Matthew J. Kirby
Matthew J. Kirby is an American author of several middle grade children's books. His debut novel, "The Clockwork Three", is a children's historical fantasy set in a fictional American city in the late 19th century. It was inspired by a newspaper article Kirby came across in history class in college. Life. Kirby was born in Utah. As the son of a naval officer, he had the opportunity to live in various parts of the country, including Maryland, California, and Hawaii. As a pre-teen, he was given a set of Ursula K. Le Guin's  Earthsea books. As he read a particular passage, he was struck by her use of language and knew he wanted to become a writer. He earned his bachelor's degree in history at Utah State University and went on to earn his master's degree in school psychology. His early writing endeavors were more tailored to adults in the form of poetry and short fiction, but he eventually settled into writing for young people as he discovered many of his ideas were more "suited for a younger audience." In 2010, his first book, "The Clockwork Three", was published by Scholastic  Press, and was named one of Publishers Weekly's 2010 Flying Starts. His second book, "Icefall", about a Viking princess, won the 2012 Edgar Award for Juvenile Fiction. He currently lives near Salt Lake City, Utah with his wife, Jaime.