The shortlisted works across all 13 categories of the British Fantasy Awards have been announced! Find out who’s in the mix over on our blog. Winners announced at Fantasycon in October.
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Announcement:
Meet Anna Stephens
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: content@britishfantasysociety.org
Name, including preferred pronouns:
Anna Stephens (she/they)
Which region are you based in?
West Midlands
If you write, which genre:
Fantasy
Are you drawn to any specific SFFH sub-genres?
I started my career at the grimdark end of the scale with the Godblind trilogy. My second trilogy, The Songs of the Drowned, moved into more epic fantasy, though still with a side order of grit. I did some IP work for Black Library and Marvel, and my next trad novel, An Honesty of Thieves, is … fantasy adventure? Fantasy heist? It’s a smaller scope, anyway, set in the glorious, fabulous, magical, corrupt city of Akkanholme, following the shenanigans of two master thieves and their attempts to one-up each other. And then, in a wild swerve of sub-genres, I have a fantasy romance, The Sport of Wings, that is my indie debut and comes out on 16 October.
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 a voracious reader as a child. We used to visit the library every Saturday morning as a family, so I burned through the kids section early on and moved up to adult books probably far too early. Did wonders for my reading ability, but there was definitely some content I consumed that I probably shouldn’t have. I read The Silence of the Lambs at the age of 13, for example.
As for the book that turned me onto SFFH, this is probably not what you’re expecting, but there was a series of six animal fiction books that I was obsessed with from the age of about 10. They were all by William Horwood, and the first book was Duncton Wood.
They were firmly adult novels, dealing with the politics and religions and wars and sex among rival groups of, of all things, moles, in the English countryside. I checked them out from the library so many times that in the end my parents bought the whole set for me for Christmas and birthday.
They were absolutely epic fantasy in my opinion: a completely alien world, non-human species with their own competing religions, epic warfare, Chosen Ones, the overcoming of great odds…
From there it was Watership Down and The Plague Dogs, some other animal fiction, and as a grand finale, The Animals of Farthing Wood, just to cement the childhood trauma. At the age of 14, I read The War of Powers duology, and let me tell you, they were NOT child-appropriate. Good gods.
How does that early influence show up for you (in life/writing/agenting/publishing/editing/reading) now?
I think the Duncton Chronicles series really cemented the epic scope for me early on. I learned young that books could be expansive, ambitious, covering entire peoples and communities and places, and I certainly followed that example with my first two trilogies.
Where do you draw your creative inspiration from?
Everywhere! I’m DM’ing a long-running Dungeons & Dragons campaign and my players certainly keep me on my toes, forcing me to react and create in real time as they make choices there was no way I could have anticipated (thanks, gang)! I really think that helps keep the creativity bubbling at all times.
I’m also a mentor and editor, and a lot of the work I do when mentoring is brainstorming with my clients to get them out of plot holes or resolve character backstory or arcs. Again, this requires me to think on my feet, and I think both of those elements ensure that my creativity is always bubbling away in the background.
In addition, I read a lot, listen to a lot of audiobooks, watch a lot of actual play, and consume a lot of foreign media. I’m a big fan of Japanese and Korean dramas, and Studio Ghibli taught me that horror can reside even within whimsy, which I think is a useful lesson.
Who do you look to as a genre hero? Why?
Ah, the world’s hardest question. You’re probably expecting Tolkien or Le Guin or Hobb, but I’m going to champion a single book that fundamentally rewired my brain when I listened to the audio a couple of years ago: Chain-Gang All Stars by Nana-Kwame Adjei Brenyah (pictured; photo: Alex M. Philip; source).
The book is a fusion of today’s statistics on US incarceration procedures, structural racism, and police brutality with a fantasy world in which convicts can elect to enter the chain gangs and fight to the death for the chance to earn rewards and shorten their sentences.
Convicts fight while wearing clothing and armour slathered with sponsorship logos—grocery stores, children’s nurseries, sportswear etc—and it follows the stories of convicts on the chain-gang, people who are absolute monsters and yet at the same time do not deserve what’s happening to them; protesters on the outside trying to bring an end to the games; and ordinary people believing they’re morally upright being slowly seduced into watching the death matches, losing their humanity as they observe people killing each other for entertainment. It’s brutal and awful and tender and heartbreaking and horrifying and even funny. A masterpiece.
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.
First, I spend thirty seconds in a white-hot panic, sweating, beating my fists against the elevator doors. Then, like a cornered animal, I lash out with the pitch for An Honesty of Thieves (April 2027, The Broken Binding Press):
The world’s two greatest magic-aided thieves are kidnapped, blackmailed, and forced to become the thing they hate most: government agents tasked with stealing five impossible objects on behalf of the establishment—or die.
What are you working on right now?
The sequel to An Honesty of Thieves, and planning the second book in the dragon racing series.
Thinking about all the stories/work you’ve done, what sticks out most in your mind? Why?
An Honesty of Thieves has absolutely been the most fun to write. I didn’t exactly throw out the rule book, but I didn’t censor myself when it came to being silly or introducing ridiculous puns and wordplay and pop culture references. Having the freedom to be playful and release my silly side, which is far more prominent than my previous work suggests, meant that writing it—and rewriting and rewriting it—was a blast.
Where and when do you create/are you at your most creative?
I’m a morning writer. Because I’m a portfolio professional—I have many jobs—it’s the only time I can fit writing into my schedule, so it’s up at 5.30ish for a couple of hours’ work before dog walk and day job.
What’s the best advice you’ve received about creativity?
It thrives among its own kind. Read a lot, watch good—and bad—TV and movies, play games, go for long walks with just your imagination.
What’s your writing soundtrack?
Usually the poodle snoring on the bed next to me, but if I’m working in the evenings or at weekends, movie soundtracks are always great. Or Tangerine Dream. or Japanese shamisen music.
The Quick Fire Round
Sci-fi, fantasy or horror?
Fantasy
Quiet or loud?
Quiet
Dark or light?
Light
Strict lines or genre blend?
Blend!
Awards or bestseller?
Bestseller
Fiction or non-fiction?
Fiction
Poetry or prose?
Prose
Plotter or pantser?
Pantser
Reading or listening?
Listening
Notebook or computer?
Computer
Favourite SFFH book of all time?
This isn’t quickfire! This is three hours of deep contemplation! Guards! Guards! by STP
Last book you read?
The Dreamless by Jen Williams
Any SFFH author on auto-buy?
Jen Williams, Nana-Kwame Adjei Brenyah, Stewart Hotston
Favourite podcast?
Publishing Rodeo
The Home Stretch
What’s the best thing about being part of the SFFH community?
The boozy conversations at conventions. Meeting your heroes!
Time to plug your stuff! Where can we find you and your work? What have you got coming up? Consider this your advertising space.
www.anna-stephens.com is home to my blog, book updates, and links to the Magic and Mayhem Author Academy where I offer editing, mentoring, and SFF writing courses online.
The Sport of Wings is publishing on 16 October. It’s available to pre-order on Kindle and, by the time this is released, should hopefully be available to pre-order elsewhere, too. I’m still figuring that out! I’ll also be selling it direct on my website, as above.
Finally, An Honesty of Thieves is coming from The Broken Binding in April 2027.
One response to “Meet Anna Stephens ”
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Great to see some Duncton Wood love! My daughter adores those books.
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