Shaun K. Stephen is an Australian writer whose work explores dark academia, Gothic fiction and queer literature through emotionally resonant, character-driven storytelling. They hold a Master of Philosophy in Creative Writing (2025) from UQ.
Their debut novel, Lost Boys, placed third in the 2026 Hawkeye Publishing Manuscript Development Prize. Their earlier novelette, Hamelin, was longlisted for the 2024 Adaptable competition and placed second in the 2018 CYA Aspiring YA competition.
Passionate about diverse representation and own voices storytelling, Shaun writes to amplify perspectives that have too often been left at the margins, particularly queer voices, creating stories where identity, history, belonging and the gothic intersect.
Lost Boys is set to be released 7 June 2027.
What inspired you to be a writer?
My love of storytelling was nurtured by the people closest to me. In my early adolescence, my grandmother introduced me to Stephen King (specifically 'Salem’s Lot) and Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. But it was delighting with Hayley, my best friend, in our obsession with Stephen King, Dean Koontz and Buffy the Vampire Slayer that made fiction a special world of our own. Later, studying a Bachelor of Arts under terrific teachers introduced me to literary and queer fiction. Because of this, I think my writing lives somewhere between the emotional intensity of genre fiction and the existential depth found in literary fiction.
What prompted you to write 'Lost Boys'?
Lost Boys grew out of my MPhil research into how the dark academia genre could be queered and reimagined. I was fascinated by the possibility of bringing together the competitive, insular world of an elite arts institution with the AIDS crisis of 1980s New York. Peter Pan provided a subtle allegory through the story: its lost boys become a way to explore queer youth and the devastating possibility of being denied a future. My own experience of cancer in 2022 and 2023 deepened my awareness of the fragility of the body and the ways our encounters with mortality can transform our sense of self.
Do you have any more books in the pipeline?
Absolutely! I’m putting the finishing touches on Innate, a queer urban fantasy with dark academia elements set at Yale University. It follows Blake, an eighteen-year-old aspiring filmmaker who discovers his connection to elemental witchcraft while grappling with dangerous forces and the grief surrounding his twin brother’s death. I’m also exploring a potential sequel, tentatively titled Incubi.
What is your professional background?
Before pursuing creative writing, I worked as an accountant for a decade. I hold a Bachelor of Arts, a Master of Writing, Editing and Publishing and a Master of Philosophy in Creative Writing, all from the University of Queensland. I also tutor university students in creative writing and media and identity.
Any advice you’d like to give to aspiring writers?
Read widely. Learn from authors on the writing craft. Attend workshops. But above all, find and trust your authorial voice. Let your unique self shine through!
Who/what inspires you?
I’m inspired by queer literature, speculative fiction and stories that explore the spaces between beauty and horror, desire and destruction, belonging and alienation. I’m drawn to work that challenges the boundaries of identity and what it means to be human.
What are your hobbies, interests and favourite books?
I love losing myself in a good novel, film or television series. I’m drawn to the dark, decadent atmosphere of Penny Dreadful, Black Swan, The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass. Favourite books include If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio and These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever, which both capture the intoxicating and dangerous entanglement of desire, ambition and obsession.
How can readers contact you?
www.shaunkstephen.com
X: @ShaunStephen12
Instagram: @enigma7878
