Lily

Brooks-Dalton

Bestselling Novelist

Award-Nominated Author

Travels from: Los Angeles, CA

“Lily Brooks-Dalton’s novels are rich literary feasts.” — Geraldine Brooks, bestselling author of Horse

Lily Brooks-Dalton is the author of the national bestseller The Light Pirate, which was the runner-up for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, a #1 Indie Next title, a Good Morning America book club selection, and a New York Times Editors’ Pick.

Her previous novel, Good Morning, Midnight, was the inspiration for the Oscar-nominated film adaptation The Midnight Sky, directed by and starring George Clooney, and her memoir, Motorcycles I’ve Loved, was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award.

Her work has been translated into 20 languages and she is a recipient of the PEN America L’Engle/Rahman Prize for mentorship. She’s been awarded fellowships by Ucross, the Studios of Key West, and the Kerouac Project. Her next novel, Ruins, will be published in March 2026.

Lily's Featured Titles

Ruins

Grand Central Publishing |

March 31, 2026

Literary Fiction

From the author of GMA Book Club Pick The Light Pirate, comes a powerful, deeply resonant novel about an ambitious archaeologist in pursuit of a rare artifact from an ancient civilization that would not only change her life but potentially society at large.

“Lily Brooks-Dalton’s novels are rich literary feasts.” —Geraldine Brooks, bestselling author of Horse

Professor Ember Agni is a rising star in archeology, trying to balance an unfulfilling career in academia and a crumbling marriage, all while pursuing her true passion: unearthing a lost empire that no one else believes existed. Just as she’s about to give up on the ambitious expedition she spent a decade trying to fund, a message arrives from overseas. A former student claims to have found something extraordinary—an artifact that hints at the forgotten world lying beneath history’s tidy surface.

With vindication finally within reach, Ember risks everything for the sake of discovery and undertakes an odyssey that will either make her name or ruin her. Driven by unwavering faith in her vision of the past, she challenges the limits of her nation, her colleagues, and herself in order to exhume the missing pieces of how humanity began. But as she journeys deep into an untouched wilderness, in dogged pursuit of a dead civilization, she collides with the wreckage of her own life.

On the brink of either discovery or destruction, Ember must choose who she wants to be, and to what kind of world she wants to belong.

Fiction, Natural World

The Light Pirate

Grand Central Publishing |

December 6, 2022

Literary Fiction

RUNNER-UP FOR THE DAYTON LITERARY PEACE PRIZE

Set in the near future, this hopeful story of survival and resilience follows Wanda—a luminous child born out of a devastating hurricane—as she navigates a rapidly changing world: A “symphony of beauty and heartbreak” (Associated Press).

USA TODAY BESTSELLER!

A Good Morning America Book Club pick · #1 Indie Next pick · LibraryReads pick · Book of the Month Club selection · Marie Claire #ReadWithMC book club selection · 2022 NPR “Book We Love” · New York Times Editors’ Choice

Florida is slipping away. As devastating weather patterns and rising sea levels wreak gradual havoc on the state’s infrastructure, a powerful hurricane approaches a small town on the southeastern coast. Kirby Lowe, an electrical line worker, his pregnant wife, Frida, and their two sons, Flip and Lucas, prepare for the worst. When the boys go missing just before the hurricane hits, Kirby heads out into the high winds in search of his children. Left alone, Frida goes into premature labor and gives birth to an unusual child, Wanda, whom she names after the catastrophic storm that ushers her into a society closer to collapse than ever before.

As Florida continues to unravel, Wanda grows. Moving from childhood to adulthood, adapting not only to the changing landscape, but also to the people who stayed behind in a place abandoned by civilization, Wanda loses family, gains community, and ultimately, seeks adventure, love, and purpose in a place remade by nature.

Told in four parts—power, water, light, and time—The Light Pirate mirrors the rhythms of the elements and the sometimes quick, sometimes slow dissolution of the world as we know it. It is a meditation on the changes we would rather not see, the future we would rather not greet, and a call back to the beauty and violence of an untamable wilderness.

Bestseller, Celebrity Book Club Pick, Environmental Concerns, Fiction, Natural World

Good Morning, Midnight

Random House |

August 9, 2016

Literary Fiction

For readers of Station Eleven and The Snow Child, Lily Brooks-Dalton’s haunting debut is the unforgettable story of two outsiders—a lonely scientist in the Arctic and an astronaut trying to return to Earth—as they grapple with love, regret, and survival in a world transformed.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY SHELF AWARENESS AND THE CHICAGO REVIEW OF BOOKS • COLSON WHITEHEAD’S FAVORITE BOOK OF 2016 (Esquire)

Augustine, a brilliant, aging astronomer, is consumed by the stars. For years he has lived in remote outposts, studying the sky for evidence of how the universe began. At his latest posting, in a research center in the Arctic, news of a catastrophic event arrives. The scientists are forced to evacuate, but Augustine stubbornly refuses to abandon his work. Shortly after the others have gone, Augustine discovers a mysterious child, Iris, and realizes that the airwaves have gone silent. They are alone.

At the same time, Mission Specialist Sullivan is aboard the Aether on its return flight from Jupiter. The astronauts are the first human beings to delve this deep into space, and Sully has made peace with the sacrifices required of her: a daughter left behind, a marriage ended. So far the journey has been a success. But when Mission Control falls inexplicably silent, Sully and her crewmates are forced to wonder if they will ever get home.

As Augustine and Sully each face an uncertain future against forbidding yet beautiful landscapes, their stories gradually intertwine in a profound and unexpected conclusion. In crystalline prose, Good Morning, Midnight poses the most important questions: What endures at the end of the world? How do we make sense of our lives? Lily Brooks-Dalton’s captivating debut is a meditation on the power of love and the bravery of the human heart.

Fantasy, Speculative & Science Fiction, Fiction, Mystery & Thriller, Natural World, Science & Technology, Speculative & Science Fiction

Motorcycles I’ve Loved: A Memoir

Riverhead Books |

April 7, 2015

Memoir

“What the PCT is to Cheryl Strayed, the open road is to Brooks-Dalton.”—Cosmopolitan

A powerful memoir about a young woman whose passion for motorcycles leads her down a road all her own.

At twenty-one-years-old, Lily Brooks-Dalton is feeling lost; returning to New England after three and a half years traveling overseas, she finds herself unsettled, unattached, and without the drive to move forward. When a friend mentions buying a motorcycle, Brooks-Dalton is intrigued and inspired. Before long she is diving headlong into the world of gearheads, reconsidering her surroundings through the visor of a motorcycle helmet, and beginning a study of motion that will help her understand her own trajectory. Her love for these powerful machines starts as a diversion, but as she continues riding and maintaining her own motorcycles, she rediscovers herself, her history, and her momentum.

Forced to confront her limitations—new and old, real and imagined—Brooks-Dalton learns focus, patience, and how to navigate life on the road. As she builds confidence, both on her bike and off, she begins to find her way, ultimately undertaking an ambitious ride that leaves her strengthened, revitalized, and prepared for whatever comes next.

Honest and lyrical, raw and thoughtful, Motorcycles I’ve Loved is a bold portrait of one young woman’s empowering journey of independence and determination.

Memoir & Personal Journeys, Travel Narratives

How to Feel Better While the World Ends

On the emotional undertow of doom in post-apocalyptic fiction.

From Inspiration to Creation to Adaptation

On the many stops of the creative journey, reflecting on where ideas come from and the many lives of IP.

The Journey of a Writer

On creative processes, permission slips, and craft.

“At the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation, we are committed to convening the most compelling literary voices. Lily Brooks Dalton fulfills that commitment. She brings a rare combination of quick intellect, grace, and humanity to her events and personal interactions. The audiences she was in front of during our Author Series were moved by her openness, thoughtfulness, and the care and genuine interest she brought to each conversation.” — Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation, 2026

“Lily was extremely flexible in adapting to the different audiences throughout her visit for our Vermont Reads program. Her talk at the Teen Lit Mob literary festival gave the audience an in-depth look at her writing process, as well as some advice for aspiring authors. And her moderated conversation with a fellow writer for a well-attended public program in Burlington delved into the complexities of the climate fiction genre and emphasized the importance of sharing such stories at this moment. We would highly recommend Lily for future programs, especially for organizations looking for someone to speak with multiple age groups.” — Vermont Humanities, 2026

“Lily Brooks-Dalton’s novels are rich literary feasts. They’re also page turners with breathtaking twists. As we follow her complicated, flawed protagonist on the hunt for an artifact that will change history, the ground of our own understanding constantly shifts and re-forms itself. Ruins is a quest novel and a story of obsession: what is knowledge worth, and what should you sacrifice to get it?” ― Geraldine Brooks

“A stunning mystery wedded to an adventurous journey, Ruins is a unique and beautiful novel from a major talent who goes from strength to strength. Highly recommended.” ― Jeff VanderMeer

“A reverent observation of nature’s power . . . The novel rewards readers with peace and solace after persevering through a series of tragedies that feel too close to home. The Light Pirate is a symphony of beauty and heartbreak, survival and loneliness. Combined, it’s a haunting melody of nature.” ― Associated Press

“Feels like a small miracle: a book about a world wrecked by climate change that manages to be full of warmth and compassion . . . The real genius of The Light Pirate lies in the gentleness with which Brooks-Dalton treats her characters . . . Proof that climate fiction is maturing, producing works that are both nuanced and nourishing.” ― Washington Post

“Good Morning, Midnight is a remarkable and gifted debut novel. Lily Brooks-Dalton is an uncanny chronicler of desolate spaces, whether it’s the cold expanse of the universe or the deepest recesses of the human heart.” ― Colson Whitehead

“It takes a brave writer to leave the biggest questions unanswered, but Brooks-Dalton handles her unpulled threads masterfully … We tend to think of the end of the world as a bombastic event, massive and rife with destruction. Good Morning, Midnight gives us a different look … Technically, this could be considered a post-apocalyptic story, but the truth is that Brooks-Dalton has created something much more poignant … Powerful and moving, Good Morning, Midnight is an exceptional example of the literary power of speculative fiction.” ― The Maine Edge

Light Pirate Book Club Kit

Ruins Book Club Kit

Honors, Awards & Recognition

National bestseller
Runner-Up for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize
Good Morning American book club selection
New York Times Editors’ Pick
#1 Indie Next Pick
NPR “Books We Love”
GoodReads Choice Nominee
LibraryReads pick
Major film adaptation
20+ foreign editions
Amazon Book of the Month