENE". TuiBooks. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
↑Sutherland, Tui T. (April 25, 2007). "NY Times Bestseller List!". TuiBooks. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
↑Sutherland, Tui T. (April 30, 2010). "Once Upon a Movie..."TuiBooks. Archived from the original on January 29, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
