About Emma Forrester

I’m Emma Forrester, a British Jamaican indie author living in beautiful and occasionally mischievous Somerset. I write stories that sit somewhere between dystopia, quiet magic and the stubborn resilience that ordinary people carry without always realising it. At the centre of everything I create is a simple question: Who do we become when life changes, and what do we hold on to when the world feels uncertain?

I have always been creative, but discovering writing opened a world I did not know I had been waiting for. Once the stories began, they arrived loudly. My mum once told me to calm down because I kept recording voice notes of plot ideas at two or three in the morning. She was right, but the characters had other plans, and when they start talking I follow.

My storytelling is shaped by my heritage, by the humour, warmth and rhythm of Caribbean culture, and by the quiet strength of countryside life. I write about community because I grew up in one. I write about survival because my family taught me how to be strong. I write about tenderness because I believe softness can be a form of courage.

I am a mum of two brilliant, artistic and wonderfully chaotic children who inspire more of my characters than they realise. Some of my best plot twists have arrived during school runs, and more than a few emotional scenes were drafted while settling sibling debates. Our home is full of books, plants, dramatic Lego scenes and an ever-growing list of ideas that I keep promising myself I will organise properly one day.

When I am not writing, I am usually in my garden. It is full of flowers, sunflowers and pretty things, at least when my two giant dogs are not digging ill-advised holes or charging after butterflies. It is where I daydream, plan chapters and whisper new stories into the world.

I love characters who feel messy and real. I love people you could sit beside, tease, protect or fight for. I am drawn to the small human moments that unfold between the big dramatic ones. Grief softened by humour. Courage hiding inside ordinary choices. Love that shows itself quietly and consistently. These threads run through every world I build, whether it is a Somerset street holding itself together in Queen’s Road, a girl discovering something extraordinary on the cliffs of Kilve, or the fire and folklore rising through Rum, Salt and Shadow.

If you enjoy fiction rooted in humanity, shaped by emotion and brushed with the extraordinary, I am very glad you are here.
Welcome to my worlds. There is plenty of room at the table.

What I Write

My stories tend to live near the edges of dystopia, folklore and quiet magic. I am fascinated by what happens to ordinary people when the world tilts. I am just as interested in how we hold on to humour, love and dignity when everything around us becomes difficult.

A lot of my characters begin with the people I know and the places I love. They often carry a gentle twist of Black British identity, Somerset roots and the rich mix of experiences that shape my everyday life. I am inspired by the communities I grew up with, the ones I am part of now and the people I meet along the way.

I have always adored zombie fiction and mystical, character driven stories. Writing inside those worlds feels like coming home. I love taking familiar genres and filling them with emotion, description and depth so that readers feel as though they are living inside the pages with the characters. I want every moment to feel real enough that you could taste the air, hear the footstep, sense the danger or warmth or hope. I want you to fall into my stories in the same way I fall into the books that carry me through the long days and the busy ones.

You can expect the following in everything I write:

• Characters who lead the story
• Emotional and immersive worlds
• Communities under pressure
• Hope in complicated and unexpected places
• A little humour at the moments you need it most
• Small details that make the world feel lived in and real

At the heart of it all is connection. I want readers to breathe with every character, laugh with them, worry for them and feel the quiet triumphs that keep them going.

What I Am Working On Now

My head is usually a joyful mixture of wonder, magic and far too many ideas at once, so I am nearly always writing more than one thing. My debut novel, Queen’s Road, is at the front of the queue, but I am also working on short novellas and new stories that arrive at unexpected moments. It is a lovely kind of creative chaos, even if it keeps me awake with plot ideas at night.

Queen’s Road

This is my debut novel and the story closest to my heart. It follows a small Somerset street as an unexplained infection begins to spread across the country. The book is dystopian, emotional and grounded in community. It is about neighbours who become chosen family and the ways people protect one another when there is no one else coming. At its core, it is a survival story filled with heart, humanity and quiet courage.

The Last Dragon of Kilve

This is a middle grade story set along the cliffs of Kilve. It explores belonging, bravery and the quiet magic you can find when you pay attention to the world around you. It is gentler in tone and full of light, sea breeze and a little wonder.

The Turning

A story that blends reflection, suspense and a touch of the supernatural. It sits somewhere between mystery and quiet emotional transformation. This one began as a whisper of an idea and has steadily grown into a world of its own.

Still Here

A character driven werewolf novella that follows people who are trying to understand themselves as much as the creatures they become. It is emotional, eerie and strangely tender. I love exploring stories where the monsters reveal more about our humanity than anything else.

And the many ideas circling in the background

Short novellas. Notes that spark at two in the morning. Scenes that appear while I am gardening or assembling dramatic Lego creations with my family. New characters who wander in and refuse to leave until I write them down.

You can find more detail about each project on the Books page, and the best way to follow the journey is to join my reader community. I share updates, behind the scenes moments and early news there, and I would love to welcome you in.

A Note on Imagery

I love creating visuals for my stories, and I often use AI as a starting point when I am dreaming things up. But every image you see here has been poked, prodded, repainted, recoloured and reshaped by me until it fits my worlds, my characters and the chaos inside my head. Nothing is used “straight out of the box.” I believe in being honest and transparent, so think of AI as my sketchbook and me as the one doing all the messy colouring-in.