The reigning queen of epic fantasy, Samantha Shannon’s compelling novels are not just New York Times and Sunday Times bestsellers; they’re also acclaimed for skewering traditions of the genre with their complex feminist characters and queer representation.

Shannon’s own story is equally trail-blazing: she began writing in earnest at just 12 years old and upon graduating from Oxford University at 21, had a seven-book deal from Bloomsbury that would become the international best-selling series starting with The Bone Season. Both The Bone Season series and Roots of Chaos cycle subvert the male-dominated fantasy genre and build incredible new worlds for readers to escape into.

Don’t miss her in conversation with Nalini Singh to discuss her newest release, sapphic literature, and the creativity (and technicalities) of dreaming up epic fantasy novels.