Susan Cooper

Susan Cooper is a highly acclaimed English fantasy author, best known for her series "The Dark is Rising". She was born in Buckinghamshire, England in 1935 and developed a love for reading at a young age. After attending Oxford, she became the first woman to edit the university's newspaper. Cooper later worked as a reporter and feature writer for London's Sunday Times, where her first boss was Ian Fleming.

Cooper's writing career began in response to a publishing house competition, which led to her first book, "Over Sea, Under Stone". This book would later form the basis for her critically acclaimed five-book fantasy sequence, "The Dark Is Rising". The fourth book in the series, "The Grey King", won the Newbery Medal in 1976. In addition to her work as an author, Cooper has also written screenplays for television.

Sources 3 and 4 provide additional information about Cooper's life and career. She moved to America in 1963 to marry her first husband, an American professor, and was stepmother to three children and mother to two. She has written other well-received novels, including "The Boggart" and its sequel, "King of Shadows", and "Victory". Cooper has also written several picture books for young readers, as well as books for adults and plays. She has been the recipient of numerous awards for her work, including the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association.

Cooper's latest book is the YA novel "Ghost Hawk" (2013). She has also written a biography of Jack Langstaff titled "The Magic Maker". In her free time, Cooper enjoys playing piano, gardening, and traveling. She currently lives in Marshfield, MA.