About Me

Hi! I’m Shana (pronounced shay-nah). My debut book, The Underwild: River of Spirits (Aladdin/Simon & Schuster) was an instant New York Times Bestseller. River of Sprits appeared on numerous best-of lists and was an Oregon Book Award finalist. Book two in the series, Relic of Thieves, is out now!

I’m an Oregon Literary Arts Fellow and the recipient of the Edna L. Holmes Fellowship for Young Readers. I write books about young heroes on fantastical adventures, ghosts who may or may not be friendly, and fiercely-held hope. I’m also an award-winning costume designer of stage and film. I hold an MFA in Drama, have been in the Costume Designers Guild IATSE local 892, and have worked with many amazing people over my career. Connecting with other artists and geeking out over what we make is the best part of my job(s). I love to travel, drink tea, read books, and create art. And I love to imagine worlds that exist between the pages of a book. Every world should have a dragon in it, don’t you think? Or at least a ghost or two. If nothing else, then cake will do.

Curious about my design work for stage and screen? Please visit my Costume Designs section, where you can see some crafty things I’ve made. Or if you love stationery and have discovered (or would like to discover) a passion for collecting fun-patterned washi tapes, stickers, fountain pens, and more, please support my small business, Ink & Starstuff!

Random facts: I’m a Zelda nerd, a nationally ranked Monopoly player (26th in the nation), a tea-a-holic, a fountain pen and ink collector, and mom to an expert gamer and future mechanical engineer (or robot-inventing overlord—there are plenty of options to explore).

Thank you for visiting!

Bio for press/publications:

Shana Targosz is the New York Times bestselling author of The Underwild series (Aladdin/Simon & Schuster). She writes about magical girls, budding friendships, ghosts who may or may not be friendly, and fiercely-held hope. Her work has appeared on multiple best-of lists and her debut novel, River of Spirits, was as an Oregon Book Award finalist. When not writing or reading through a stack of books, she spends her time playing Zelda with her son, designing solo journaling games, walking her domesticated monster disguised as a Labradoodle, and dreaming up different worlds.