Cassandra Clare
Judith Lewis (Rumelt; born July 27, 1973), better known by her pen name Cassandra Clare, is an American author of young adult fiction, best known for her bestselling series The Mortal Instruments.
Also recorded as Judith Lewis · Cassandra Claire
Cassandra Clare

Gage Skidmore · Flickr · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Birth Name
- Judith Rumelt
- Name
- Cassandra Clare
- Born
- 27 July 1973
- Birthplace
- Tehran, Iran
- Occupation
- Author
- Movement
- Contemporary fantasy, urban fantasy, fantasy of manners
- Spouse
- Joshua Lewis
- Full name
- Judith Rumelt.
- Nationality
- United States and Iran.
- Fields
- speculative fiction and American literature.
- Education
- Barnard College.
- Known for
- The Mortal Instruments.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Judith Lewis (Rumelt; born July 27, 1973), better known by her pen name Cassandra Clare, is an American author of young adult fiction, best known for her bestselling series The Mortal Instruments.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
No house-authored Note is published until its assertions and sources pass the VALÉORINE evidence contract. The documentary article remains available in full while that enrichment is being consolidated.
Documentary enrichment in progress · no unsupported statement published
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Cassandra Clare. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Evidence Panel
not yet certified
- Identity
- resolved
- Independent source families
- 0
- Admitted assertions
- 0
- Open conflicts
- 0
Authority files
wikidata · Q235364 · wikipedia · Cassandra Clare
In this article
Biography
Biography
Cassandra Clare studied at Barnard College. The recorded working language is English. The field of work recorded is speculative fiction and American literature. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are young adult. Places of work recorded in the authority are Los Angeles. Works named in the authority record are The Mortal Instruments.

Cassandra Clare at BookCon
Rhododendrites
Key facts
Key facts
• Birth Name — Judith Rumelt • Name — Cassandra Clare • Born — 27 July 1973 • Birthplace — Tehran, Iran • Occupation — Author • Genre — Young adult fiction • Movement — Contemporary fantasy, urban fantasy, fantasy of manners • Notable Works — The Mortal Instruments series • Website — http: cassandraclare.com/ • Spouse — Joshua Lewis • Relatives — Richard Rumelt (father) Max Rosenberg (grandfather)
Early life
Early life
Cassandra Clare was born on July 27, 1973 as Judith Rumelt to American parents in Tehran, Iran. She is the daughter of Richard Rumelt, a business school professor and author. Her maternal grandfather was film producer Max Rosenberg. Clare is Jewish and has described her family as "not religious". As a child, Clare traveled frequently, spending time in Switzerland, England, and France. She returned to Los Angeles for high school and from then on, split her time between California and New York City, where she worked at various entertainment magazines and tabloids, including The Hollywood Reporter.
The Mortal Instruments series
The Mortal Instruments series
• Illustration — Clare at BookCon in 2019 In 2004, Clare started working on her first published novel, City of Bones, inspired by the urban landscape of Manhattan. City of Bones was released by Simon & Schuster in 2007 and is a contemporary fantasy story revolving around characters Clary Fray, Jace Wayland, and Simon Lewis, which became a New York Times bestseller upon its release. City of Ashes and City of Glass completed the first trilogy. A subsequent second trilogy contained three more books: City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, and City of Heavenly Fire. Her publisher also credits Clare with creating the "City of Fallen Angels treatment" where a tangible "letter" from one character to another is attached to the back of physical copies of a book. The goal is to spur print book sales. There is a prequel trilogy called The Infernal Devices, set in the same universe as The Mortal Instruments, but set in the Victorian era. This consists of three books: Clockwork Angel, published on August 31, 2010, Clockwork Prince, published on December 6, 2011, and Clockwork Princess, published on March 19, 2013. A fourth trilogy set in this universe was announced in 2012, collectively known as The Dark Artifices. The new contemporary series is set in Los Angeles and follow female shadowhunter Emma Carstairs, who was introduced in City of Heavenly Fire. The first book, Lady Midnight, was released in March 2016; the second, Lord of Shadows was released in April 2017; the third, Queen of Air and Darkness was released on December 4, 2018. There are also two series of interconnected short stories set in this universe. The first is The Bane Chronicles, completed in 2014 and written with Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson, and the second is the planned Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy, written with Brennan and Johnson as well as Robin Wasserman. The first book in The Mortal Instruments was made into a film, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013), by Unique Features and Constantin Film. First-time writer Jessica Postigo wrote the screenplay. Lily Collins played Clary Fray and Jamie Campbell Bower played Jace Wayland. After a disappointing box office performance, subsequent movies in the series were canceled. A television adaptation of The Mortal Instruments called Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments began airing in January 2016. It was canceled after the third season.
Plagiarism accusations
Plagiarism accusations
Clare was accused of plagiarism dating back to 2000–2001 when she was writing the fan fiction work The Draco Trilogy. The Christian Science Monitor wrote in 2013 about how Clare's plagiarism and cyberbullying angered many in the Harry Potter online fandom community. Later that year, The Daily Dot described how Clare had copied much of a chapter of The Secret Country (1985), an out-of-print fantasy novel by Pamela Dean, into Clare's own The Draco Trilogy, without attribution to Dean. A complaint by another website user in mid-2001 led to a review by FanFiction.Net administrators, resulting in Clare banned for plagiarism and her writings removed from the website. Clare continued to post her trilogy on a fan fiction Yahoo! group until the series was complete in 2006. She recycled many ideas from The Draco Trilogy into her best-selling book series Mortal Instruments. Best-selling fantasy novelist Sherrilyn Kenyon sued Clare over claims that Clare copied aspects of Kenyon's Dark-Hunters series (1998) for Clare's Shadowhunters series. The lawsuit contended that characters are similar, that "elements are virtually identical" between the books, and that the term "shadow hunters" was copied. Clare's lawyers released a statement saying that Clare had never read any of Kenyon's books. Simon & Schuster, Clare's publisher, did not comment. Kenyon later removed the central accusation of copyright violation from the lawsuit, leaving the peripheral issue of cover art and branding similarities. She eventually settled out of court and paid her own legal fees.
Personal life
Personal life
As of 2013, Clare resides in Amherst, Massachusetts, with her husband, Joshua Lewis, and three cats. She is friends with fellow American author, Holly Black, and their books occasionally overlap, Clare mentioning characters from Black's novels and vice versa, such as Val and Luis from Black's Valiant.
City of Bones
City of Bones
• 2010 Georgia Peach Book Awards for Teen Readers • Finalist for the Locus Award for Best First Novel of 2007 • An American Library Association Teens Top Ten Award winner, 2008 • 2010 Georgia Peach Book Awards for Teen Readers • Winner of The 2010 Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award • Winner of the 2010 Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award • A Texas TAYSHAS title 2010 • Shortlisted for the 2010 Evergreen Young Adult Book Award • Shortlisted for The 2010 Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award • Shortlisted for The North Carolina School Library Media Association Young Adult Book Award • Oregon Young Adult Network Book Rave Reading List Title 2008 • Shortlisted for the Coventry Inspiration Book Awards
City of Ashes
City of Ashes
• A 2009 ALA Teens Top Ten Title
City of Fallen Angels
City of Fallen Angels
• Best Goodreads Author in 2011
City of Heavenly Fire
City of Heavenly Fire
• Goodreads Choice Awards Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction of 2014
The Mortal Instruments
The Mortal Instruments
• City of Bones (March 27, 2007) • City of Ashes (March 28, 2008) • City of Glass (March 24, 2009) • City of Fallen Angels (April 5, 2011) • City of Lost Souls (May 8, 2012) • City of Heavenly Fire (May 27, 2014)
Mortal Instruments graphic novels
Mortal Instruments graphic novels
Art by Cassandra Jean. • The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 1 (November 7, 2017) • The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 2 (October 30, 2018) • The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 3 (October 29, 2019) • The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 4 (October 24, 2020) • The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 5 (March 29, 2022)
The Infernal Devices
The Infernal Devices
• Clockwork Angel (August 31, 2010) • Clockwork Prince (December 6, 2011) • Clockwork Princess (March 19, 2013)
Infernal Devices graphic novels
Infernal Devices graphic novels
Art by HyeKyung Baek. • The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Angel, Volume 1 (October 10, 2012) • The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Prince, Volume 2 (September 30, 2013) • The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Princess, Volume 3 (July 22, 2014)
The Dark Artifices
The Dark Artifices
• Lady Midnight (March 8, 2016) • Lord of Shadows (May 23, 2017) • Queen of Air and Darkness (December 4, 2018)
The Eldest Curses
The Eldest Curses
This series is co-written with Wesley Chu. • The Red Scrolls of Magic (March 9, 2019) • The Lost Book of the White (September 1, 2020) • The Black Volume of the Dead (TBD)
The Last Hours
The Last Hours
• Chain of Gold (March 3, 2020) • Chain of Iron (March 2, 2021) • Chain of Thorns (January 31, 2023)
The Wicked Powers
The Wicked Powers
• The Last King of Faerie (November 3, 2026) • The Last Prince of Hell (TBD) • The Last Shadowhunter (TBD)
In Fire Foretold series
In Fire Foretold series
• In Fire Foretold (TBD) • Untitled (TBD)
The Magisterium series
The Magisterium series
This series is written with Holly Black. • The Iron Trial (September 9, 2014) • The Copper Gauntlet (September 1, 2015) • The Bronze Key (August 30, 2016) • The Silver Mask (October 10, 2017) • The Golden Tower (September 11, 2018)
The Chronicles of Castellane series
The Chronicles of Castellane series
• Sword Catcher (October 10, 2023) • The Ragpicker King (March 4, 2025) • The Bone Conjurers (2028)
Short fiction
Short fiction
• "The Girl's Guide to Defeating the Dark Lord", Turn the Other Chick, ed. Esther Friesner, Baen Books (2004) (writing as Cassandra Claire) • "Charming", So Fey, ed. Steve Berman, Haworth Press (2007) • "Graffiti", Magic in the Mirrorstone, ed. Steve Berman, Mirrorstone Books (2008) • "Other Boys", The Eternal Kiss, ed. Trisha Telep, Running Press (2009) • "The Mirror House", Vacations from Hell, ed. Farrin Jacobs, HarperCollins (2009) • "I Never", Geektastic, ed. Holly Black and Cecil Castelucci, Little, Brown (2009) • "Cold Hands", ZVU: Zombies Versus Unicorns, ed. Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier, Simon and Schuster (2010) • "The Perfect Dinner Party" (w/Holly Black), Teeth: Vampire Tales, ed. Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, HarperCollins (2011) • "The Rowan Gentleman" (w/Holly Black), in Welcome to Bordertown (2011) • "Sisters Before Misters" (w/Sarah Rees Brennan & Holly Black) in Dark Duets: All-New Tales of Horror and Dark Fantasy (2014)
Fan fiction (writing as Cassandra Claire)
Fan fiction (writing as Cassandra Claire)
• The Draco Trilogy: "Draco Dormiens", "Draco Sinister", and "Draco Veritas" (based on Harry Potter) • The Very Secret Diaries (based on The Lord of the Rings)
Identity and origins
Identity and origins
Cassandra Clare was recorded at birth as Judith Rumelt. She also worked under the name Cassandra Clare. The authorities additionally record the headings Judith Lewis and Cassandra Claire. Her recorded language was English. Her recorded confession was Judaism. She was the child of Richard P. She married Joshua Lewis.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1973
Cassandra Clare born at Tehran.
Mortal Instruments companion books
Mortal Instruments companion books
• Shadowshunters and Downworlders: A Mortal Instruments Reader (with Sarah Rees Brennan, Holly Black, Rachel Caine & Kami Garcia) (January 29, 2013) • The Shadowhunter's Codex (with Joshua Lewis) (October 29, 2013) • The Bane Chronicles (with Sarah Rees Brennan & Maureen Johnson) (2013–2014; print edition released November 11, 2014) • Tales From the Shadowhunter Academy (with Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson & Robin Wasserman) (2015; print edition released November 15, 2016) • A History of Notable Shadowhunters and Denizens of Downworld (illustrated by Cassandra Jean) (February 18, 2016) • Ghosts of the Shadow Market: An Anthology of Tales (with Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson, Robin Wasserman & Kelly Link) (June 4, 2019) • Better in Black: Ten Stories of Shadowhunter Romance (December 2, 2025)
Mortal Instruments coloring books
Mortal Instruments coloring books
• The Official Mortal Instruments Coloring Book (illustrated by Cassandra Jean) (April 25, 2017)
Literature
Literature
8 by Cassandra Clare, Cassandra Jean on Ipad, 2026
5 by Cassandra Clare, Cassandra Jean, 2026
Read online: Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare, 2026
The Ragpicker King, 4.5 by Cassandra Clare (Audiobook), 2026
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Alter, Alexandra. The New Queen of Fantasy: Cassandra Clare's Breakout. The Wall Street Journal. D2. June 15, 2012.
- 2.Dill, Margo L. Potter Phenomenon. The Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette. F-3. March 14, 2010.
- 3.Best Sellers : Children's Books. The New York Times. April 22, 2007.
- 4.Copyright Clash over Demon-Fighting Stories. February 8, 2016.
- 5.Reed, Christopher. Obituary: Max Rosenberg. The Guardian. June 22, 2004.
- 6.Clare, Cassandara. The first chapter of City of Fallen Angels (and POV). February 27, 2011.
- 7.Kids' Q&A Cassandra Clare.
- 8.Author's bio at Sony.com.
- 9.Kaplan, David A. A most unusual father-daughter professional pairing. CNN Money. August 29, 2012.
- 10.What are the publication dates of Clockwork Princess and City of Heavenly Fire?.
- 11.Italie, Hillel. Cassandra Clare To Write 'The Dark Artifices,' A Fantasy Series Set In Los Angeles. The Huffington Post. May 14, 2012.
- 12.Clare, Cassandra. March 2016: Lady Midnight (Dark Artifices 1) September 2016 = The Bronze Key April 2017: Lord of Shadows. January 17, 2016.
- 13.Brissey, Breia. Cassandra Clare and co. to launch Shadowhunter e-series. Entertainment Weekly. October 14, 2014.
- 14.Cassandra Clare's Blog 23 August 2009.
- 15.The Mortal Instruments IMDB page. IMDb.
- 16.Clare, Cassandra. movie news. Cassandra Clare's Blog. LiveJournal. October 4, 2010.
- 17.'Shadowhunters' to End After 3 Seasons, Freeform Orders 2-Hour Finale to Wrap Series in 2019. June 5, 2018.
- 18.Weiss, Sabrina Rojas. Why Cassandra Clare Is One The Most Controversial YA Authors in History. Refinery29. January 13, 2016.
- 19.Staff, Distractify. Before 'Mortal Instruments' YA Author Cassandra Clare Faced Accusations of Plagiarism. Distractify. 2020-08-28.
- 20.Frederick, Ben. 10 most controversial authors (in recent memory). The Christian Science Monitor. March 11, 2013.
- 21.Green, Penelope. Cassandra Clare Created a Fantasy Realm and Aims to Maintain Her Rule. The New York Times. April 23, 2016.
- 22.Baker-Whitelaw, Gavia. A beginner's guide to Cassandra Clare and her 'Mortal Instruments'. The Daily Dot. August 2, 2013.
- 23.Italie, Hillel. Cassandra Clare signs up for new LA fantasy series. Yahoo! Finance. Associated Press. March 14, 2012.
- 24.Guarino, Cristina. 'Cassiegate': Cassandra Clare's Alleged Plagiarism in The Mortal Instruments. Paper Droids. September 16, 2013.
- 25.Biedenharn, Isabella. Cassandra Clare sued for copyright infringement over Shadowhunter series. Entertainment Weekly. February 10, 2016.
- 26.Miller, Laura. A No. 1 Best-Selling Author Sues Another No. 1 Best-Selling Author, and It Gets Ugly. Slate. February 17, 2016.
- 27.Sherrilyn Kenyon sues Cassandra Clare for 'wilfully copying' her novels. The Guardian. 2016-02-10.
- 28.Shapiro, Lila. 'I Really Thought He Was Going to Kill Me and Bury My Body' A romance author accused her husband of poisoning her. Was it her wildest fiction yet?. Vulture. June 19, 2019.
- 29.Stanley-Becker, Isaac. Best-selling paranormal romance writer accuses her husband of a 'Shakespearean plot' to poison her. The Washington Post. January 17, 2019.
- 30.Cassandra Clare & Joshua Lewis Pen The Shadowhunters Codex.
- 31.Is that Val and Luis from Holly Black's Valiant in that scene in City of Bones where Jace and Clary are going downtown with the Silent Brother?.
- 32.Georgia Library Media Association. 2010 Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers Winner Announced.
- 33.Young Adult Library Services Association. The 2008 Teens' Top Ten.
- 34.Illinois School Library Media Association. Illinois' High School Readers' Choice Award.
- 35.Pacific Northwest Library Association. Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award.
- 36.Texas Library Association. Texas TAYSHAS title 2010.
- 37.King County Library System. Evergreen Young Adult Book Award.
- 38.Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book World. Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award.
- 39.North Carolina School Library Media Association. NCSLMA YA Book Award.
- 40.Oregon Library Association. Oregon Young Adult Network Book Rave List.
- 41.Coventry City Council. Coventry Inspiration Book Awards.
- 42.Young Adult Library Services Association. 2009 ALA Teens Top Ten.
- 43.Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction!. Goodreads.
- 44.TMISource. Cover Reveal: 'Queen of Air and Darkness' coming December 4, 2018. November 12, 2017.
- 45.Exclusive Cover Reveal + Q&A: Behold Cassandra Clare's Adult Fantasy Debut Sword Catcher. Paste Magazine. January 12, 2023.
- 46.Friesner, Esther. Turn the Other Chick. Baen Books. 2004. 0743488571.
- 47.The Times article on The Draco Trilogy.
- 48.Author's Bio at LookingGlassReview.com.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
38,960 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Caspar Mathias SpooAuthor
- Caspar SchwenckfeldAuthor
- Caspar ZieglerAuthor
- Cass SunsteinAuthor
- Cassandra RiosAuthor
- Cassian SakowiczAuthor
- Cassiano RicardoAuthor
- Cassianus BassusAuthor
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Cassandra Clare?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.