{{short description|American novelist}} {{about||the Irish social campaigner and communist|Lily Anderson (campaigner)}} {{Infobox writer | website = {{URL|mslilyanderson.com}} | genre = [[Young adult fiction]] | notableworks = Undead Girl Gang | years_active = 2016–present | nationality = American | language = English | birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1988|12|15}} }} '''Lily Anderson''' (born December 15, 1988)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.popgoesthereader.com/tis-the-season-authors-talk-holidays/tis-the-season-authors-talk-holidays-2016-with-lily-anderson/|title='Tis The Season: Authors Talk Holidays 2016 With Lily Anderson|date=2016-12-15|website=Pop! Goes The Reader|language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-12}}</ref> is a writer of [[Young adult literature|young adult fiction]], best known for her [[Indies Choice Book Awards|Indies Choice Book Award]]-nominated novel ''Undead Girl Gang''.
== Early life == Anderson is an Afrolatina of Puerto Rican descent.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.popgoesthereader.com/raise-your-voice/raise-your-voice-2016-with-lily-anderson/|title=About|last=|first=|date=20 October 2016|website=Ms. Lily Anderson|language=en-US|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2019-04-10}}</ref> She has been a [[Wicca]]n since she was eight years old.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.amarisafloria.com/2018/03/bloggers-love-authors-2018-lily-anderson.html|title=Chatting with Lily Anderson + GIVEAWAY! // The Second Annual "Bloggers Love Authors" Event with Books. Inc + NYMBC|date=23 March 2018 |language=en|access-date=2019-05-12}}</ref> After she dropped out of college at age 18, Anderson wrote her first book and decided she wanted to become a published writer.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.jeanbooknerd.com/2017/11/lily-anderson-author-interview.html|title=Lily Anderson Author Interview|access-date=2019-04-08}}</ref>
Anderson grew up doing theatre and is a self-proclaimed theatre geek, saying that she did her first [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]] play when she was 12 or 13 years old, which ultimately led to her writing both novels in her debut young adult series ''The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You'' as retellings of [[Oscar Wilde]]'s ''[[The Importance of Being Earnest]]'' and William Shakespeare's ''[[Much Ado About Nothing]]''.<ref name=":1" />
== Influences == She drew on her own experience as a Wiccan for her novel ''Undead Girl Gang,'' in which a teenage Wiccan resurrects her dead best friend.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2018/04/5-question-interview-with-undead-girl-gang-author-lily-anderson/|title=5 Question Interview with Undead Girl Gang author Lily Anderson — @TLT16 Teen Librarian Toolbox|website=www.teenlibrariantoolbox.com|date=30 April 2018 |access-date=2019-04-08}}</ref> Other inspirations for the novel include dark comedy teenage obsessions of hers, namely the movies ''[[The Craft (film)|The Craft]]'', ''[[Heathers]]'' and ''[[Death Becomes Her]]''.<ref name=":1" />
She names American screenwriter and director [[Shonda Rhimes|Shonda Rimes]] and American plus-size model [[Tess Holliday]] as the sources of some of her inspiration.<ref>{{Cite web |date=31 December 2017 |title=Cure Your Winter Blues With This Hilarious Summer Camp Novel |url=https://www.brit.co/not-now-not-ever-lily-anderson/ |access-date=2019-05-12 |website=Brit + Co |language=en}}</ref>
== Personal work == Anderson is an elementary school librarian and lives in Northern [[California]].<ref name=":0" />
== Bibliography == === Messina Academy Duology === # ''The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You'' ([[St. Martin's Griffin]], 2016) # ''Not Now Not Ever'' ([[Wednesday Books]], 2017)
=== Standalones === * ''Undead Girl Gang'' ([[Razorbill (publisher)|Razorbill]], 2018) * ''The Throwback List'' ([[Disney Publishing Worldwide|Hyperion Avenue]], 2021) * ''Scout's Honor'' ([[Henry Holt and Company|Henry Holt]], 2022) * ''Big Bad'', a ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' novel ([[Disney Publishing Worldwide|Hyperion Avenue]], 2022)
== Awards == '''Nominated'''
* 2019 [[Indies Choice Book Awards|Indies Choice Book Award]] for ''Undead Girl Gang''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://global.penguinrandomhouse.com/announcements/our-finalists-for-2019-indies-choice-e-b-white-read-aloud-indie-champion-and-picture-book-hall-of-fame/|title=Our Finalists for 2019 Indies Choice, E.B. White Read-Aloud, Indie Champion, and Picture Book Hall of Fame|website=penguinrandomhouse.com|language=en-US|access-date=2019-04-08}}</ref> * 2022 [[Michael L. Printz Award]] Honor Book for ''Scout's Honor''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ala.org/yalsa/printz-award|title=Printz Award|website=ala.org|date=27 February 2012 |language=en-US|access-date=2023-02-09}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Lily}} [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:21st-century American novelists]] [[Category:African-American librarians]] [[Category:Hispanic and Latino American librarians]] [[Category:Wiccan novelists]] [[Category:1988 births]] [[Category:21st-century American women novelists]] [[Category:21st-century African-American women writers]] [[Category:21st-century American women writers]] [[Category:21st-century African-American writers]] [[Category:American Wiccans]] [[Category:21st-century American librarians]] [[Category:21st-century American women librarians]] {{US-novelist-1980s-stub}}