Weina Dai Randel
Weina Dai Randel is the award-winning author of two historical novels, The Moon in the Palace and The Empress of Bright Moon, historical novel series of Empress Wu (Wu Zetian), China’s only female emperor. Since the publications, the novels have received starred reviews from Library Journal, Booklist, and ShelfAwareness. BookReporter believed the two books were “most beautifully written, impeccably researched and well-constructed historical fiction novels released this year.”
The Moon in the Palace won the RWA RITA® Award in 2017, was nominated by Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Historical Fiction, nominated by RT Book Reviewers Choice Award for Best First Historical, called one of the Biggest Historical Fiction books of 2016 by Bookbub, and recommended by Texas Library Association’s 2017 Lariat Reading List. The series have been translated into 7 languages, available in large print and audiobooks, and sold worldwide.
Weina was born and raised in China. English is her second language. She came to the United States at the age of twenty-four, when she began to speak, write and dream in English. She holds an M.A. in English from Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas. She lives in Texas, with her loving husband and two children.
Weina has worked as the Subject Matter Expert for Southern New Hampshire University’s online MFA program and an adjunct professor for Eastfield College. She loves to chat with readers and enjoys book club visits.