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Delilah S Dawson

(b.1977)

aka Lila Bowen

Delilah S. Dawson comes from a long line of Roswell, GA natives. Originally named after two grandmothers and a dog, she grew up as Missy Southard and attended Roswell High School and the University of Georgia, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Studio Art. Her career gag reel includes stints as an art teacher, a balloon artist, a reptile vendor, various Disney princesses, a corpse, a cube monkey, a tour guide, a horseback riding instructor, a muralist, and a gallery supervisor.

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Children's Fiction, Science Fiction, Horror, Young Adult Fantasy, Mystery, Urban Fantasy

New and upcoming books

August 2026

Brona
(First Druids of Shannara, book 2)

October 2026

Monstera

Series

Blud
   1. Wicked as They Come (2012)
   The Mysterious Madam Morpho (2012)
   The Peculiar Pets of Miss Pleasance (2013)
   2. Wicked as She Wants (2013)
   The Damsel and the Daggerman (2014)
   3. Wicked After Midnight (2014)
   The Three Lives of Lydia (2014)
   4. Wicked Ever After (2015)

Hit
1. Hit (2015)
2. Strike (2016)

Tales of Pell (with Kevin Hearne)
   1. Kill the Farm Boy (2018)
   2. No Country for Old Gnomes (2019)
   3. The Princess Beard (2019)

Oberon's Meaty Mysteries (with Kevin Hearne and Chuck Wendig)
3. Death & Honey (2019)
4. Canines and Cocktails (2024)

Star Wars Inquisitor
Rise of the Red Blade (2023)

Mirrorverse
1. Pure of Heart (2023)

First Druids of Shannara (with Terry Brooks)
2. Brona (2026)

Novels

   Servants of the Storm (2014)
   Violent Ends (2015) (with others)
   Mine (2021)
   The Violence (2022)
   Camp Scare (2022)
   Midnight at the Houdini (2023)
   Bloom (2023)
   Guillotine (2024)
   It Will Only Hurt for a Moment (2024)
   Ride or Die (2025)
   House of Idyll (2025)

Collections

   Three Slices (2015) (with Kevin Hearne and Chuck Wendig)
   Tinsel and Temptation (2015) (with others)
   Star Wars Insider: Fiction Collection Vol. 2 (2021) (with others)

Novellas and Short Stories

Monstera (2026)

Series contributed to

Carniepunk
Carniepunk (2013) (with others)

Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The Perfect Weapon (2015)

Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Phasma (2017)

Star Wars
The Skywalker Saga (2019)
Stories of Jedi and Sith (2022) (with others)

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
Black Spire (2019)

Minecraft: Mob Squad
   1. Mob Squad (2021)
   2. Never Say Nether (2022)
   3. Don't Fear the Creeper (2022)

Diablo
Diablo: Tales from the Horadric Library (2022) (with others)

Ravenloft
Heir of Strahd (2025)

Graphic Novels show

Books containing stories by Delilah S Dawson

Paranormal Payback (2026)
(Dresden Files)
edited by
Jim Butcher and Kerrie L Hughes

Howl (2025)
An Anthology of Werewolves from Women-in-Horror
(Women in Horror Anthology)
edited by
Lindy Ryan and Stephanie M Wytovich

Weird Tales Magazine No. 370 (2024)
Monster Issue
(Weird Tales Magazine)

More books

Awards

2024 Dragon Award for Best Young Adult / Middle Grade Novel : Midnight at the Houdini

Award nominations

	2025 Dragon Award for Best Horror Novel (nominee) : It Will Only Hurt for a Moment
	2023 ITW Award for Best Hardcover Novel (nominee) : The Violence
	2022 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Middle Grade Novel (nominee) : Camp Scare
	2018 Dragon Award for Best Media Tie-In Novel (nominee) : Phasma

Delilah S Dawson recommends

Detour (2026)
(Detour, book 1)
Rob Hart and Jeff Rake
"A fast-paced, cinematic space thriller with sympathetic characters that absolutely leap off the page and demand attention, Detour will leave you breathless, anxious, and questioning everything you know. I can't wait for part two!"

Senseless (2025)
Ronald Malfi
"A neon-lit pilgrimage to the worst parts of LA and the filthiest parts of the human soul, this intricate braid of horror, thriller, and procedural slowly tightens like a snare, holding you captive, forcing you to watch as the knife parts flesh. Brutal, clever, surprising, and as dark as the desert on a moonless night."

Eat the Ones You Love (2025)
Sarah Maria Griffin
"Eat the Ones You Love is a visceral experience akin to stepping into a lush greenhouse and feeling your skin come alive, blood warm and tingling, as spring green vines brush your cheeks whispering promises of hunger. Decadent, heartfelt, delicious, dark, broken, sweet, and horrifying, this book is a journey of verdant, blooming love and creeping terror not to be missed."

Exquisite Ruin (2025)
(Labyrinth , book 1)
AdriAnne May
"Grab those horns in both hands and get ready for a wild ride at turns both sharp and tender, sexy and sweet."

All the Hearts You Eat (2024)
Hailey Piper
"Sharp but tender, delicate but bloody, tragic but triumphant, All the Hearts You Eat will curl cat claws into your chest and take hold of your heart. This is Stephen King's IT for a new generation."

The Merciless King of Moore High (2024)
(Crosstown Kingdoms, book 1)
Lily Sparks
"Daybreak meets Game of Thrones with a romance that will melt your face off in this twisty, thrilling, colorful trip through an apocalypse you've never seen before. Sparks is the queen of swoon-worthy romance in the midst of murder."

A Botanical Daughter (2024)
Noah Medlock
"Ripe, lush, and bursting with beauty and horror, A Botanical Daughter will delight, amuse and terrify, all while breaking your heart. Perfect for readers who can imagine Frankenstein as created by the characters of Good Omens in the Garden of Eden."

The School for Invisible Boys (2024)
(Kairos Files, book 1)
Shaun David Hutchinson
"A kid with a secret superpower who triumphs over his bully and saves the school from a monster? Sign me up to be friends with Hector - and fight by his side. An exciting, creepy story."

The Pale House Devil (2023)
(Discreet Eliminators, book 1)
Richard Kadrey
"A perfect, meaty morsel of a story merging traditional pulp with modern mythology and murderous characters that will steal your heart. I read it in one go and am devilishly hungry for more."

Fever House (2023)
(Fever House Duology, book 1)
Keith Rosson
"The unsettling darkness of Joe Hill meets the cryptic mystery of The X-Files, Fever House is a wild ride through a funhouse apocalypse that will stick to your mind like clotted blood."

Night's Edge (2023)
(Night's Edge , book 1)
Liz Kerin
"Fascinating. A powerful, thoughtful, and all-too-real take on vampires that will ring true for abuse survivors and have everyone else jumping at shadows."

Oakland Dragon Blues and Other Stories (2023)
(Essential Peter S. Beagle, book 2)
Peter S Beagle
"Peter S. Beagle's short stories tap into the sweetest sap of the soul and leave their mark forever. He always makes me cry in the most wonderful and necessary way."

Wings Once Cursed & Bound (2023)
(Mythwoven, book 1)
Piper J Drake
"An exciting new mythology rising on strong wings among the supernatural creatures you already love and crave. I can't wait to read the next one!"

Damsel (2023)
Evelyn Skye
"Elegant and explosive, Damsel has all the fantasy, beauty, dragons, and intrigue of Game of Thrones, elevated by a feminist lens and a powerful heroine--a long line of heroines--determined to do right by the world and by her fellow women."

Wretched Waterpark (2022)
(Sinister Summer, book 1)
Kiersten White
"A timeless and charming romp of mysterious gothic delight for fans of Neil Gaiman, The Mysterious Benedict Society, and Hotel Transylvania. I want to live in this world!"

Portrait of a Thief (2022)
Grace D Li
"A lyrical and action-packed tale of yearning, connection, self-discovery, and righting wrongs, Portrait of a Thief is a unique vision of what it means to come home."

Dust & Grim (2021)
Chuck Wendig
"Spookily charming, bewitchingly creepy, full of hope, heart, and horror, Dust & Grim is the sort of book you gobble up in one sweet and salty bite."

Summer in the City of Roses (2021)
Michelle Ruiz Keil
"Summer in the City of Roses is riveting, singular, poetic, powerful, fierce, soft, heartbreaking, and heart-mending, as tender as velvet and sharp as the bloody antler underneath. Michelle Ruiz Keil is the Erin Morgenstern of YA."

Aetherbound (2021)
E K Johnston
"Compelling and thoughtful, stark and bright, brimming with heart and rebellion, Aetherbound is the space opera you didn't know you needed and a beautiful reminder that the tendrils of hope can grow in even the darkest, hardest world. This book is a gift and a balm."

We Could Be Heroes (2021)
Mike Chen
"Brimming with hope, goodwill, and friendship goals, We Could Be Heroes is the Thor: Ragnarok of superhero fiction."

Bonds of Brass (2020)
(Bloodright Trilogy, book 1)
Emily Skrutskie
"A fast-paced space opera with heart and style, Bonds of Brass had me screaming KISS ALREADY on every page."

Eden (2020)
Tim Lebbon
"A terrifying thrill ride into nature’s well-deserved revenge on humans, Eden is a chilling warning and a fast, hard read... today’s version of The Hot Zone."

Steel Crow Saga (2019)
Paul Krueger
"With fierce women, ferocious creatures, and a sophisticated twist on Pokémon meets Avatar: The Last Airbender, Steel Crow Saga is the fantasy epic you didn't know you needed, creating a rich new mythology and characters so real you can smell their pipe smoke and adobo."

Empress of Forever (2019)
Max Gladstone
"A classic space opera that impossibly becomes a thrilling dungeon crawl fantasy through a universe we've never seen before. So smart it makes me jealous."

A Memory Called Empire (2019)
(Teixcalaan, book 1)
Arkady Martine
"A Memory Called Empire elevates space opera to poetry--clever, deep, sometimes tragic, sometimes violent, always transcendent poetry that shines like the edge of a knife."

Unbury Carol (2018)
Josh Malerman
"With vivid prose and characters that leap off the page, guns a-blazing, Unbury Carol creates its own lingering legend, dragging you along like an obstinate horse toward a righteous storm of an ending."

A Plague of Giants (2017)
(Seven Kennings, book 1)
Kevin Hearne
"A Plague of Giants is a rare masterpiece that’s both current and timeless, groundbreaking yet traditional, merging the fantasy bones of Tolkien and Rothfuss with a wide cast of characters who’ll break your heart while reminding you of your humanity. This book truly resonates and will haunt you long after the last page."

Bite (2016)
(Wastelanders, book 1)
K S Merbeth
"A full throttle, sand-in-your-eyes, no holds barred ride through a Mad Max-style wasteland where the bad guys become family. Finally, an underdog with teeth!"

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