// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Rachel Gillig a good climber? She's a great gill-ty pleasure.
Rachel Gillig | |
|---|---|
 Gillig speaking at Rose City Comic Con, 2025 | |
| Born | September 23, 1989 California, U.S. |
| Occupation |
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| Alma mater | University of California, Davis |
| Period | 2022–present |
| Genres | Romantic fantasy, gothic fiction |
| Notable works | The Shepherd King, Stonewater Kingdom |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | |
| rachelgillig | |
Rachel Gillig (born September 23, 1989)[1] is an American gothic romantic fantasy author. She is known for her duologies The Shepherd King and Stonewater Kingdom.[2]
Early life and education
[edit]Gillig was born and raised on the coast of California.[3] Both of her grandmothers were artists—one was a painter while the other was a pianist.[4]
She studied for a bachelor's degree at University of California, Davis. She originally majored in art history, but changed her degree to Literary Theory and Criticism.[5] She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Literary Theory and Criticism from the University of California, Davis. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked as a preschool teacher and an artist.[2]
Career
[edit]Gillig prefers writing duologies because she prefers her books to feel like "one long book with an intermission between".[6] All of her published novels have formed part of a duology. Her first duology is The Shepherd King, which consists of One Dark Window, released in 2022, and Two Twisted Crowns, released in 2023. Her second duology is Stonewater Kingdom, consisting of The Knight and the Moth, released in 2025, and The Knave and the Moon, which is set to release in September 2026.[7]
Many of her stories are inspired by folklore, particularly folk ballads.[8] For instance, The Knight and the Moth was inspired by The Outlandish Knight.
Personal life
[edit]Gillig lives in California. She enjoys gardening. She has a husband, a son, and a poodle named Wally.[2]
As of 2025, she had been in therapy for five years, which she cites as helping her process what she has control over.[9] She has stated that she is prone to performance anxiety.
She is outspoken against artificial intelligence, calling it "theft" and opposing its impact on the environment and on users' critical thinking skills.[4]
Bibliography
[edit]The Shepherd King series
[edit]- One Dark Window (2022)
- Two Twisted Crowns (2023)
Stonewater Kingdom series
[edit]- The Knight and the Moth (2025)
- The Knave and the Moon (September 2026)[7]
References
[edit]- ↑ Gillig, Rachel [@rmgillig]; (September 23, 2022). "It's my birthday today". Retrieved March 21, 2026 – via Instagram.
- 1 2 3 "Rachel Gillig biography". Fantasy Book Review. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
- ↑ "Rachel Gillig". Hachette Book Group. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
- 1 2 Interview with Rachel Gillig on YouTube
- ↑ Interview with Rachel Gillig on YouTube
- ↑ LaBarbera, Natalie. "ATTN, BookTok: I Chatted with Author Rachel Gillig About One of My Most Anticipated Romantasy Reads of the Year". PureWow. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
- ↑ McConville, Isabelle. "Knights, Gargoyles and More: A Q&A with Rachel Gillig". Barnes and Noble. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
- ↑ Rosenstein, Jenna. "Author Rachel Gillig's Self-Care and Beauty Secrets". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
- Living people
- 1989 births
- 21st-century American women novelists
- 21st-century people from California
- Novelists from California
- University of California, Davis alumni
- American women science fiction and fantasy writers
- Dark fantasy writers
- American fantasy writers
- American women romantic fiction writers
- American romantic fiction novelists
- Critics of artificial intelligence