Kathy Tyers
Encyclopedia
Kathy Tyers is an American
author and musician currently living in Bozeman, Montana
.
. She obtained a degree in microbiology from Montana State University
, where she met her future husband Mark Tyers. After their marriage, she returned to school and became certified to teach grades K-12
. When their church opened a private school, she took over teaching the lower grades. In 1979, she retired from teaching to start a family; her son Matthew was born in 1981 and she began writing in earnest two years later.
Tyers sold her first novel Firebird to Bantam Spectra in 1986. She subsequently sold Fusion Fire
(1988; a sequel to Firebird), Crystal Witness (1989) and Shivering World (1991). During this period she also authored a nonfiction travel book and, with her husband, released two CD
s of folk music
, Leave Her, Johnny and The Very Best Dreams on which she played flute and Irish harp. In 1991, while working on another speculative fiction novel, she was approached with an opportunity to write a novel in the Star Wars Expanded Universe
. Her novel The Truce at Bakura
(1993) reached the New York Times bestseller list.
Despite her success, after the sale of her novel One Mind's Eye, Tyers took a complete sabbatical from writing from 1994 to 1997. She eventually returned to writing, specifically targeting the Christian Booksellers Association in an attempt to sell Christian science fiction, and Bethany House Publishers published rewritten versions of Firebird and Fusion Fire.
The rewritten versions, published in 1999 and 2000 along with a third novel, Crown of Fire, were much more spiritual in nature and, in most markets, were marketed as Christian fiction instead of science fiction
. They were published as a single volume edition in 2004. During the same period, Tyers was approached for the Star Wars
market again and authored another novel, Balance Point
, in addition to short stories for four Star Wars anthologies. Shivering World was revised and re-released in early 2004.
Tyers' husband Mark died from alcoholism in 2004. She took another sabbatical from fiction writing, working with guitarist Christopher Parkening
on his autobiography Grace Like a River. In 2006, she entered Regent College in Vancouver BC, and after earning a Master of Christian Studies degree, emphasis Christianity and the Arts, she lived in Bellingham, WA for a year before returning to Montana.
The three Firebird novels were re-released in an annotated version by Marcher Lord Press in 2011, to be followed by two additional series novels.
Tyers is currently active in the Presbyterian (PCA) church.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author and musician currently living in Bozeman, Montana
Bozeman, Montana
Bozeman is a city in and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. The 2010 census put Bozeman's population at 37,280 making it the fourth largest city in the state. It is the principal city of the Bozeman micropolitan area, which consists...
.
Biography
Kathy Tyers (née Moore) was born and raised in Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
. She obtained a degree in microbiology from Montana State University
Montana State University - Bozeman
Montana State University – Bozeman is a public university located in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's land-grant university and primary campus in the Montana State University System, which is part of the Montana University System...
, where she met her future husband Mark Tyers. After their marriage, she returned to school and became certified to teach grades K-12
K-12
K–12 is a designation for the sum of primary and secondary education. It is used in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand where P–12 is also commonly used...
. When their church opened a private school, she took over teaching the lower grades. In 1979, she retired from teaching to start a family; her son Matthew was born in 1981 and she began writing in earnest two years later.
Tyers sold her first novel Firebird to Bantam Spectra in 1986. She subsequently sold Fusion Fire
Fusion Fire
Fusion Fire is a science fiction novel by Kathy Tyers originally published in 1987, and later rewritten and republished in 2000.The protagonist is Lady Firebird Angelo, once a wastling of a Netaian royal family and now a Federate citizen....
(1988; a sequel to Firebird), Crystal Witness (1989) and Shivering World (1991). During this period she also authored a nonfiction travel book and, with her husband, released two CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
s of folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, Leave Her, Johnny and The Very Best Dreams on which she played flute and Irish harp. In 1991, while working on another speculative fiction novel, she was approached with an opportunity to write a novel in the Star Wars Expanded Universe
Expanded Universe
The term Expanded Universe is generally used to denote the 'extension' of a media franchise with other media...
. Her novel The Truce at Bakura
The Truce at Bakura
The Truce at Bakura is a 1993 science fiction novel by Kathy Tyers, set in the Star Wars universe. It takes place immediately after the events depicted in the 1983 film Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. It's followed by the novel The Glove of Darth Vader...
(1993) reached the New York Times bestseller list.
Despite her success, after the sale of her novel One Mind's Eye, Tyers took a complete sabbatical from writing from 1994 to 1997. She eventually returned to writing, specifically targeting the Christian Booksellers Association in an attempt to sell Christian science fiction, and Bethany House Publishers published rewritten versions of Firebird and Fusion Fire.
The rewritten versions, published in 1999 and 2000 along with a third novel, Crown of Fire, were much more spiritual in nature and, in most markets, were marketed as Christian fiction instead of science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
. They were published as a single volume edition in 2004. During the same period, Tyers was approached for the Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
market again and authored another novel, Balance Point
Balance Point
Balance Point is the sixth installment of the New Jedi Order series set in the Star Wars universe. It is a science fiction novel written by Kathy Tyers and published in 2000.-Summary:...
, in addition to short stories for four Star Wars anthologies. Shivering World was revised and re-released in early 2004.
Tyers' husband Mark died from alcoholism in 2004. She took another sabbatical from fiction writing, working with guitarist Christopher Parkening
Christopher Parkening
Christopher Parkening is an American classical guitarist.Parkening was born in Los Angeles, California, and pursued music in part because of his cousin Jack Marshall, a studio musician in the 1960s. Marshall first introduced Parkening to the recordings of Andrés Segovia when he was 11, and...
on his autobiography Grace Like a River. In 2006, she entered Regent College in Vancouver BC, and after earning a Master of Christian Studies degree, emphasis Christianity and the Arts, she lived in Bellingham, WA for a year before returning to Montana.
The three Firebird novels were re-released in an annotated version by Marcher Lord Press in 2011, to be followed by two additional series novels.
Tyers is currently active in the Presbyterian (PCA) church.