Mary Kirchoff

{{short description|American novelist}} {{Infobox writer  | name = Mary Kirchoff | image = | caption = | pseudonym = | birth_name = Mary L. Kirchoff | birth_date = | birth_place = Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | occupation = Author, editor | nationality = American | education = Lawrence University (BA) | period = | genre = Role-playing games, fantasy | spouse = Steve Winter<ref name="Dragon #266"/> (September 1985-)<br>Mark Hamilton | subject = | movement = | notableworks = | influences = | influenced = | signature = | website = }}

'''Mary L. Kirchoff''' is an American author of fantasy and young adult novels.<ref name="buker2002">{{cite book | first=Derek M. | last=Buker | year=2002 | title=The science fiction and fantasy readers' advisory: the librarian's guide to cyborgs, aliens, and sorcerers | pages=[https://archive.org/details/sciencefictionfa00buke_0/page/127 127–128] | work=ALA readers' advisory series | publisher=ALA Editions | isbn=0-8389-0831-4 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/sciencefictionfa00buke_0/page/127 }}</ref>

==Biography== Kirchoff was born and raised in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, the city where the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game was invented.<ref name="Dragon #266">{{cite journal| last = Kenson| first = Stephen| author-link = Steve Kenson| title = ProFiles: Mary Kirchoff| journal = Dragon| issue = #266| page = 24| publisher = Wizards of the Coast| location = Renton, Washington|date=December 1999}}</ref> "I went to school with Ernie Gygax and a number of people who later worked for TSR... I was vaguely aware of the people who played things like the ''D&D'' game at school. Then I went away to college and learned more about roleplaying games. I realized [they] were coming from my home town."<ref name="Dragon #266"/> Kirchoff graduated from Lawrence University with a B.A. in English.<ref name="Dragon #266"/> She was hired by TSR as the editor of the ''Polyhedron'' newszine in 1982, shortly after its second issue.<ref name="Dragon #266"/> Kirchoff also did graphic design for ''Dragon'' magazine, and worked with Roger Moore on TSR's ''Ares'' science-fiction magazine.<ref name="Dragon #266"/>

Kirchoff's first published book, ''Light on Quests Mountain'', was set in Gamma World for TSR's Endless Quest series. She later wrote other books in the collection.<ref name="Dragon #266"/> Kirchoff decided to write full-time, supported by her then-boyfriend, TSR game editor and designer Steve Winter.<ref name="Dragon #266"/> In September 1985, Kirchoff married Steve Winter.<ref name="Dragon #106">{{cite journal | title = TSR Profiles | journal = Dragon | issue = #106 | pages = 61 | publisher = TSR, Inc. | location = Lake Geneva, Wisconsin | date = February 1986 }}</ref> She worked on books such as ''The Art of the Dragonlance Saga'' and ''Leaves from the Inn of the Last Home'', and later left then rejoined the company as a full-time editor.<ref name="Dragon #266"/> Meanwhile, Kirchoff began looking for a new Forgotten Realms book to follow ''Darkwalker on Moonshae'': "I went to the slush pile and read the first 30 pages of a book called ''Echoes of the Third Magic'' by a guy named Bob Salvatore. The story didn't really fit what we were looking for, but there was something about the writing that grabbed me."<ref name="Dragon #266"/>

Kirchoff wrote and published a short story and six novels for the ''Dragonlance'' series, including ''Wanderlust'', ''Flint the King'', ''Kendermore'', "The Black Wing," and the ''Defenders of Magic'' trilogy.<ref name="Dragon #266"/> She also co-created the Dark Sun setting with Troy Denning and Tim Brown.<ref name="Dragon #245">{{cite journal| last = Varney| first = Allen| author-link = Allen Varney| title = ProFiles: Troy Denning| journal = Dragon| issue = #245| page = 112| publisher = Wizards of the Coast| location = Renton, Washington|date=March 1998}}</ref><ref name="designers">{{Cite book|author=Shannon Appelcline|title=Designers & Dragons|publisher=Mongoose Publishing|year=2011| isbn= 978-1-907702-58-7}}</ref>{{rp|26}} After Wizards of the Coast purchased TSR, Peter Adkison brought her back as the manager of TSR's division for book publishing.<ref name="designers"/>{{rp|282}} She was eventually promoted to head of the book department: "Every book we published hit numerous bestseller lists -- it was a golden time."<ref name="Dragon #266"/> After five years of writing Dragonlance novels at night and running the book department by day, she withdrew to spend more time with her children; five years later, she returned as executive editor of the restructured book-publishing program.<ref name="Dragon #266"/> She rose to Vice President of Marketing, Publishing, and Tabletop Games, with brand and financial responsibility for all that had once been TSR, as well as the Avalon Hill brand of board games.

Kirchoff has been the head of Wizards of the Coast's Book Publishing division.<ref name="wizardsbio">{{cite web|url=http://ww2.wizards.com/Books/Wizards/Bios/default.aspx?doc=MaryKirchoff|title=Mary Kirchoff|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090224012615/http://ww2.wizards.com/Books/Wizards/Bios/default.aspx?doc=MaryKirchoff|archive-date=February 24, 2009}}</ref> She left Wizards of the Coast in December 2004. She went on to become Chief Marketing Officer at start-up video game company 38 Studios for nearly three years.

Her works have been translated into more than nine languages.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://orlabs.oclc.org/Identities/lccn-n82-277510 |title=Mary Kirchoff, at the WorldCat Identities Web Site |access-date=5 August 2008}}{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

She later{{when|date=September 2013}} became an acquiring editor for TOR Books.

== References == <references/>

==External links== *{{ISFDB name|id=Mary_Kirchoff|name=Mary Kirchoff}} *{{cite web |url=http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showcreator&creatorid=2431 |archive-date=October 4, 2007 |title=Mary Kirchoff :: Pen & Paper RPG Database |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071004082253/http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showcreator&creatorid=2431 |access-date=January 26, 2018 }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirchoff, Mary}} Category:20th-century American novelists Category:20th-century American women novelists Category:21st-century American novelists Category:21st-century American women novelists Category:American book editors Category:American fantasy writers Category:American women science fiction and fantasy writers Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people)