Hi, I’m Cadwell Turnbull, author of the science fiction novel The Lesson and the Convergence Saga. 

The Lesson is set in my native U.S. Virgin Islands after an alien colonization. Described as “a compelling tale of invasive occupation and emotional uprising. . . complex and enthralling” in Library Journal‘s starred review, The Lesson was included in the best of 2019 lists for Publisher’s Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, and featured in Locus‘ 2019 Recommended Reading List for First Novel.

My short fiction can be found in the pages of Asimov’s Science Fiction, Lightspeed, and Nightmare to name a few. My Nightmare story “Loneliness is in Your Blood” was selected for The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018. My Asimov’s novelette “Other Worlds and This One” was also selected as a notable story for the anthology. My short story “Jump” was selected for the Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2019 and featured on LeVar Burton Reads. My short story “Wandering Devil” was included in the Jordan Peele anthology Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror.

The Lesson was the recipient of the 2020 Neukom Institute Literary Award in the debut category.

No Gods, No Monsters has received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, and Booklist, as well as positive reviews from NPR and The New York Times. It was the winner of Lambda Literary Award, longlisted for PEN Open Award, and a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award.

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Press Kit

Author Bio (short)

Cadwell Turnbull is the award-winning author of The Lesson and the Convergence Saga. His short fiction has appeared in The Verge, Lightspeed, Nightmare, Asimov’s Science Fiction and several anthologies. His novel The Lesson was the winner of the 2020 Neukom Institute Literary Award in the debut category. No Gods, No Monsters was the winner of a Lambda, a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award and the Manly Wade Wellman Award, and longlisted for the PEN Open Award. We Are the Crisis was a finalist for the Manly Wade Wellman Award and an Ignyte Award. Turnbull grew up on St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.

Author Bio (longer)

Cadwell Turnbull is the award-winning author of The Lesson and the Convergence Saga. He is a graduate from the North Carolina State University’s Creative Writing M.F.A. in Fiction and English M.A. in Linguistics and a graduate of Clarion West 2016. His short fiction has appeared in The Verge, Lightspeed, Nightmare, and Asimov’s Science Fiction and a number of anthologies. His Nightmare story “Loneliness is in Your Blood” was selected for The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018. His Lightspeed story “Jump” was selected for The Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2019 and was featured on LeVar Burton Reads. His novel The Lesson was the winner of the 2020 Neukom Institute Literary Award in the debut category. His novel No Gods, No Monsters is the winner of a Lambda, a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award and the Manly Wade Wellman Award, and longlisted for the PEN Open Award. We Are the Crisis was a finalist for the Manly Wade Wellman Award and an Ignyte Award. Turnbull grew up on St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.

Author Bio (longest)

Cadwell Turnbull is the award-winning author of The Lesson and the Convergence Saga. He is a graduate from the North Carolina State University’s Creative Writing M.F.A. in Fiction and English M.A. in Linguistics. Turnbull is also a graduate of Clarion West 2016. His short fiction has appeared in The Verge, Lightspeed, Nightmare, and Asimov’s Science Fiction and a number of anthologies, including The Dystopia Triptych and Twelve Entanglements and Jordan Peele’s Out There Screaming. His Nightmare story “Loneliness is in Your Blood” was selected for The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018. His Lightspeed story “Jump” was selected for The Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2019 and was featured on LeVar Burton Reads. His novel The Lesson was the winner of the 2020 Neukom Institute Literary Award in the debut category. The Lesson was shortlisted for the VCU Cabell Award and longlisted for the Massachusetts Book Award. His novel No Gods, No Monsters is the winner of a Lambda, a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award and the Manly Wade Wellman Award, and longlisted for the PEN Open Award. We Are the Crisis was a finalist for the Manly Wade Wellman Award and an Ignyte for Outstanding Novel: Adult. Turnbull grew up on St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.

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