Hi lovely, I’m Louise Avryne.

I live on the coast of Western Australia. The sunsets here are something else, it’s different every night. Sometimes the whole sky turns blush pink. Other nights, it’s deep orange, bleeding into red, the kind that makes you stop mid-sentence. I never get tired of watching the light change over the water. When the wind stills and the surface goes glassy, it feels like time is standing still and I can breathe again. It’s a rare peace I’ve never found anywhere else on Earth.

I’m a mum. My daughter is the centre of my world. She’s loud, funny, endlessly curious, and completely herself. Watching her grow into exactly who she is has been the greatest joy of my life. She’s magic, chaotic, kind, always asking questions. She keeps me grounded and completely off balance, in the best way.

I’m also lucky to be married to someone who believes in what I do. He’s the calm when I spiral, the one who makes sure I’ve eaten when I’m too deep in a scene to notice the time. He knows how much this work means to me and never once asked me to tone it down.

Our home is full of plants, ferns, orchids, whatever else I’ve brought home and promised to keep alive. Usually it goes well, but we’ve had a few plant funerals.

I’m an avid photographer. If you don’t find me nose-deep in a book or deciding to start yet another WIP, you’ll find me behind the camera lens. It’s my first love—something that’s brought me peace and clarity over the years. I always try to incorporate my own photos into my book covers.

I write dark, emotionally grounded paranormal fantasy, romance, and anything in between. My stories always have a grain of truth in them, some lived experience, maybe even a person I once knew and wanted to immortalise in text. Usually it’s because they’ve passed on. My life hasn’t been an easy one, but to that I say: nothing worth anything ever is. I write from the heart and craft from the things I knew and know. My stories are often dark and visceral in nature, with humour sprinkled in for balance.

I love poetry and often write it when I’m stuck on ideas or when my characters are having a spat about what’s happening. Family meetings never go well.

Painting is another place you’ll find me—vivid landscapes, and usually using all the wrong mediums to do it.

“Normality is a paved road: It’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it.” — Vincent Van Gogh

If I’m not knee-deep in a plot hole I never planned for (total pantser here), I’m usually drinking cold tea, leaving far too many tabs open, and embroiled in some sort of chaos. It usually involves me forgetting the laundry again and having to wash it for the third time, or leaving all my notes lying around and forgetting where I put my pen. I don’t think I’ll ever truly learn.

I love that you’re here. Thank you for stopping by. I hope you find a quote, a moment, or a sentence that puts your emotions into words. That’s what I live for.

I’d love to hear from you—please drop me a line at louiseavryne@gmail.com.

I hope you enjoy the path I’ve created, and I can’t wait to show you all the lovely things that bloom along it.

—Louise Avryne