Lars Pearson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Lars Pearson 1973 (age 50–51) Iowa |
| Occupation | Writer, Editor, Publisher |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Coe College |
| Subject | Guides to TV shows |
| Notable works | Unauthorized Doctor Who books |
| Spouse | Christa Dickson |
Lars Pearson (born 1973, in Iowa) is an American writer, high school teacher, editor, and journalist. He is the owner/publisher of Mad Norwegian Press, a publishing company specializing in reference guides to television shows including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Doctor Who, plus the Faction Paradox range of novels and comic books.[1] He is also co-author, with Lance Parkin, of "Ahistory: An Unauthorized History of the Doctor Who Universe," which puts every Doctor Who-related story onto a single timeline from the beginning of the universe to its end.
Pearson attended Coe College studying writing at their Writing Center.[2] He was part of the 1995 graduating class.[3]
Pearson's writing career started as an editor for a newspaper then moved to magazines.[4] He attained a position with Wizard Entertainment as the price guide editor for the magazine Wizard: The Comics Magazine, a magazine about comic books.[5] He later worked for collectables magazines including ToyFare about collectible action figures and InQuest Gamer, a magazine devoted to collectible card games. While working at ToyFare, he was interviewed by U.S. News & World Report for his expertise in collectables.[6]
Pearson later moved into writing guide books for television shows. He wrote Redeemed: The Unauthorized Guide to Angel, a guide book about the television series Angel. He has also written guides for the cartoon series Transformers and G.I. Joe.[5]
Pearson's guides have been used by other authors as in the case when author Robert G. Weiner used the G.I. Joe guide and Transformers guide to help write Marvel graphic novels and related publications: an annotated guide to comics.[7]
Many of the books Pearson writes are unauthorized, meaning they are not approved by the companies that produce the shows and cannot include their pictures.[8]
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Main article: Mad Norwegian Press |
Pearson started his own publishing business, Mad Norwegian Press in 2001.[8] The main focus of the business are guide books to science fiction.[9] It also produces novels from freelance writers such as Harlan Ellison, Steve Lyons and Peter David[citation needed]. In order to keep expenses low, the company only employs two people, Pearson and his wife.[8]
In 2002, Mad Norwegian started producing the book series Faction Paradox, about a group of time travelers.[10] Pearson acts as editor for the series.[1]
Pearson became a fan of Doctor Who when he saw it broadcast on Iowa's public television station IPTV. His fondness of the show led him to write his first book, I, Who: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who Novels. He uses the books to provide insight into the TV series as well as facts.[8]
Pearson has written 12 books on the television series Doctor Who and is considered an expert on the show.[5] The Des Moines Science Fiction Society has labeled him "one of the foremost experts on 'Doctor Who' in North America."[11]
Pearson's expertise on Doctor Who makes him sought out by fans of the show and science fiction conventions and he has hosted Doctor Who pledge drives on public television.[12] Pearson is often a featured speaker at Doctor Who festivals and appears at many major science fiction conventions.[13]
Pearson's book About Time 3: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who (Seasons 7 to 11) (2nd Edition) was on the longlist for the BSFA award for non-fiction in 2009.[14] Chicks Dig Time Lords: A Celebration of Doctor Who by the Women Who Love It, a book in which Pearson served as publisher, won a 2011 Hugo Award for Best Related Work. "Chicks Dig Comics: A Celebration of Comic Books by the Women Who Love Them" and "Chicks Unravel Time: Women Journey Through Every Season of Doctor Who" have both been nominated for a 2013 Hugo Award for Best Related Work.
Pearson is a resident of Des Moines, Iowa and is married to Christa Dickson.[2] Dickson helps develop and maintain Iowa Public Televisions's websites and also helps run Mad Norwegian Press.[8][15] She graduated from Coe College in 2001.[15]