Fay Irwin (pen name)
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fantasyscience.bsky.social
Fay Irwin (pen name)
@fantasyscience.bsky.social
680 followers 900 following 440 posts
Chemist by day, fantasy writer by night. My past includes stints as a legal secretary, martial arts instructor, and rock'n'roll clarinettist.
Over 50 publications to date, but they're all in science journals.
She/her
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fantasyscience.bsky.social
If Andy Weir and Ali Hazelwood co-wrote a book, it would be CHEMPORTAL. This scifi romcom with real chemistry features:
💥Explosions (real and figurative)
📻Science (mis)communication
🥰Enemies to lovers
👨‍👩‍👧‍👧Complex family dynamics
⚛️ #Steminist history
💪ND and LGBTQ rep

#QuestPit #A #Q #SF #R
Dark blue poster background with a cartoon of a pink and silver pressure cooker. Text: ChemPortal A romantic sci-fi Two awkward scientists just want to be left alone to build a lawnmower. Instead, thy find themselves battling time, powerful corporations, and doomsday cults to save the world from starvation. Fay Irwin
November 5, 2025 at 4:43 PM
fantasyscience.bsky.social
CHEMPORTAL is what you'd get if Andy Weir and Ali Hazelwood co-wrote a book. It has:
🧪Lots of chemistry (of both types)
👫Enemies to lovers
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Complex family dynamics
👭Friendship and found family
💪Feminist takes on the history of science
🧠Neurodivergent and LGBTQ rep
🤣Awkward humour

#SFPit #A #Q
Poster with a dark blue background. A pink pressure cooker with a silver lid is the only image. Text: ChemPortal A romantic sci-fi Two awkward scientists just want to be left alone to build a lawnmower. Instead, they find themselves battling time, powerful corporations, and doomsday cults to save the world from starvation. Fay Irwin
October 22, 2025 at 2:14 AM
fantasyscience.bsky.social
Two awkward scientists on an alternate Earth must overcome their mutual dislike to save the world from mass starvation. But their growing feelings for each other prove to be as explosive as the chemicals they work with.

#SciFiPit #SFPit #A
October 21, 2025 at 3:27 PM
fantasyscience.bsky.social
Antagonistic coworkers try to save the world in ChemPortal.

Obstacles: angry cults, greedy corporations, the laws of physics, themselves.

The stakes: Nothing less than their hearts. (And the future of humanity.)

#UnhingedPit #SF #R #Q

(Character art done by me. I'm sorry.)
poorly drawn cartoon of two people. The man is wearing slacks and a sweater vest. His thought bubble says, "I just want peace and quiet." The woman is wearing jeans, red shoes, and a lab coat. Her thought bubble says, "I'm gonna blow shit up."
September 23, 2025 at 10:22 PM
fantasyscience.bsky.social
Looks like most online word cloud generators won't post swears. My book has 150 instances of "fuck." All are necessary.

#UnhingedPit #SF #R #Q
Word cloud with too many words to paste here. Big ones: library, book, lab, portal, time, world, reaction, family, synthesis
September 23, 2025 at 9:56 PM
fantasyscience.bsky.social
A young farmer's magic may be the key to stopping a war. But she doesn't know how to use it.

This adventurous romp features themes of finding one's place and questioning societal expectations, fun tropes (not enough bedrolls!), and a relatable heroine.

#PosterPit #PosterPitQ #Q #A #F
Poster with a forest background and a very angry blue and orange blanket floating in the air. Can Seya save the prince before war breaks out? And before her blanket kills her? The Ember and the Crown by Fay Irwin
August 16, 2025 at 9:12 AM
fantasyscience.bsky.social
George wants to be left alone. Nat wants to blow things up. Faced with a looming apocalypse, they must overcome their mutual dislike to save the world.

#PosterPit #W #R #SF #A
Pink poster with a blue and black portal in the middle. An ombre (pink to yellow) heart is in the middle of the portal. Text: What if Andy Weir and Ali Hazelwood co-wrote a Pride and Prejudice retelling? ChemPortal A romance with real chemistry Portals (but only for books) Enemies to lovers Explosions Bats Feminism Science (mis)communication Extreme awkwardness LGBTQ and neurodivergence rep Found family Fertilizer
August 16, 2025 at 7:52 AM
fantasyscience.bsky.social
PROJECT HAIL MARY x PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

Coming soon to a query trench near you...

#PosterPit #A #R #SF #W
Poster with dark blue background and an illustration of a hot pink pressure cooker in the middle. ChemPortal A romantic sci-fi Two awkward scientists just want to be left alone to build a lawnmower. Instead, they find themselves battling time, powerful corporations, and doomsday cults to save the world from starvation. Fay Irwin
August 16, 2025 at 6:37 AM
fantasyscience.bsky.social
A snippet for #QueerPit
#A #F #Q #AmQuerying
A poster with a blue and purple ombre background. An angry-looking orange and blue blanket lurks in the bottom corner. “So, the point is to produce more powerful mages?” Seya shrugged. “A breeding program. Makes sense.” Aniel’s eyebrows lifted, and Liset sputtered a laugh. “Seya! I hope you don’t talk about breeding with other people here!” She turned to Aniel. “Can you imagine Seya discussing that with the prince?” Seya’s face heated. Liset stopped laughing, her eyebrows rising to match Aniel’s. “No! You didn’t!” “Not about people! Just animals.” When her friends’ expressions didn’t change, Seya plowed forward. “I told him about chicken husbandry.” Their eyebrows climbed even higher. “He seemed interested,” she muttered. The Ember and the Crown by Fay Irwin
August 15, 2025 at 5:48 PM
fantasyscience.bsky.social
I'm terrible at visual pitches. But here's another one for my adult fantasy about a farmer-turned-mage who needs to save a prince (while avoiding being murdered by her sentient blanket).

#FromZeroToCompetent
#NotEnoughBedrolls
#AlivingUnaliveThings

#QueerPit #A #F #Q #AmQuerying
Orange background with a cartoon hand holding a (live) chicken The Ember and the Crown A fantasy novel featuring chickens, sentient objects, and a woman finding her place in the world
August 15, 2025 at 2:47 PM
fantasyscience.bsky.social
When a farmer accidentally brings a roomful of golems to life she's thrust into a new life as a mage and spy.

💪Strong heroine
🧪Science-based magic system
🌧️Sentient objects
🫶Forbidden love
🔺Love triangle
💍Arranged marriage
🧻Not enough bedrolls
And yet, not a romance.

#QueerPit #A #F #Q #AmQuerying
Can Seya save the prince before war breaks out? And before her blanket kills her? The Ember and the Crown by Fay Irwin Image: a cartoon-ish angry blanket floating in the air in a forest.
August 15, 2025 at 1:41 PM
fantasyscience.bsky.social
She was supposed to be a farmer, not a mage. #QueerPit #A #F #Q #AmQuerying
The Ember and the Crown In a world where magic follows the rules of science, Seya’s brings inanimate objects to life. Now she’s trying to prevent a war while dealing with mind-controlling mages, complicated romantic entanglements, and political intrigue. Oh, and an angry blanket intent on murder. Comps and Vibes - unique magic system - relatedly awkward heroine - sentient objects - royals, spies, mages, and chickens - from zero to competent Images of Naomi Novik's Uprooted ("heroine with unexpected, quirky magic) and Hanna Nicole Maehrer's Assistant to the Villan ("a fast-paced, hilarious romp") First Lines Seya strode through the palace as though she belonged; just another servant scurrying to do her master’s bidding. She had no idea what palace servants looked like, or whether they’d scurry, but pretending helped keep her mind off more pressing issues, such as – for example – her impending death. Themes and Tropes (often subverted) - strong heroine - finding one's place - underdog hero - forbidden romance - love triangle - arranged marriage - Not enough bedrolls
August 15, 2025 at 12:23 PM
fantasyscience.bsky.social
THE EMBER AND THE CROWN
Magic follows the rules of science, but Seya’s brings objects to life. Now she’s trying to prevent a war while dealing with mind-controlling mages, complicated romantic entanglements, and political intrigue. Oh, and an angry blanket intent on murder.

#BluePit📖 #Q #F #A #NA
Comps and vibes: - unique magic system - relatably awkward heroine - sentient objects - royals, spies, mages, and chickens - from zero to competent Photo of cover of Uprooted (Naomi Novik) with text "Heroine with unexpected, quirky magic" Photo of Assistant to the Villain (Hannah Nicole Maehrer) with text "A fast-paced, hilarious romp" Background is faded flames Themes and tropes (often subverted): - strong heroine - finding one's place - underdog hero - forbidden romance - love triangle - arranged marriage - not enough bedrolls Background is faded flames First lines: Seya strode through the palace as though she belonged; just another servant scurrying to do her master’s bidding. She had no idea what palace servants looked like, or whether they’d scurry, but playing make-believe helped keep her mind off more pressing issues, such as – for example – her impending death. Background is faded flames
July 13, 2025 at 2:47 PM
fantasyscience.bsky.social
Looking up the size of squirrel stomachs (for my novel). I usually ignore the AI suggestions, but this one was so incredibly wrong I had to share.

Given those numbers, squirrels are ~45 m long (close to half a football field). That would be a completely different book.

#Writing #RevSpirations
Screen shot of an AI overview: "The length of a squirrel stomach is typically about 136 centimeters and accounts for 2.94% of their total body length, according to a study on wild gray squirrels according to CABI Digital Library. The small intestine, in comparison, is about 90.73 centimeters long and accounts for 66.18% of the total length of the digestive tract.
June 13, 2025 at 1:13 PM
fantasyscience.bsky.social
Seya’s magic is out of control.

The apple taunts her, the cloud demands more water, and the gate refuses to let anyone in.

Seya could be a powerful mage. She just needs to figure out how to harness her magic – preferably before the murderous blanket catches her.

#JoyPit #F #AmQuerying
Black text over a sunset scene (silhouetted rooftops and trees with an orange, pink, and purple sky). "THE EMBER AND THE CROWN is a fast-paced, adventurous romp with a heroine you'll cheer (and cringe) for." Black text over an image of a blooming canola field (bright yellow) with a blue, slightly cloudy sky in the background. "Following a short, humiliating stint at mage school, a young farmer resigns herself to returning to her family and chickens a failure, but instead finds herself hobnobbing with royals, training to be a spy, falling in love, and trying to stop a war."
June 6, 2025 at 2:35 PM
fantasyscience.bsky.social
PROJECT HAIL MARY x PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

We don't know why or how the portals exist. We do know they're attached to libraries in "other Earth." The books they occasionally spit out have advanced science tremendously. Do they hold the secret for preventing mass starvation?
#WIPPit #SFF #R
Washed-out photo of a barren landscape forms the backdrop for a poster titled "Catalysts Under Pressure." Main text: "In an alternate Earth, a disaffected chemist with a penchant for engineering explosions reluctantly joins forces with her uptight supervisor to save the world - by inventing fertilizer. With global starvation the cost of failure, they find themselves in a race against time - and against a greedy corporation intent on monetizing the impending tragedy." Bullet points: - Portals (but only for books) - Chemistry (literal and interpersonal) - Enemies [this is crossed out] Antagonistic coworkers to lovers - Dual POV - Medium spice - Alternate timeline
May 23, 2025 at 2:03 PM
fantasyscience.bsky.social
After a very long day of travel, Seya reaches the palace in the middle of the night. Trying to convince herself she's glad to be back, her thoughts take her in... interesting directions.
#WIPSnips #AmQuerying
Photo of a cloudy blue sky over a field dotted with hay bales. Trees are in the background, and a fence in the foreground. Text reads: "Shaking off her thoughts, Seya headed toward the palace. Thinking about chickens reminded her of [name]. Now there was an entertaining association. “Hello, your highness. Chickens make me think of you.” I’m being ridiculous, she decided. Time for sleep. She quickened her pace, thinking of her bed and her friends. The future already appeared brighter."
May 8, 2025 at 12:47 AM
fantasyscience.bsky.social
Querying my fast-paced, humorous YA-crossover fantasy. Loved by 8-year-olds and 73-year-olds alike (small sample size - statistical significance not confirmed).
#FromFarmtoCastle
#FromZeroToCompetent
#BadAssButInsecureHeroine
#RelatableEmbarrassment
#SneakyScience

#QuestPit #YA #F #Q
A dark grey background. A title ("The Ember and the Crown"). A badly-drawn picture (done in Word) of a young woman in a blue dress holding a glowing orb in her right hand, a short sword in her left. A photo of a canola field against a blue sky with clouds, and text: "She hopes her magic will saver her farm. It might just save her country. That is, if she can get it to work." In white writing on the bottom half of the grey background: "A young woman must harness her unpredictable magic to avert a war - while also dealing with: - An arranged marriage - Forbidden love - The mage who keeps taking over her mind - The objects she keeps turning sentient
May 7, 2025 at 11:12 PM
fantasyscience.bsky.social
Project Hail Mary x Pride and Prejudice

When the near-extinction of bats threatens the survival of humanity, a profanity-spewing scientist finds herself relying on the boss she hates to save the world. There's plenty of chemistry (and CHEMISTRY) in this romantic #SF novel.
#QuestPit #A #R #W
Poster with a backdrop of a desolate landscape against a cloudy sky. Title: "Catalysts Under Pressure" Text: In an alternate Earth, a disaffected chemist with a penchant for engineering explosions reluctantly joins forces with her uptight supervisor to save the world – by inventing fertilizer. With global starvation the cost of failure, they find themselves in a race against time – and against a greedy corporation intent on monetizing the impending tragedy. Bullet points say: - Portals (but only for books) - Chemistry (literal and interpersonal) - Enemies to lovers [crossed out and replaced with "Antagonistic coworkers to lovers"] - Dual POV - Medium spice - Alternative timeline
May 7, 2025 at 7:31 PM
fantasyscience.bsky.social
When Seya's life of obnoxious chickens and poor crop yields is suddenly traded for one of mages, royalty, and spies, she must harness her uncooperative magic to stop a war – while navigating an unwanted arranged marriage, forbidden love, and a mage intent on taking over her mind.
#QuestPit #Q #YA #F
A poster titled "The Ember and the Crown" Top panel is a background of a canola filed with a blue, cloud-dotted sky. "She hopes her magic will save her farm. It might just save her country. That is, if she can get it to work." Middle panel is text over a sunset with silhouetted trees and a roof. "- Strong heroine with fun magic - Forbidden romance - Arranged marriage - Societal expectations - Coming of age" Bottom panel is text over a photo of a sun dog in a blue sky. The tops of trees are seen at the bottom of the photo. "Beta readers say: 'I loved it' 'Hilarious' 'There are some great twists' 'I really like the ending' 'I seriously cried'"
May 7, 2025 at 4:51 PM
fantasyscience.bsky.social
In this #YA crossover fantasy, a young farmer must learn to control her magic before:
a) she's forced into an arranged marriage
b) an evil mage takes over her mind (again)
c) her country is dragged into war
With help from friends, mentors, and sentient objects, she just might make it!
#QuestPit #F
Poster showing a young woman in a blue dress standing on a somewhat desolate plain with a cloud-dotted sky in the background. The scenery is a photo, while the woman is a hastily-doodled drawing made in Word. Her brown hair is blowing in the wind. She holds a blue flame in her right hand and a short sword in her left. A title reads: "The Ember and the Crown" A snippet below that says: "Ripped from her farm and thrust into a world filled with royalty, mages, and spies, a young woman must harness her malfunctioning magic to help prevent a war – while navigating an unwanted arranged marriage, forbidden love, and a mage intent on taking over her mind." Below that it says "YA-crossover fantasy for fans of:" and there are photos of 3 books: Dragon Gate, A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking, and Uprooted. On the bottom left are bullet points: - A fast-paced, humorous romp - A heroine you'll root for - A fun world with unique magic
May 7, 2025 at 3:38 PM
fantasyscience.bsky.social
Our heroine, after (another) near death experience:
Seya was in a bed. She cracked an eye open then shut it quickly. Yet another room she didn’t recognize. She could write a memoir titled, Beds I Have Woken Up In. No, that sounded like a different sort of story. Waking Up in Other People’s Rooms? Not much better. Maybe she’d get straight to the point: Ways I Have Almost Died.
May 6, 2025 at 7:51 PM
fantasyscience.bsky.social
I'm proud of my brand new Chapter 1 for my YA crossover fantasy novel. Huge thanks to @aldajm.bsky.social and @chloemarcus.bsky.social for helping me find my way there. (And thanks always to @eomara.bsky.social.)

My new beginning::
#CampRevPit #CRPWaiting
The apple sat smugly in its glass bowl, mocking her. Seya knew inanimate objects didn’t act out of spite – they didn’t act, period. But the way it lounged indolently, its skin shiny and unblemished, felt like a direct taunt. She sighed and picked up the fruit; her inspection showed only a small bruise on the bottom. Scowling, she tossed the apple back in the bowl. All around her, students transformed apples into juice with an ease born of years of practice and innate magical talent. Talent she was sorely lacking. Seya stared dejectedly out the window, wishing she was at the lake that peeked through the trees rather than in this depressing classroom. The classroom is fine, she chided herself. You’re depressed because your magic is useless. It was true; if she ever managed a successful spell, she’d think this cavernous room, with its beige walls and narrow windows, the most beautiful place on earth.
May 5, 2025 at 3:33 AM
fantasyscience.bsky.social
Does anyone else plot their word-count per chapter for each round of manuscript edits? It's normal, right?
#CampRevpit #CRPGlasswings #WritingCommunity
A scatter plot of number of words (y-axis) per chapter (x-axis). Traces are in shades of pink and purple apart from the trace representing the current round of edits (round 6), which is green. There are 31 chapters, and the average word count (not shown) is 3700.
May 4, 2025 at 9:00 PM
fantasyscience.bsky.social
Stressing about the election (though less so than earlier). So, here's a painting I finished today. It's not perfect, but it soothes my soul.
Acrylic painting of a seascape with a partially cloudy sky. There are some large rocks to the left, and a wave is breaking in the foreground. Blues and greens and browns dominate.
April 29, 2025 at 2:59 AM