Shauna Lawless

Last updated
Shauna Lawless
Bornc. 1985/1986
Alma mater
Years active2022–present
SpouseGerard Lawless
Website shaunalawless.com

Shauna Lawless (born c. 1985/1986) is a fantasy author from County Down. Her debut novel The Children of Gods and Fighting Men (2022), the first in her Gael Song historical fantasy trilogy, was nominated for a British Fantasy Award. Lawless won a Chrysalis Award at the 2025 ESFS Awards.

Contents

Early life

Lawless spent her early childhood in England before her family returned to County Down when she was 9. [1] She attended St Mary's Primary School in Newcastle and then Assumption Grammar School in Ballynahinch. She graduated with a degree in Accountancy from Ulster University. [2]

Career

Before going into professional writing, Lawless worked in finance. She has named Hilary Mantel, George R. R. Martin, and Jane Austen as her favourite authors. She has also cited an admiration for the likes of Christopher Buehlman, Fonda Lee, Nicholas Binge, Mark Lawrence, Anthony Ryan, Tasha Suri, Hannah Kaner, Ken Liu and Christopher Ruocchio. [2] [3]

Via Head of Zeus (a Bloomsbury Books imprint), Lawless published her debut historical fantasy novel The Children of Gods and Fighting Men in 2022, which would form part of her Gael Song trilogy, set in the 10th century amid the Viking age. [4] [5] [6] Lawless had become fascinated with Irish mythology at a young age and recalls discovering Lady Gregory's Of Gods and Fighting Men. [1] [7] The Children of Gods and Fighting Men was nominated for the British Fantasy Award for Best Newcomer. [8] The second book in the series titled The Words of Kings and Prophets was published in 2023, [9] followed by the third and final installment The Land of the Living and the Dead in 2024. [10] [11] In the interim were two Gael Song novellas: Dreams of Fire and Dreams of Sorrow. [12] She returned to the Gael Song saga in 2025 with Daughter of the Otherworld, the first in a duology set in the same universe. [13] [14]

Lawless won a Chrysalis Award at the European Science Fiction Awards (ESFS) Awards. [15]

Personal life

Lawless lives in Castlewellan with her family. [2]

Bibliography

Gael Song

Gael Song trilogy

  • The Children of Gods and Fighting Men (2022)
  • The Words of Kings and Prophets (2023)
  • The Land of the Living and the Dead (2024)
Novellas
  • Dreams of Fire (#0.5)
  • Dreams of Sorrow (#2.5)
  • Dreams of Chaos

Gael Song: Era II

  • Daughter of the Otherworld (2025)

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryTitleResultRef.
2023 British Fantasy Awards Best NewcomerThe Children of Gods and Fighting MenShortlisted [8]
2025 European Science Fiction Society Awards Chrysalis AwardWon [15]

References

  1. 1 2 Lawless, Shauna (31 August 2022). "'Merging Irish myths and Irish history gave my story its soul'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 "Irish battle plays central role in Shauna's new book". Mourne Observer. 11 September 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  3. ↑ Shukla, Nils (12 February 2022). "Author Spotlight – Shauna Lawless (THE CHILDREN OF GODS AND FIGHTING MEN)". Fantasy Hive. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  4. ↑ Bielenberg, Kim (22 October 2022). "WriteSide: Shauna Lawless on her love of history and mythology and the magic of the Mournes". Irish Independent. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  5. ↑ Lawless, Shauna (14 September 2022). "Shauna Lawless on why she decided to set her fantasy novel in Ireland". Culturefly. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  6. ↑ Frame, Stephen. "The Children of Gods and Fighting Men by Shauna Lawless". British Fantasy Society. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  7. ↑ "The Words of Kings and Prophets". Unseen Histories. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  8. 1 2 Templeton, Molly (18 September 2023). "Announcing the 2023 British Fantasy Awards Winners". Reactor. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  9. ↑ Denton, Fiona (27 September 2023). "REVIEW: The Words of Kings and Prophets by Shauna Lawless". GrimDark Magazine. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  10. ↑ "Review: The Land of the Living and the Dead by Shauna Lawless". SFF Insiders. 7 July 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  11. ↑ Brooks, Robin (26 September 2024). "'The Land Of The Living And The Dead:' A Book Review". GeekDad. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  12. ↑ "Review: Dreams of Sorrow by Shauna Lawless". SFF Insiders. 28 August 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  13. ↑ Denton, Fiona (1 September 2025). "REVIEW: Daughter of the Otherworld by Shauna Lawless". GrimDark Magazine. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  14. ↑ McLaughlin, Julie (17 September 2025). "Castlewellan author tells story of completing her seventh book". Mourne Observer. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  15. 1 2 "2025 ESFS Awards Winners". Locus. 2 July 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
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