Francess Lin Lantz (August 27, 1952 – November 22, 2004) was an American children's librarian turned fiction writer.[1]
Francess Lin Lantz | |
|---|---|
 Lantz with her surfboard | |
| Born | August 27, 1952 Trenton, New Jersey, United States |
| Died | November 22, 2004 (aged 52) Santa Barbara, California, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Librarian, writer |
| Spouses | Jonathan Ostrowsky (m. 1973)John Landsberg (until 2004) |
| Children | 1 |
Early years
editBorn in Trenton, New Jersey on August 27, 1952, Lantz was raised in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. She initially aspired to become a rock musician and composer and did some classical music composition.[2] She married Jonathan Ostrowsky on April 28, 1973.[3] She graduated in 1974 from Dickinson College and from Simmons College in 1975, where she earned a master's degree in library sciences.[4] She later married John Landsberg and they had one son.
Career
editLantz worked as a children's librarian in Massachusetts after graduating from Simmons. Her first book, Good Rockin' Tonight, which was somewhat autobiographical, was published in 1982.[4] She moved to Santa Barbara in 1986 and took up surfing.
For more than two decades Lantz wrote over 30 books, including several juvenile bestsellers. She was selected for the American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults for her 1997 romance Someone to Love. Stepsister from Planet Weird (Random House, 1996) was made into a Disney Channel television movie in 2000.[5]
Her books in the Luna Bay monthly series, featuring stories about tween girl surfers, were sponsored by Roxy, a clothing company in California in partnership with HarperCollins.[6] The series had an initial print run of 1,250,000 copies.[7] Lantz, who was a surfer herself, said she was never pressured to promote products or brands with her writing.[8]
Illness and death
editDiagnosed with ovarian cancer circa 1999, she died at the age of fifty-two in Santa Barbara, California in 2004.[9][10][11][12]
Publications
editLantz authored more than 30 books and articles including:
- Woodstock Magic (Avon, 1986)ISBN 0380751291
- Fade Far Away (HarperCollins, 1998) ISBN 038097553X
- Stepsister from Planet Weird (Random House, 1996) ISBN 0788761579
- You're the One series
- Luna Bay surfer girl series
References
edit- ^ "Francess Lantz: author of fiction for teens, preteens." Ventura, California: Ventura County Star, December 10, 2004, p. B8 (subscription required).
- ^ "Noonday Concert". Dickinson College. 1993-09-01. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ "Dickinson Alumnus, October 1973". Dickinson College. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ a b Woo, Elaine (December 9, 2004). "Francess Lantz, 52; Author of the 'Luna Bay' Series for Girls". LA Times. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
- ^ "Francess Lantz: author of fiction for teens, preteens," Ventura Couty Star, December 10, 2004.
- ^ "Hey Girls -- Surf's Up". The Herald. Rock Hill, South Carolina. May 18, 2003. p. 76. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- ^ Tkacik, Maureen (February 20, 2003). "Suerfer Girl, Surfer Girl". The Ottawa Citizen. p. 27. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- ^ Levine, Bettijane (April 20, 2003). "Can Roxy Girl Designer Label Make Waves in Literature Too?". The Courier-Journal. Lexington KY. pp. H1–H2. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- ^ "Francess Lantz". Authors Among Us - Children's Writers Who Are or Who Have Been Librarians. Ravenstone Press. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
- ^ Woo, Elaine. "Children's book writer first aimed for rock stardom." Charlotte, North Carolina: The Charlotte Observer, December 12, 2004, p. B8 (subscription required).
- ^ "Francess Lantz" (obituary). Appleton, Wisconsin: The Post-Crescent, December 10, 2004, p. 2 (subscription required).
- ^ "Francess Lantz, author of teen fiction." New York, New York: Newsday, December 12, 2004, p. A 58 (subscription required).
