Duckling

Forthcoming March 2027 from Henry Holt & Company.

From the author of The Cassandra (“Quirky, funny, dark,” Margaret Atwood), a historical reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen’s life and a love letter to storytelling as an act of survival.

The Cassandra

Winner of the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award and a Finalist for the Washington State Book Award in Fiction.

The Cassandra follows a woman who goes to work in a top secret research facility during WWII, only to be tormented by visions of what the mission will mean for humankind.

The Sasquatch Hunter’s Almanac

Winner of the Washington State Book Award in Fiction.

A dark, fantastical, multi-generational tale about a family whose patriarch is consumed by the hunt for the mythical, elusive sasquatch he encountered in his youth.

Favorite Monster

Winner of the Autumn House Fiction Prize and a Finalist for the Late Night Library Debut-Litzer Award.

In her debut story collection, Shields unveils the truth behind every monster.

Sharma Shields

About

SHARMA SHIELDS is the author of a short story collection, Favorite Monster (Autumn House Press 2012), and three novels, The Sasquatch Hunter’s Almanac (Henry Holt 2015), The Cassandra (Henry Holt 2019), and Duckling (forthcoming from Henry Holt in 2027) . Sharma’s short stories and essays have appeared in The New York Times, Electric Lit, Catapult, Slice, Slate, Kenyon Review, Iowa Review, Fugue, and elsewhere and have garnered such prizes as the 2020 PNBA Award, a 2020 Artist Trust Fellowship, 2016 Washington State Book Award, the Autumn House Fiction Prize, the Tim McGinnis Award for Humor, and the A.B. Guthrie Award for Outstanding Prose. She managed a small press, Scablands Books (now dormant), and is a contributing editor for Moss. Sharma has worked in independent bookstores and public libraries throughout Washington State and is currently the Writing Education Specialist for Spokane Public Library. In autumn of 2025, Sharma received a Humanities Washington Changemaker Award for her library service and contributions to the Inland Northwest literary community.