About Me

✨ Short Biography

Wendy A. Simpson is an award‑winning fantasy and science‑fiction author who began writing at five and completed her first novel at fourteen. Inspired by Ray Bradbury, she now writes contemporary, character‑driven fantasy. Her Tales from the Riven Isles series includes Tinderbox, Tarotmancer, The Hatter’s Daughter (2025), and Steelbound (2026). Her work has drawn comparisons to N. K. Jemisin, L. Penelope, and Sarah J. Maas.

✨ Biography

Wendy A. Simpson is an award‑winning author of fantasy and science fiction whose work blends emotional resonance with genre‑defying imagination. She began writing at five and completed her first novel by fourteen, starting with mysteries before discovering speculative fiction through the influence of Ray Bradbury. Her contemporary, character‑driven style often centers strong, complex female protagonists navigating richly built worlds.

Her debut novel, Tinderbox, and its sequel, Tarotmancer, launched the Tales from the Riven Isles series with Flame Tree Press. Tinderbox reached the Top 100 on Amazon’s Best Sellers List in Black & African American Fantasy Fiction and won the 2022 Foreword INDIES Gold Award for Fantasy. The third installment, The Hatter’s Daughter, released in April 2025, and the final volume, Steelbound, arrives June 9, 2026. Critics have compared her work to N. K. Jemisin, L. Penelope, and Sarah J. Maas.

Wendy is currently developing several new projects for her readers, including The Girl of Morning Glory (MG contemporary fantasy), The Last Storyteller (grimdark fantasy), The Good Guys (AU contemporary fantasy), and Immortal Stream (science‑fantasy).

A proud Delaware native, she lives with her older brother — fondly known as Big Brother — and two diva cats. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, gardening, gaming, and streaming on Twitch as Runic Nightshade. Visit her at www.authorwasimpson.com to explore her works‑in‑progress and connect.

✨ Autobiography

I’ve been writing since the age of five, after a family friend gifted me an old typewriter upon noticing my early love for crafting mystery and suspense — stories only a five‑year‑old could dream up. I completed my first novel and began querying at fourteen. I collected many rejections, but one agent’s feedback stayed with me: I had a rare ambition for someone so young.

Over time, I realized mystery wasn’t my true calling. A story by Ray Bradbury nudged me toward fantasy, and after writing an unpublished science‑fiction epic, I completed a young adult fantasy that was published by a now‑defunct small press. That experience taught me to be more cautious with my work and reinforced my belief that authors must always keep learning.

I stopped writing for a while, convincing myself I’d quit — until I realized you can’t quit being a writer. Your brain will always think like one. That epiphany led me to finish my epic fantasy Tinderbox, which I shopped with no success until 2017, when I wrote Gunslinger Witch, a fantasy western inspired by my research into women of color in the Old West, especially Stagecoach Mary Fields.

While querying Gunslinger Witch, I received the call every writer dreams of — from Anne Tibbets of the Donald Maass Literary Agency, offering representation. Though Gunslinger Witch didn’t sell, Anne and I turned our attention to Tinderbox, and in 2021, I received an offer of publication from Flame Tree Press. Soon after, they accepted the sequel, Tarotmancer, on proposal.

Tinderbox, Tarotmancer, and The Hatter’s Daughter are available online and in stores everywhere. The final book in the series, Steelbound, releases June 9, 2026, completing the Tales from the Riven Isles saga.

I am currently seeking new literary representation to support my expanding creative direction and works‑in‑progress, which include a futuristic science‑fantasy, a middle‑grade contemporary fairytale, an apocalyptic grimdark fantasy, and a contemporary hero science‑fantasy in the vein of Sky High and The Incredibles.

I have a grand passion for books and storytelling, and I’m always open to discussing the craft — and business — of writing.

🎥 Behind the Author