Originally from England and now a Bay Area native, Rachel Yeaman writes fantasy and speculative fiction for children and young adults. Inspired by ancient myths, wild landscapes, and the work of authors like Margo Lanagan, Maggie Stiefvater, and Susan Cooper, she loves creating new worlds where characters unearth the secrets of their own lives to solve the plot. Her YA Fantasy, Where the Fire Gods Roar, received a 2025 Best Manuscript Award from the SCBWI (San Francisco/South).
Rachel holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts, where her work earned several awards, including the Norma Fox Mazer Scholarship for YA Fiction, the “In a Nutshell” Short Story Award, and an Honorable Mention in the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Prize for Fiction. She was also a finalist in the National YA Novel Discovery Contest. Rachel stays connected to teens through her work as a college access coach and as vice-chair of the San Francisco-based nonprofit, 826 Valencia.
When not writing, she can be found paddleboarding on the Bay, walking her dog on the beach, trying to keep track of her college-age sons, or out on the pickleball courts, where she’s known as a bit of a menace.
Rachel is proudly represented by Carter Hasegawa (carter@tugeau2.com).