Erin Hunter is a pseudonym

Pseudonym

A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...

 used by the authors Kate Cary

Kate Cary

Kate Cary is one of the authors of the Warriors novel series, a story about wild cats, which she writes under the pen name of Erin Hunter. The other authors who also write the Warriors novel series under the pen name Erin Hunter are Cherith Baldry, Victoria Holmes, and Tui T. Sutherland...

, Cherith Baldry

Cherith Baldry

Cherith Baldry is a writer of fantasy fiction. She grew up on a farm and worked with house cats. For a while, she took up the job of teaching, but gave up in order to become a full time writer. She currently lives in Reigate, England. Baldry collaborates with Kate Cary, Tui T...

, and Tui Sutherland, along with editor Victoria Holmes

Victoria Holmes

Victoria "Vicky" Holmes comes up with the ideas for the New York Times Bestselling Warriors books, consisting of four miniseries: Warriors, Warriors: The New Prophecy, Warriors: Power of Three, and Warriors: Omen of the Stars, written by Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry, and new addition Tui Sutherland...

. Under this pen name, they have written two series of books. They are best known for the Warriors series, but the authors have also created another similar series called Seekers

Seekers (novel series)

Seekers is a children's novel series written by a team of authors under the pseudonym Erin Hunter, who also wrote the Warriors series. Seekers follows the adventures of four bear cubs: Kallik , Lusa , Ujurak , and Toklo...

. The pseudonym was created because using various names on the books would mean that the books would be shelved in different places in libraries, making them harder to find. The name Hunter was chosen because it fitted the theme of feral cats in Warriors; as well, it would be shelved close to books by Brian Jacques, an author that the writers like.

Kate Cary, Victoria Holmes, and Cherith Baldry live in the UK, and Tui Sutherland lives in the US. Each of the authors play a different role: while Holmes creates the storyline of each book, Cary, Baldry, and Sutherland take turns writing the books. Sutherland is the newest Erin Hunter of the group and writes mostly for the Seekers series (which is about bears, rather than cats); she has written fewer Warriors books, with all of them being field guides.

As well, another person who is not an Erin Hunter writes the manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

: Dan Jolley.

History

In 2003, HarperCollins asked Victoria Holmes to write a fantasy series about feral cats, but, being more interested in dogs and not a reader of fantasy, she was less than enthusiastic. After writing one storyline, Kate Cary was brought in to write the book as Holmes went behind the scenes to supervise details and edit the book. Then on the third book, Forest of Secrets (Warriors) Cherith Baldry joined Erin Hunter. Later, after Tui wrote the first special edition of Warriors, she became the fourth Erin Hunter.

The name Erin Hunter was chosen for a few reasons. First, if the authors used all of their own names, the books would be placed in different places in a library making them hard to find. Also, the name "Hunter" relates to their topic of feral cats living in the wild. The name "Hunter" also placed them close with Brian Jacques

Brian Jacques

James Brian Jacques was an English author best known for his Redwall series of novels and Castaways of the Flying Dutchman series. He also completed two collections of short stories entitled The Ribbajack & Other Curious Yarns and Seven Strange and Ghostly Tales.-Biography:Brian Jacques was born...

, author of the Redwall

Redwall

Redwall, by Brian Jacques, is a series of fantasy novels. It is the title of the first book of the series, published in 1986, the name of the Abbey featured in the book, and the name of an animated TV series based on three of the novels , which first aired in 1999...

series which has a similar story to Warriors.

Victoria Holmes

Holmes was the original author of the series with HarperCollins requesting her to write the series. After inviting Kate Cary to do the actual writing of the book, she moved behind the scenes to help edit and supervise the details.

Holmes grew up on a farm in England. She was born on the July 7, 1974, and learned how to ride horses at two. Later she attended Oxford University. There, the buildings "inspired an interest in history". She now lives in London where she works as the editor for the series.

On April 5th, 2011, Bookperk, a site that offers special deals on books, ran a special for signed copies of Warriors: Omen of the Stars #4: Sign of the Moon. Because Erin Hunter is not an actual person, these books were signed by Victoria Holmes on behalf of the created persona.

Kate Cary

Kate was the second author brought on board to write for the series. Holmes chose Cary to write the first book after Holmes had finished one storyline. In the first series she wrote Into the Wild

Into the Wild (Warriors)

Into the Wild is a children's fantasy novel written by Kate Cary under the pseudonym Erin Hunter after concepts and outlines created and developed by Victoria Holmes. The novel was published by HarperCollins in Canada and the United States in January 2003, and in the United Kingdom in February...

, Fire and Ice

Fire and Ice (Warriors)

Fire and Ice is a children's fantasy novel, the second book in the Warriors series, written by Kate Cary under the pen name of Erin Hunter. The plot centers around Fireheart and Graystripe, newly promoted warriors of ThunderClan, which is one of the four groups of feral cats living in the wilderness...

and Rising Storm

Rising Storm (Warriors)

Rising Storm is a children's fantasy novel, the fourth book in the Warriors series, written by Cherith Baldry and Kate Cary under the pen name of Erin Hunter. Rising Storm was written by Kate Cary. The series follows the adventures of four Clans of wild cats. In the previous book, Forest of...

. In the second series she only wrote Dawn

Dawn (Warriors)

Dawn is a children's fantasy novel, the third book in the Warriors: The New Prophecy series. Dawn was written by Kate Cary under the pen name of Erin Hunter. It was published on December 27, 2005 by HarperCollins. The book follows the adventures of the four warrior cat Clans after five questing...

, the third book. In the third series she wrote The Sight

The Sight (Warriors)

The Sight is a children's fantasy novel. It was released April 24, 2007, and it is the first installment of the Warriors: Power of Three series by Erin Hunter...

, Dark River

Dark River (Warriors)

Dark River is a children's fantasy novel, the second installment of the third series of Warriors, Warriors: The Power of Three by Erin Hunter. It continues the adventure of the ThunderClan cats, Jaypaw, Lionpaw and Hollypaw, which began in The Sight and continues in Outcast...

and Eclipse

Eclipse (Warriors)

Eclipse is a children's fantasy novel, the fourth book in Erin Hunter's Warriors: Power of Three, and was widely released on September 2, 2008. It is the fourth book in what is the third six-book series of the Warriors series...

. In the most recent series she wrote Fading Echoes

Fading Echoes (Warriors)

Fading Echoes is a children's fantasy novel, the second book in Erin Hunter's Warriors: Omen of the Stars, and was released April 6, 2010.- Summary :...

.

She was born in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 on November 4, 1967. She later moved to Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 where she lived for 12 years before going back to England where she currently resides. Besides the Warriors series she has also written the books Bloodline and the sequel Reckoning.
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Cherith Baldry

Cherith was the third author brought in to the Erin Hunter team. Holmes invited her to join on the third book, Forest of Secrets after seeing her writing style feeling that it was similar to Erin Hunter's.

Tui Sutherland

Sutherland was born in Caracas, Venezuela, but now lives in the United States which makes her the only non-British author of the series. She now lives in Boston and first wrote the field guide Secrets of the Clans

Secrets of the Clans

Secrets of the Clans was the first field guide in the Warriors novel series meant to be used as a guide to the world of Warriors. The cover features Firestar with three cats, possibly other leaders, sitting behind him at night with a border of the images of the five Clans, StarClan included.-Plot...

.

Warriors

Warriors (original series)

1. Into the Wild
   Into the Wild (Warriors)
   Into the Wild is a children's fantasy novel written by Kate Cary under the pseudonym Erin Hunter after concepts and outlines created and developed by Victoria Holmes. The novel was published by HarperCollins in Canada and the United States in January 2003, and in the United Kingdom in February...
   
   (2003) (Kate Cary)
2. Fire and Ice
   Fire and Ice (Warriors)
   Fire and Ice is a children's fantasy novel, the second book in the Warriors series, written by Kate Cary under the pen name of Erin Hunter. The plot centers around Fireheart and Graystripe, newly promoted warriors of ThunderClan, which is one of the four groups of feral cats living in the wilderness...
   
   (2003) (Kate Cary)
3. Forest of Secrets
   Forest of Secrets
   Forest of Secrets is a children's fantasy novel, the third book in the original Warriors series, written by Cherith Baldry under the pen name of Erin Hunter. The plot is about Fireheart, a ThunderClan warrior, attempting to prevent his best friend Graystripe from falling in love with Silverstream,...
   
   (2003) (Cherith Baldry)
4. Rising Storm
   Rising Storm (Warriors)
   Rising Storm is a children's fantasy novel, the fourth book in the Warriors series, written by Cherith Baldry and Kate Cary under the pen name of Erin Hunter. Rising Storm was written by Kate Cary. The series follows the adventures of four Clans of wild cats. In the previous book, Forest of...
   
   (2004) (Kate Cary)
5. A Dangerous Path
   A Dangerous Path
   A Dangerous Path is a children's fantasy novel, the fifth book in the Warriors series, written by Cherith Baldry and Kate Cary under the pseudonym of Erin Hunter. This individual book was written by Cherith Baldry. The series is about four Clans of wild cats, and their adventures in the forest in...
   
   (2004) (Cherith Baldry)
6. The Darkest Hour
   The Darkest Hour (Warriors)
   The Darkest Hour is a children's fantasy novel, the sixth and last book in the original Warriors series by Erin Hunter, featuring the fictional character Firestar, a cat. The series centers around a group of feral cats living in four Clans, ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan. It was...
   
   (2004) (Cherith Baldry)

Warriors: The New Prophecy

1. Midnight
   Midnight (Warriors)
   Midnight is a children's fantasy novel, the first book in Erin Hunter's Warriors: The New Prophecy series. Following The Darkest Hour and Firestar's Quest, and preceding Moonrise, it was released May 10, 2005...
   
   (2005) (Cherith Baldry)
2. Moonrise
   Moonrise (Warriors)
   Moonrise is a children's fantasy novel, the second book in the Warriors: The New Prophecy series. The book, which follows the adventures of four groups of anthropomorphic wild cats , was written by Erin Hunter , with cover art by Wayne McLoughlin...
   
   (2005) (Cherith Baldry)
3. Dawn
   Dawn (Warriors)
   Dawn is a children's fantasy novel, the third book in the Warriors: The New Prophecy series. Dawn was written by Kate Cary under the pen name of Erin Hunter. It was published on December 27, 2005 by HarperCollins. The book follows the adventures of the four warrior cat Clans after five questing...
   
   (2006) (Kate Cary)
4. Starlight
   Starlight (Warriors)
   Starlight is a children's fantasy novel, the fourth book in Erin Hunter's bestselling Warriors: The New Prophecy series. The hardback was released on April 4, 2006 and the paperback on March 27, 2007.-Plot summary:...
   
   (2006) (Cherith Baldry)
5. Twilight
   Twilight (Warriors)
   Twilight is a children's fantasy novel in the Warriors novel series written by multiple authors under the pseudonym of Erin Hunter. It is the fifth book in the New Prophecy series. It was generally well-received by critics.-Plot summary:...
   
   (2006) (Cherith Baldry)
6. Sunset
   Sunset (Warriors)
   Sunset is a children's fantasy novel, the sixth and final book in Erin Hunter's Warriors: The New Prophecy series. The book begins with the Clan rebuilding the camp along with the help of Stormfur and Brook. As the book progresses Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight fall in love again, but Brambleclaw...
   
   (2007) (Cherith Baldry)

Warriors: Power of Three

1. The Sight
   The Sight (Warriors)
   The Sight is a children's fantasy novel. It was released April 24, 2007, and it is the first installment of the Warriors: Power of Three series by Erin Hunter...
   
   (2007) (Kate Cary)
2. Dark River
   Dark River (Warriors)
   Dark River is a children's fantasy novel, the second installment of the third series of Warriors, Warriors: The Power of Three by Erin Hunter. It continues the adventure of the ThunderClan cats, Jaypaw, Lionpaw and Hollypaw, which began in The Sight and continues in Outcast...
   
   (2007) (Kate Cary)
3. Outcast
   Outcast (Warriors)
   Outcast is the third book in Erin Hunter's Warriors: Power of Three children's fantasy novel series. HarperCollins published it on April 22, 2008...
   
   (2008) (Cherith Baldry)
4. Eclipse
   Eclipse (Warriors)
   Eclipse is a children's fantasy novel, the fourth book in Erin Hunter's Warriors: Power of Three, and was widely released on September 2, 2008. It is the fourth book in what is the third six-book series of the Warriors series...
   
   (2008) (Kate Cary)
5. Long Shadows
   Long Shadows (Warriors)
   Long Shadows is a children's fantasy novel, the fifth book in Erin Hunter's Warriors: Power of Three, and was widely released November 25, 2008...
   
   (2008) (Cherith Baldry)
6. Sunrise
   Sunrise (Warriors)
   Sunrise is the sixth and final book in Erin Hunter's Warriors: Power of Three children's fantasy novel series. HarperCollins published it on April 21, 2009. The plot follows Jayfeather, Hollyleaf, and Lionblaze on their quest to find Ashfur's true murderer. It was originally to be titled "Cruel...
   
   (2009) (Cherith Baldry)

Warriors: Omen of the Stars

1. The Fourth Apprentice (2009) (Cherith Baldry)
2. Fading Echoes
   Fading Echoes (Warriors)
   Fading Echoes is a children's fantasy novel, the second book in Erin Hunter's Warriors: Omen of the Stars, and was released April 6, 2010.- Summary :...
   
   (2010) (Kate Cary)
3. Night Whispers
   Night Whispers (Warriors)
   Night Whispers is a children's fantasy novel, the 3rd book in the Warriors: Omen of the Stars series. Written under the pseudonym of Erin Hunter, three separate authors contribute to the story...
   
   (2010) (Kate Cary)
4. Sign of the Moon
   Sign of the Moon
   Sign of the Moon is a children's fantasy novel written by Cherith Baldry under the pseudonym Erin Hunter. The novel was published by HarperCollins in the United States on April 5, 2011. It is the fourth novel in the Warriors: Omen of the Stars series...
   
   (2011) (Cherith Baldry)
5. The Forgotten Warrior (2011) (Cherith Baldry)
6. The Last Hope (2012)

Warriors Manga: Graystripe's Trilogy

1. The Lost Warrior
   The Lost Warrior (Warriors)
   The Lost Warrior is the first in an original English-language manga trilogy based on the best-selling book series Warriors by Erin Hunter. The manga was published by the distributor Tokyopop, and was released on April 24, 2007. It follows Graystripe's adventures trying to escape from the Twolegs,...
   
   (2007) (Dan Jolley)
2. Warrior's Refuge
   Warrior's Refuge
   Warrior’s Refuge is the second in an original English-language manga trilogy based on the best-selling book series Warriors by Erin Hunter. The manga was published by the distributor Tokyopop, and was released on December 26, 2007 along with Dark River, the second book in Warriors: Power of Three....
   
   (2007) (Dan Jolley)
3. Warrior's Return
   Warrior's Return
   Warrior’s Return is an original English-language manga volume written by Erin Hunter as part of the Warriors series. It is the third and final in a trilogy following Graystripe, a fictional wild cat trying to find his Clan. It was released on April 22, 2008...
   
   (2008) (Dan Jolley)

Warriors Manga: Rise of Scourge

1. The Rise of Scourge
   The Rise of Scourge
   The Rise of Scourge is an original English-language manga book written by Erin Hunter and Dan Jolley as part of the Warriors series. The Rise of Scourge is a stand-alone manga that details the rise to power of the BloodClan leader, Scourge. It is drawn by Bettina Kurkoski.-Plot summary:The book...
   
   (2008) (Dan Jolley)

Warriors Manga: Tigerstar and Sasha

1. Into the Woods
   Into the Woods (Warriors)
   Into the Woods is the first in an original English-language manga trilogy based on the best-selling book series Warriors by Erin Hunter. The manga was published by the distributor Tokyopop, and was released on September 2, 2008. It follows Sasha's adventures learning to cope in the wild after one...
   
   (2008) (Dan Jolley)
2. Escape from the Forest
   Escape from the Forest
   Escape from the Forest is an original English-language manga volume written by Erin Hunter as part of the Warriors series. It is the second in a trilogy following Sasha, a fictional wild cat trying to learn how to live in the wild. It was released on December 23, 2008...
   
   (2009) (Dan Jolley)
3. Return to the Clans
   Return to the Clans
   Return to the Clans is an original English-language manga volume written by Erin Hunter as part of the Warriors series. It is the third and final in a trilogy following Sasha, a fictional wild cat trying to learn how to live in the wild. It was released on June 9, 2009...
   
   (2009) (Dan Jolley)

Warriors Manga: Ravenpaw's Path

1. Shattered Peace
   Shattered Peace
   Shattered Peace is one in a series of OEL manga in the novel series Warriors. The book was published by Tokyopop and released on November 24, 2009. It follows the story of two cats who are thrown out of their home by a group of hostile cats...
   
   (2009) (Dan Jolley)
2. A Clan in Need
   A Clan in Need
   A Clan in Need is one of a spin-off original English-language manga series based on the Warriors novel series. The book was published by Tokyopop on March 23, 2010 and drawn by James Barry under the pen name Erin Hunter.-Plot summary:...
   
   (2010) (Dan Jolley)
3. The Heart of a Warrior
   The Heart of a Warrior
   The Heart of a Warrior is the third book in the Ravenpaw's Path series of original English-language manga. It focuses on Firestar's promise to get rid of the rogues that are living in Ravenpaw and Barley's barn...
   
   (2010) (Dan Jolley)

Warriors Manga: SkyClan and the Stranger

1. The Rescue (2011) (Dan Jolley)
2. Beyond the Code (2011) (Dan Jolley)
3. After the Flood (2012) (Dan Jolley)

Warriors: Super Edition

1. Firestar's Quest (2007) (Cherith Baldry)
2. Bluestar's Prophecy
   Bluestar's Prophecy
   Bluestar's Prophecy is a children's fantasy novel in the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. This is the second Warriors Super Edition, the first being Firestar's Quest...
   
   (2009) (Kate Cary)
3. SkyClan's Destiny
   SkyClan's Destiny
   SkyClan's Destiny is a children's fantasy novel, the third super edition in the Warriors series. It was written by Cherith Baldry under the pen name of Erin Hunter. Victoria Holmes revealed in an Author Tracker e-mail that they had developed the general idea for the book quickly, but took a while...
   
   (2010) (Cherith Baldry)
4. Crookedstar's Promise
   Crookedstar's Promise
   Crookedstar's Promise is a children's fantasy novel, the fourth super edition in the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. The book itself is being written by Kate Cary...
   
   (2011) (Kate Cary)

Warriors: Field Guides

1. Secrets of the Clans
   Secrets of the Clans
   Secrets of the Clans was the first field guide in the Warriors novel series meant to be used as a guide to the world of Warriors. The cover features Firestar with three cats, possibly other leaders, sitting behind him at night with a border of the images of the five Clans, StarClan included.-Plot...
   
   (2007) (Tui Sutherland)
2. Cats of the Clans
   Cats of the Clans (Warriors)
   Cats of the Clans is a field guide in the Warriors novel series. It consists of biographical sketches of the Clans and cats, in the form of stories told to three kittens who died and went to StarClan. The narrator is Rock, a mysterious blind cat...
   
   (2008) (Victoria Homes)
3. Code of the Clans
   Code of the Clans
   Code of the Clans is a field guide in the Warriors novel series. Code of the Clans is about the Warrior code and includes an ominous sign from StarClan that signaled the need to patrol borders, the unexpected help from a warrior ancestor that cemented the importance of elders, a secret coup that...
   
   (2009) (Tui Sutherland)
4. Battles of the Clans
   Battles of the Clans
   Battles of the Clans is the fourth field guide in the Warriors series. It was written by Erin Hunter and released on June 1, 2010.-Plot:Just like previous Field Editions, Battles of the Clans has no real plot but consists of multiple short stories told by cats from the Clans .Battles of the Clans...
   
   (2010) (Tui Sutherland)

Seekers

Seekers (novel series)

Seekers is a children's novel series written by a team of authors under the pseudonym Erin Hunter, who also wrote the Warriors series. Seekers follows the adventures of four bear cubs: Kallik , Lusa , Ujurak , and Toklo...

Seekers (original series)

1. The Quest Begins (2008) (Tui Sutherland)
2. Great Bear Lake (2009) (Cherith Baldry)
3. Smoke Mountain (2009) (Tui Sutherland)
4. The Last Wilderness (2010) (Cherith Baldry)
5. Fire in the Sky (2010) (Tui Sutherland)
6. Spirits in the Stars (2011) (Cherith Baldry)

Seekers Manga

1. Toklo's Story (2010)
2. Kallik's Adventure (2011)

Book development

With four authors, there are specific roles with each author. First, Holmes, who acts as the editor sends in the preliminary script and outline to Cary, Cherith or Sutherland, depending on who writes the book. Then, the author develops Holmes' ideas into a single book which is sent back to Holmes for one last check over and edit. After she finishes, the author fixes it up and gets ready to publish it.

Writing style

With four different authors, Holmes has said that "[the book] "sounds" like Erin, because she has a very distinctive voice". She compares the style of the authors to a different language where a stray line or word can stick out. Holmes says that she is in charge of editing and making sure that the book sounds correct. The books are all told in a third person narrative though the point of view changes with each series. The first series, the original Warriors series, followed Firepaw. Then in the second series, The New Prophecy, the view switched between Firepaw's, now Firestar, two daughters, Squirrelpaw and Leafpaw, in addition to Tigerstar's son, Brambleclaw, and Graystripe's son and daughter Stormfur and Feathertail in Moonrise. In the Power of Three series, it goes back between Firestar's grand-children Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and Hollyleaf. In the Omen of the Stars series, it go between Lionblaze, Jayfeather, Dovepaw, and Ivypaw. In Night Whispers, it also includes the perspective of Flametail of ShadowClan, which is the only time it has been out of ThunderClan in the four main series since Moonrise. In the Seekers series, the point of view alternates between the three bears, Lusa, Kallik and Toklo until The Last Wilderness, where Ujurak's point of view is added in with the other three.