author & storyteller
Writing stories where magic hides in the ordinary, and ordinary teens do extraordinary things.
✦ Work in Progress
In the wild frontier, nothing is ever what it seems. There's poison in the honey, wraiths in the water, and not enough distance between right and wrong.
Read More✦ The human behind the stories
Hi there! I'm Steph, a Young Adult author who believes that the teenage years are genuinely one of the wildest, most important adventures a person ever goes on — and that those years deserve stories that take them seriously.
I grew up in the wilds of the Wasatch Mountains. I started writing stories the same way most readers start: because I was looking for something and couldn't find exactly it on the shelf.
When I'm not writing, you can find me hiking or curling up with a book and my velcro-pup, Willa. I currently live in the Pacific Northwest.
✦ The worlds I've built
Standalone Novels
The Deal With Jinx
In the Land of Poison and Honey
✦ Thoughts, updates & rabbit holes
Writing Life
Every book I've written started with a plan. A real, color-coded, very satisfying plan. And every book I've written has eventually told me, politely but firmly, to put that plan away. Here's what I've learned about the tension between structure and surprise...
Books I Love
Winter is my favorite reading season — long evenings, an excuse to make tea every two hours, nowhere to be. I read eight books and these five are the ones I've already pressed into other people's hands...
Behind the Story
The short answer is: a hike, a wrong turn, and a very long drive home with nothing but my own thoughts. The longer answer involves some research, a spreadsheet I'm not entirely proud of, and a character who showed up fully formed and refused to leave...
For Writers
Every writer I know has a stuck-draft story. Mine usually happens around the 40,000-word mark, right when the shiny newness of the idea has worn off and the finish line is still not visible. Here are the things that have actually helped...