Tui T. Sutherland is a renowned American children's book author born on July 31, 1978, in Caracas, Venezuela. Her mother, who is from New Zealand, named her after the tui, a bird native to that country. Sutherland lived in Asuncion, Paraguay; Miami, Florida; and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; before moving to New Jersey during high school.

While in high school, she began doing theater, focusing mainly on backstage work. She graduated from Williams College in 1998, after which she shifted her focus from theater to fiction writing, finding it to be more stable. Sutherland is best known for writing the Wings of Fire series of epic dragon fantasy novels, and her books have sold over 15 million copies.

In 2009, she showcased her vast knowledge by winning $46,200 over three games on Jeopardy!

At present, she resides in Boston, Massachusetts, with her husband and their two children.