fbpx
BooksFantasy

Storm Constantine, fantasy author, passes away aged 64 (news).

Sad news just in, fantasy author Storm Constantine – best known for her Wraeththu series – has passed away aged 64.

Her family posted this today on her Facebook account:

It is with great sorrow that we bring the sad news of the death of our dear friend and founder, the writer and publisher, Storm Constantine. Storm died peacefully on 14th January 2020, after a long illness, with her husband Jim by her side. She was sixty-four years old. Storm was fiercely private in life, so her passing may be a shock to many. She is survived by her husband, her brother and her four beloved cats.

They went on to add,

Storm Constantine, who has died at the age of 64, began writing prolifically as a child and went on to become the acclaimed author of many novels, short stories and works of non-fiction. She was also an editor and publisher, having become frustrated by the changing publishing industry, and decided to start her own company, Immanion Press, in 2003.
Storm was always an artist and a dreamer at her core. Her creativity extended in many directions. She attended art college in her hometown of Stafford in the early 1970s and went on to manage bands in the 1980s and 90s, which bought her work to a larger audience. She was distinctive for her gothic style and individual, alternative sensibilities. Although she referred to herself as a sceptic, she became a witch in her late teens, joining a local coven, but soon found it to be too restrictive for her taste. Instead she found an individual path, forming groups of like-minded friends, before going on to teach a range of esoteric subjects to others. She was a Reiki Master and an accomplished tarot reader with a long-standing fascination for Ancient Egypt. At the time of her death, she was working on a further book of Egyptian ritual.

Storm was perhaps best known for her much loved Wraeththu series of novels, novellas, and short stories, which began in 1987, with the publication of The Enchantments of Flesh and Spirit by Macdonald in the UK and Tor in the US. She gained critical acclaim and was loved by her loyal readers and fans, many of whom wrote fan fiction which they shared with her. This later led to the publication of multiple Wraeththu shared-world anthologies, which often saw her working closely with her good friend, the American writer and editor Wendy Darling.

During the early 1990s Storm published a diverse collection of novels, beginning with the science fantasy Hermetech in 1991. Other novels followed and were warmly received by readers and critics alike. In 1995 she published Stalking Tender Prey, the first of her Grigori Trilogy, inspired in part, by her enduring friendship with the writer Andrew Collins and his investigations into fallen angels, as well as a continuation of her earlier novel Burying The Shadow, a re-telling of the vampire myth.

In the mid 90s she co-founded the fiction magazine Visionary Tongue which sought to encourage new and aspiring writers by pairing them with established authors to workshop and edit their work. This saw Storm work with many of her good friends, including Freda Warrington and Graham Joyce. Around this time she began working more closely with the artist and illustrator Ruby, who went on to produce the artwork for Storm’s later Wraeththu publications.

Storm was a generous champion of other writers and enjoyed working collectively with many friends and colleagues over the years, including her long-time friend Tanith Lee. After Lee’s death in 2015, Immanion Press, working closely with Lee’s husband, the artist John Kaiine, began to publish her out of print work along with other previously unpublished writings. Storm believed passionately that work such as Lee’s must not be allowed to be forgotten but must be shared with new generations of readers. She often worked closely with her friend, the publisher Ian Whates, contributing to a variety of Newcon Press publications either as an editor or a writer.

Storm was a vibrant presence; a force to be reckoned with. She was an artist and a dreamer who manifested her unique vision in her work and shared it with everyone. Writing was her passion and her impressive body of work is her legacy. She will be very much missed by her husband Jim, her brother Julian, her wider family and her many friends, not least her sisters on the path of wyrd.

We had the honour to meet Storm at many genre conventions over the years and she was a lovely person. Goodbye, Storm, we’ll miss you and the fact there will be no new books from you.

Storm Constantine, fantasy author, passes away aged 64 (news).

ColonelFrog

Colonel Frog is a long time science fiction and fantasy fan. He loves reading novels in the field, and he also enjoys watching movies (as well as reading lots of other genre books).

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.