J.M. Lee

Born and raised in the great Minnesota north, Joe spent his formative years searching for talking animals and believing he could control the weather. After pursuing nerdy interests in comparative film studies, screenwriting, and Shakespeare, he graduated from the University of Minnesota with a much nerdier degree in linguistics with a focus in Japanese phonology.

In addition to writing novels, Joe is an English tutor and writing mentor for teens and young adults of all levels and abilities. He enjoys teaching his dog new vocabulary words and updating his snooty coffee blog. He lives with his wife in Minneapolis.

The Dark Crystal Author Quest

In 2013, the Jim Henson Company and Grosset & Dunlap launched the Dark Crystal Author Quest. The winner would be awarded a publishing contract to write the first official prequel novel to Jim Henson’s beloved fantasy classic The Dark Crystal (1982). After winning the contest and completing the first novel, Shadows of the Dark Crystal, Joe signed on for three more. The third installment in the quadrilogy, Tides of the Dark Crystal, out now. The finale of the series, Flames of the Dark Crystal, is scheduled for summer 2019.

Joe is also a staff writer and creative consultant on The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, a 10-episode Netflix prequel series scheduled for 2019.