Daniel José Older

Daniel José Older's writing career began by blogging about his experiences as a New York City paramedic, capturing what he could in the back of an ambulance between calls. His start as a published author came with the Bone Street Rumba urban fantasy series. It had its television and film rights optioned within a year of the first novel's debut. Since then, he has published successful adult, young adult, and middle-grade series, standalone novels, and short works.

Older won an International Latino Book Award for the first book of his Shadowshaper Cypher series (he's also been nominated for several others). He has been outspoken about representation, especially in the fantasy genre. In an interview with Youtini, he spoke about how important it is for different people to see themselves and their humanity in a character without first having to translate. In 2014, he petitioned to change the World Fantasy Award's statuette to make the genre more inclusive for both writers and fans.

He made his debut in the galaxy far, far away with 2017's short story anthology From a Certain Point of View. His story, "Born in a Storm," features a patrol of infamously bamboozled stormtroopers and a dewback — a species for which Older has often expressed his affinity. He also has a story in the second anthology with a unique look at Zuckuss and 4-LOM, a duo he would revisit later in a one-shot War of the Bounty Hunters comic.

Older's next adventure in the Star Wars universe was 2018's Last Shot, a tie-in to Solo: A Star Wars Story. Introducing another diverse cast of characters, Last Shot features an Ewok slicer and a Gungan whose syntax might change what you think you know about the species. It also occurs in three different timelines and features antagonists straight out of your nightmares. 

In 2019, Older became one of the original story architects in The High Republic multimedia publishing initiative (initially known as "Project Luminous"). He is the author of The High Republic Adventures (2021) comic series, which introduces Padawans Lula Talisola, Quort, Farzala Tarabal, and their friend Zeen Mrala. It also features the memorable Torban Buck, also known as "Buckets of Blood". The unique nickname comes from a former paramedic colleague who called himself the same thing on the radio (which sounds like a streaming series waiting to happen). He also writes The High Republic Adventures 2022 run, featuring Padawan Sav Malagán and none other than Maz Kanata.

His other work in The High Republic also includes the Trail of Shadows comic miniseries, which puts a Star Wars spin on the old-school noir detective genre. His young adult novel Midnight Horizon concludes Phase I of The High Republic with a bang. The Padawans from The High Republic Adventures are brought into this book to help stem the Nihil's violent tide, connecting his various works within the era.

All his High Republic stories, like his work outside the Star Wars universe, have showcased young people as heroes, but that doesn't limit their appeal. While the stories focus on kids, they also explore themes such as self-discovery, friendship, loyalty, fear, and courage —all while having a good time and great adventures.