s. k. rand (susie, for ease; they/she, for less ease) writes dark and whimsical fairytales fiction from their old Victorian house in Des Moines, Iowa. (No, it's sadly not haunted, but we do our best to evoke that effect in the decor.) 

susie graduated from New York University with a bachelor's degree in Gender and Sexuality Studies in 2015 and from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln with a master's degree in Fiction Writing in 2021. Their primary writing interest is in telling queer fantasy love stories (especially those about unreliable protagonists who have a lot of learning to do), but sometimes they writes short stories about surreal, spooky, or science fiction-y things, too. Inspiration hits most often when susie is driving, which is why they often listen to absolute silence in the car even though that makes some of her friends think that there's something seriously wrong with her. Current hyperfixations include: The Captive Prince book series, 80s dark fantasy movies (like Labyrinth, The Neverending Story, The Dark Crystal, and so on), and medieval fashion.

susie is currently on the hunt for a literary agent to represent their debut YA fantasy-romance novel, Malverna Moore Is Not a Witch, which they describe offhandedly as a "lesbian fantasy road trip."