Hi! I’m Lindsey Baltz. Writer. Editor. Dog mom. Wife. Beer enthusiast. Reader. Marathoner.

My biggest writing love? Fantasy. There are a lot of reasons I’m drawn to it, but there are two big ones.

The first: I love how in fantasy, it’s never just the hero that wins the day. It’s the everyday people—the Frodos, the Samwises, the Merrys, the Pippins. The ones who are absolutely terrified every step of the way, but they still stand up for what’s good and right. It should be a lesson to us all.

The second: there is always hope. When the world feels bleak and Sauron is about to win and everyone is scared the ring won’t be destroyed, but then it is. There is always hope for a brighter day ahead. I don’t know about you, but I often need that reminder.

Fantasy is a way for me to share these ideals and to build beautiful and exciting worlds. A lot of my inspiration to write comes from J.R.R. Tolkien (obviously if you read the first part of this), and more recently, I’ve been inspired by Rachel Gillig, Stephanie Garber, Erin Morgenstern, Ava Reid, and Leigh Bardugo.

I currently have three standalones: a YA fantasy, an adult fantasy, and a picture book. In September, I will start drafting my adult fantasy trilogy.

Outside of writing, I love reading (mostly fantasy, but I also enjoy nonfiction, historical fiction, and romance), running (currently training for the Disney Dopey Challenge), cooking/baking, puzzling and playing board games, and most importantly, spending time with my spouse and two goldendoodles, Pinecone and Acorn (the namesakes of my company).