V. L. Bovalino

V. L. Bovalino writes at the crossroads of myth, romance, and the uncanny, where every shadow might be hiding an old story waiting to be told. Readers first encountered her voice in young adult horror, where folklore and fear intertwined, before she turned toward epic fantasy with The Second Death of Locke, the opening of The Hand and the Heart series. In her work, love is inseparable from sacrifice, loyalty is tested at the sharpest edges of power, and magic is never without consequence.

Originally from Pittsburgh, she grew up with an ear for ghost stories and a fascination with the strange details tucked into history and folklore. That curiosity eventually carried her across the Atlantic, where she earned her doctorate in English and Creative Writing and made the UK her home. Alongside her writing, she teaches at Goldsmiths, University of London, guiding new voices in children’s and young adult literature.