Hi! I'm Emmylou Kotzé, a poet, writer and editor from Mangaung, South Africa (which translates as "The Place of the Cheetah" from Sesotho). I'm demisexual and biromantic, and most of my writing reflects that pretty strongly. I mainly write what has been called "atypical" romantasy, because my romance storylines usually don't follow quite what you'd expect of the established genre. In addition, most of my characters are on the bi gradient in some way. If not outright stated, you can probably assume that they all experience some level of attraction to the same sex, even if the romance is a "straight" one.

Although I'm a lifelong SFF fan, I'm not too hung up on one specific genre, and my work spans literary, fantasy, sci-fi, and romance, with my main focus on three-dimensional characters with an inner life and the ways in which they relate to each other. In my stories, people like assassins, kinslayers and sex workers navigate their complex lives in magical worlds and fall in love – as often as not, queer love.

I have a long history of questioning everything: religion, sexuality, gender, history – and I strive to reflect that stance in my writing. The two themes that make me practically quiver in delight are feelings of otherness, and clashes of culture. I love narratives where things get messy and complex, and where it all comes with a heaping side of intense, gory pulp-style action.

Outside of writing, I did obtain a geoscience doctorate in Germany, and I can confidently explain the terms "buttress" and "orogeny." I currently live on the border of Lesotho, with the sight of my favourite mountain range, the Malutis, in the distance.