Every Friday, we meet a member of the BFS and peer deep into their soul (or, at least, a form they filled out). Want to be featured? Email us: online@britishfantasysociety.org
Name:
Karina Andrusiak (she/her)
Also writes under the pen name Lora Fray
Which region are you based in?
My family moved to London, UK, from Ukraine when the war started.
If you write, which genre:
Fantasy, psychological thriller, war memoir with mystical elements
Are you drawn to any specific SFFH sub-genres?
YA fantasy, psychological thrillers, and dark fantasy
Your influences
Tell us about the book/film/thing that got you into SFFH: What was it? How old were you? What impact did it have on you?
I was around twenty-four when I first discovered The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. It was my gateway into fantasy — a world of shadows, secrets, and forbidden love that completely pulled me in. Once I stepped into those realms, I couldn’t leave. Over time, I found myself drawn to darker, more adult fantasy, but it all started with that first spark of urban magic and the feeling that fantasy could be both thrilling and deeply emotional.
How does that early influence show up for you (in life / writing / agenting / publishing / editing / reading) now?
It wasn’t about a particular author — it was about opening a door I never wanted to close. That first encounter with fantasy gave me a hunger for otherworldly stories, for layered mythologies, and for the emotional weight of the impossible. To this day, I’m still drawn to the theme of angels — not the strictly biblical kind, but winged beings that blur the line between light and darkness. They often find their way into my work, as symbols of longing, rebellion, and the cost of memory.
(Image by Karina Andrusiak)
Where do you draw your creative inspiration from?
Very often — from dreams. But just as often, something sparks in my mind, seemingly by accident — a fleeting image, a line of thought, a shadow of a feeling. That spark grows quietly until it becomes a fire I can’t ignore. My stories usually begin there, in that space between the subconscious and the inevitable.
Who do you look to as a genre hero? Why?
Cassandra Clare, because she was the one who opened the door to fantasy for me. Her books were my first real immersion into a world that felt magical, dangerous, and emotional all at once. And Sarah J. Maas — for showing me what adult fantasy can look like. Her stories are bold, intense, romantic, and unapologetically dark in all the right places. She proved that fantasy can grow with you, becoming deeper, rawer, and even more addictive.
(Pictured: Cassandra Clare, source)
Your Work
You’re stuck in an elevator for 60 seconds with that hero, and they want you to describe your work. Give us the pitch.
I write what I like to call modern fairy tales for teenagers, filled with everything I once craved as a reader: love, adventure, heartbreak, impossible choices… all wrapped in rich fantasy worlds. There are portals, curses, secrets passed down through generations — and, of course, beautiful, winged men who complicate everything. If you’ve ever dreamed of running away into another world and falling in love with someone who isn’t quite human, then my books are for you.
What are you working on right now?
My debut YA fantasy novel Heavenly Fire is set to be published in June 2025, followed by Morning Star — a psychological thriller coming later this year. I’ve just finished editing another thriller, Confession to the Shadow, and I’m now looking for the right way to bring it to life. In the meantime, I’m planning to continue work on the sequel to Heavenly Fire — because that world still has so much more to reveal.
Thinking about all the stories/work you’ve done, what sticks out most in your mind? Why?
Phoenix is the one that stays with me. It’s not a book for everyone, and I don’t know if it will ever be published — but it matters. It’s a story about the war in my country, drawn from my own experience, interwoven with facts and a mystical, fictional thread. It was never meant to be easy. It’s painful, and sad, and real — even in its most unreal moments. It’s the kind of story I had to write, even if only a few people ever read it.
Where and when do you create/are you at your most creative?
I’ve heard this question many times, and I always envy writers who can describe their perfect conditions — a quiet cabin, a candlelit desk, a sacred writing hour. But the truth is, I write whenever I can. Time is a luxury I rarely have. I write at night, on my lunch break at work, on the train, at home while my children run around asking for snacks every five minutes. If I waited for the “right” conditions, the story would never get told.
(Pictured: Karina grabbing time to write)
What’s the best advice you’ve received about creativity?
You’re not writing to prove anything. You’re writing to feel alive.
What’s your writing soundtrack?
Any music will do — it’s just there to drown out the noise around me. Once I start writing, it’s hard to distract me anyway. The world fades. The story takes over.
The Quick-fire Round
Sci-fi, fantasy or horror?
Fantasy
Quiet or loud?
Quiet
Dark or light?
Dark
Strict lines or genre blend?
Strict lines
Awards or bestseller?
It doesn’t really matter — I always have my own opinion. Awards don’t always reflect that, but I’ll still check out what’s popular, just to see what the fuss is about.
(Image by Karina Andrusiak)
Fiction or non-fiction?
Fiction
Poetry or prose?
Prose
Plotter or pantser?
Pantser
Reading or listening?
Reading
Notebook or computer?
Computer
Favourite SFFH book of all time?
It’s hard to choose just one — they’re all so different, and each one means something in its own way. I have many favourites for many moods.
Last book you read?
Fearless by Lauren Roberts (Pictured)
Any SFFH author on auto-buy?
I don’t necessarily follow authors — but if I’ve started a series, I’ll always buy the next book, even if the first one didn’t completely win me over. I need to know how it ends.
Favourite podcast?
Not really a podcast listener.
The Home Stretch
What’s the best thing about being part of the SFFH community?
We’re all a little strange here — and we understand each other because of it. There’s something comforting about being surrounded by people who live partly in other worlds, who don’t need you to explain why fantasy matters. It just does.
Time to plug your stuff! Where can we find you and your work? What have you got coming up?
My debut YA fantasy novel Heavenly Fire is set to be published in June 2025, followed by Morning Star — a psychological thriller coming later this year. I’ve recently completed Confession to the Shadow, another dark thriller, and I’m currently looking for a publisher.
You can find me and my work here:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lora.fray
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/162aPYRzje/?mibextid=wwXlfr
- Medium: https://medium.com/@lora_fray
- Society of Authors: https://societyofauthors.org/soa-member/karina-andrusiak/
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