Delilah S. Dawson

Delilah S. Dawson (born October 21, 1977) is an American author, primarily of fantasy and science fiction. She writes fantasy as Lila Bowen, and has written erotica as Ava Lovelace.

Her works include Star Wars tie-in fiction (novels Star Wars: Phasma and Galaxy's Edge: Black Spire, and short story Star Wars: The Perfect Weapon), as well as Rick and Morty Presents: Pickle Rick, Kill the Farm Boy and No Country for Old Gnomes (both with Kevin Hearne). She has also written comic books such as Star Pig and Sparrowhawk.

Career Dawson's work includes the Blud series of steampunk paranormal romance novels, the Shadow series of Weird West novels (as Bowen), as well as several young adult novels. She has also written Star Wars tie-in short stories, including the 2015 Bazine Netal adventure "Star Wars: The Perfect Weapon", and the 2016 Greer Sonnel story "Scorched", published in Star Wars Insider No. 165. In September 2017, Dawson released Star Wars: Phasma, a novel chronicling the backstory of Captain Phasma of the First Order.

From 2025, Dawson took over Terry Brooks's Shannara series. , with her first novel published on August 25, 2026. She wrote the first Ravenloft novel, Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd (May 2025), to be published in 17 years.

Personal life Dawson lives in Roswell, Georgia.

Reception In 2016, Alex Brown of Tor.com wrote that Dawson is "producing some of the best underappreciated books of the last few years", noting the "difficult subject matter [and] intense imagery" in her young adult works, and her diverse protagonists. Kirkus Reviews wrote in a starred review of Wake of Vultures that "Bowen has created a fascinating, textured Wild West world. The monsters are gruesome, the battles are bloody, and the pace of this story never flags." Her novel Camp Scare (2022) was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Middle Grade Novel.