Stephanie Lynwood
Fantasy Author
Steph has been a writer for as long as she can remember, writing fantastical stories as a child and building elaborate worlds well into her teens. After graduating university, dreams of being an author fell by the wayside as working full-time left her with too little energy to devote to creative pursuits. As it turned out, Steph found out she was neurodivergent in her early thirties, and in redesigning her life to properly accommodate herself and to recover from burnout, her priorities finally leaned once again towards writing and the healing power of creating characters and letting them run around causing mischief in her head.
She is a lover of fantasy and science fiction, and under the pen name Stephanie Lynwood, writes stories that centre queer characters and the human relationship and connection to the natural world. She is currently working on her debut novel, inspired by both the works of Hayao Miyazaki and of British and Celtic folklore, about breaking out of the quarter life crisis and finding the magic in the mundane again.
Some of her favourite books, films and TV series that also provide sources of inspiration include Becky Chambers' Wayfarers books, Krystle Matar's Legacy of the Brightwash, Star Wars (yes, all of it), Avatar: The Last Airbender, Sense8 and Firefly. When not writing, Steph can be found weightlifting and practicing her snatch, clean and jerk in her home gym, out hiking in rural Nottinghamshire or curled up reading a book surrounded by soft blankets and an army of plushies.
Upcoming Books
Works in Progress
Fantasy: LGBTQIA+, Spirited Away, Celtic Folklore, Quarter Life Crisis
Spirit Well (Working Title)
Struggling with stagnating in her early thirties, Renata is pulled through the veil of her world and into another by forces unknown. Navigating a wilderness of creatures from ancient folklore, she quickly discovers that magic is more chaotic and dangerous than her favourite stories had led her to believe.
Accompanied by a tree spirit and a witch, she must find her courage and her way home.
Fantasy: LGBTQIA+, Green Aesop, Found Family, Magical Guardians
Watercolours (Working Title)
Berin, an Iridescent, is spurred into pursuit of answers when her niece is denied a Guardian at her coming-of-age ceremony and condemned to a life of exile.
When a representative of the Risadi government loses contact with one of her Iridescents on their pilgrimage to the enigmatic and insular nation of Draestak, Berin is dispatched alongside two of the Royal Guard - Luceris and his Guardian, Lam - to find answers.
Her journey leads her to unexpected discoveries and a magnetic, intelligent woman and her Guardian who shake her ideology to its core.
This WIP is a heroic fantasy set in a seemingly idyllic world of magic that explores what we may be willing to sacrifice for something we believe in, and what it means to feel truly connected with one another and the life all around us.