Nancy Yi Fan is a Chinese American author who is best known for writing a series that currently consists of the novels Swordbird, Sword Quest, and Sword Mountain.
Fan was born and raised in Beijing, China. At the age of 7, she moved with her parents to Syracuse, New York. She started writing her first novel 3 years later, and completed the manuscript within a year. Fan's book became a New York Times Bestseller, and she was featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show as one of the world's smartest kids. She then began writing Sword Quest, a prequel to Swordbird, and published it two years later. Her third book, Sword Mountain, was released in July 2012.
Swordbird
Fan's novel was inspired by her lifelong love for birds. After awaking from a vivid dream about birds at war while simultaneously wrestling with her feelings about terrorism and September 11, Fan wrote Swordbird as a way to convey her message of peace to the world. At the age of eleven, she sat down at her computer and began writing a manuscript that she finished a year later. Fan emailed her manuscript to the CEO of HarperCollins, which led to the novel's 50,000-copy first printing.
Sword Quest
In 2008, HarperCollins released Sword Quest, a prequel set 100 years before the time of Swordbird.
Sword Mountain
The third novel in Fan's series was set to be released in July 2012, by HarperCollins. Everybird must choose a side as tradition begins to splinter and an ancient book bewitches those with evil intentions.
Personal life
In 2011, Fan began attending Harvard University. In her free time, she enjoys practicing Martial Arts and takes care of her two pet birds. She resides in Florida with her parents.