Leslie Vedder author page

Leslie Vedder biography

Leslie Vedder is an American author of young adult and children’s fantasy fiction. She graduated from San Francisco State University with a BA in Creative Writing. Her debut novel, The Bone Spindle, was published by Razorbill, an imprint of Penguin Random House, in January 2022. The UK edition was published by Hodder Children’s Books in February 2022.

The Bone Spindle is a fantasy adventure inspired by the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. It follows Fi, a treasure hunter skilled at solving riddles, and Shane, an axe-wielding warrior, as they attempt to break a century-old curse affecting the sleeping prince Briar Rose. The novel became a national bestseller in the United States and received a starred review from School Library Journal. Vedder continued the story in The Severed Thread (2023) and The Cursed Rose (2024), completing the trilogy.

Vedder subsequently began writing fantasy for younger readers. The Labyrinth of Souls, illustrated by Abigail Larson, was published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers in February 2025. It introduces Ix Tatterfall, a twelve-year-old girl who can enter a mysterious realm inhabited by Nightmare creatures and powerful supernatural beings. The sequel, The Nowhere Beast, also illustrated by Larson, was published in February 2026.

Her young adult fantasy novel The Siren’s Kiss follows Rayleigh, a pirate bound to a cursed ship, and Maren, a mermaid searching for her lost brother. The two characters reluctantly work together to confront a powerful sea witch. The novel is scheduled for publication by Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams, on 10 November 2026.