About Lucy | Lucy Hounsom

ABOUT ME

Greetings all

I’m a writer living in south-west England on the red shores of the Jurassic Coast. It’s a beautiful, mysterious part of the country, steeped in myth and folklore. And so unsurprisingly, it’s a perfect place in which to make up stories.

In the vein of most writers, I’ve been making up stories for a long time. Despite attending theatre school for six years, books were my first love. My parents read a lot to us as children – I guess it’s their fault my sister and I both turned out as authors!

I have a BA Hons in English & Creative Writing, and an MA in Creative Writing, both from the University of London, and five books published with Pan Macmillan. I worked for Waterstones Booksellers for twelve years, and co-host the award-winning intersectional feminist podcast, ‘Breaking the Glass Slipper’, which you can read more about right here.

I’m represented by Veronique Baxter of David Higham Associates. If you’re curious, you can check out my latest release, Song of the Huntress, and my Events page for info about where I’ll be next. Or sign up to my free Substack newsletter for some behind-the-scenes content. I am always happy to hear from you. Please use the contact form on this website, or reach out to me on my social channels. The photos on this page and in the gallery below can be used for promotional content, crediting Nathan Roberts.

150 & 250 word bios for promotional use

150 words

Lucy Holland is an author working across the fields of history, mythology and fantasy. Her current interest lies in re-imagining folktales and Celtic myth, with a view to re-situating the stories of queer people and uncovering the complex regional histories of early medieval Britain. Her novel, Sistersong, was a finalist for both the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award, and the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 2022. Her second historical fantasy, Song of the Huntress, was published in 2024. Both books are set in the West Country where she lives, and were inspired by its rich local folklore and history.

Since 2016, Lucy has co-hosted the award-winning podcast, ‘Breaking the Glass Slipper,’ with a focus on women in speculative fiction. She created and currently teaches Curtis Brown Creative’s Writing Fantasy course. In June 2024, she was selected by UNESCO Cities of Literature as one of the ILX10: Rising Stars of UK Writing.

250 Words

Lucy Holland is the bestselling author of Sistersong, a reimagining of the folk ballad ‘The Twa Sisters’, encompassing fantasy, historical fiction and themes of gender identity. The book was a finalist for the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award and the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel, 2022. Song of the Huntress, her second historical fantasy novel, was published by Pan Macmillan in 2024. As Lucy Hounsom, she wrote the Worldmaker Trilogy. Her debut, Starborn, was shortlisted in the 2016 Gemmell Awards for Best Fantasy Debut. She worked twelve years in corporate account sales for Waterstones Booksellers before becoming a full-time author. Lucy co-hosts the intersectional feminist podcast ‘Breaking the Glass Slipper’, which combines her passion for elevating the voices of women and marginalised creators with a love of speculative fiction. The podcast won Best Audio in the 2019 and 2025 British Fantasy Awards.

She holds a BA (Hons) in English & Creative Writing from the University of London and completed the MA in Creative Writing under Sir Andrew Motion in 2009. Lucy has given talks, participated in panels and hosted workshops at various universities and venues, including the Science Museum London, the British Library, MCM ComicCon, Barcelona Festival 42, Edinburgh’s Cymera Festival and Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival. Lucy created and currently teaches Curtis Brown Creative’s Writing Fantasy course. In June 2024, she was selected by UNESCO Cities of Literature as one of the ILX10: Rising Stars of UK Writing.

Lucy lives in Devon.

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Updates, sneak peeks, weird bits of writing or musing. Harp videos. I do like talking about the Otherworld, medieval Welsh literature and bards. If you do too, come and say hello!