World Literary Awards

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T. J. Klune

ティージェイ・クルーン

Tī Jei Kurūn

Aliases: Travis John Klune

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1982-05-20 (Roseburg, Oregon)
Nationality
American
Languages
English
Residence History
Roseburg, Oregon, U.S.

Career

Occupations
Novelist
Active Years
2011-2024
Influenced By
Stephen King, Wilson Rawls, Patricia Nell Warren, Robert McCammon, Terry Pratchett
Nominations
Goodreads Choice Awards Fantasy 3rd (2020, The House in the Cerulean Sea), Goodreads Choice Awards Fantasy 2nd (2021, Under the Whispering Door), Locus Award Best Fantasy Novel Nominated (2022)

Awards

Lambda Literary Award
2014
Work: Into This River I Drown
Category: Gay Romance
Organization: Lambda Literary Foundation
Result: Won
Alex Award
2021
Work: The House in the Cerulean Sea
Organization: American Library Association (YALSA)
Result: Won
Mythopoeic Fantasy Award
2021
Work: The House in the Cerulean Sea
Category: Adult Literature
Organization: Mythopoeic Society
Result: Won
RUSA CODES Reading List
2021
Work: The House in the Cerulean Sea
Category: Fantasy
Organization: Reference and User Services Association
Result: Won

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The House in the Cerulean Sea

2020 Fantasy

Linus Baker, a caseworker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, is sent to inspect an orphanage on Marsyas Island housing six dangerous children, including Lucifer, son of the Devil.

LGBTQ+ representationfound familykindnessdiversity

Into This River I Drown

2013 Magical realism

A supernatural tale about grief and love in a small town, written while processing the death of his father.

grieflovequeer

Under the Whispering Door

2021 Fantasy

A fantasy novel set in the afterlife.

afterlifelove

Bibliography

  • Bear, Otter, and the Kid
  • Who We Are
  • The Art of Breathing
  • The Long and Winding Road
  • Tell Me It’s Real
  • The Queen & the Homo Jock King
  • Until You
  • Why We Fight
  • The Lightning-Struck Heart
  • A Destiny of Dragons
  • The Consumption of Magic
  • A Wish Upon the Stars
  • Fairytales from Verania
  • The Damning Stone
  • How to Be a Normal Person
  • How to Be a Movie Star
  • Withered + Sere
  • Crisped + Sere
  • Wolfsong
  • Ravensong
  • Heartsong
  • Brothersong
  • The House in the Cerulean Sea
  • Somewhere Beyond the Sea
  • The Extraordinaries
  • Flash Fire
  • Heat Wave
  • Burn
  • Into This River I Drown
  • Murmuration
  • The Bones Beneath My Skin
  • Under the Whispering Door
  • In the Lives of Puppets

Style & Themes

Literary Style
LGBT literaturemagical realismhumorous fantasyromantic fiction
Recurring Motifs
queer joyneurodiversitygrief and healingfound family

Health

  • Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
    生涯
    Influences writing, portraying neurodiverse characters positively.

Legacy

American author of fantasy and romantic fiction featuring gay and LGBTQ+ characters. The House in the Cerulean Sea is a New York Times bestseller and award winner including Lambda Literary, Alex, and Mythopoeic Awards.

Trivia

  • Began writing fiction at age eight.
  • Open about his experiences as asexual, queer, and neurodiverse, influencing his character development.
  • Proposed to author Eric Arvin in 2013; Arvin died in 2016.
  • Started writing with fan fiction about Metroid.