P.C. Cast

About P.C. Cast

Phyllis Christine Cast was born on April 30, 1960, in Watseka, Illinois. Before becoming a full-time writer, she spent years teaching high school English at South Intermediate High School in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, a suburb of Tulsa. She published her first novel, Goddess by Mistake, in 2001 under the Partholon series, a fantasy romance for adults set in a world where a woman is transported to an Irish-myth-inspired realm. She later expanded her bibliography through multiple adult romance and fantasy series before pivoting to young adult fiction.

In 2005, Cast began collaborating with her daughter Kristin Cast on the House of Night series, a young adult paranormal franchise set in an alternative-universe Tulsa where fledgling vampyres attend a finishing school called the House of Night. The series drew on Native American mythology, Wiccan traditions, and diverse cultural influences. St. Martin's Press published the twelve novels between 2007 and 2012; the ninth installment, Destined, debuted at #1 on the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. Cast and her daughter toured extensively and built a devoted international readership. She currently lives in Oregon.

Her Most Challenged Works

The House of Night series has been challenged in school libraries for its portrayal of vampyres, Wiccan religious practices, sexual content, and profanity. Some school districts have objected to the series' treatment of traditional Christianity as one of several competing religious systems, alongside Wicca, Native American spirituality, and goddess worship. Marked and Betrayed, the first two titles in the series, are the most frequently cited in challenge reports. Advocates for the books point to their popularity with reluctant readers and to the series' consistent underlying messages about loyalty, identity, and resisting peer pressure.

Other Works

Beyond House of Night, Cast has written the Goddess Summoning series, the Partholon series, and the Tales of a New World series. Her 2025 historical fantasy Boudicca focuses on the legendary warrior queen of the British Iceni tribe. Despite numerous film and television option deals for the House of Night property over the years, no adaptation has reached production.