About Isabella
Isabella Stofka is the author of Curses of Lavender and Dreams of Dust, a YA Fantasy Duology loosely based off Sleeping Beauty.
She also wrote the Ice Queen and the Keeper of Death, the first in a NA Romantasy series. The second book in the 4 book series, the Ice Queen and the Labyrinth of Mayhem, is set to come out December 2026.
Isabella moved around a lot growing up until finally settling in Virginia Beach with her husband and three cats. Ever since she was little Isabella has woven epic stories in her mind and rambled about them to anyone who would listen. Eventually, she discovered the fine art of writing them down and has never turned back.
When she is not writing, she is either binge-watching her favorite TV show for the 20th time or devouring a good book—all while getting kitty cuddles of course.
FAQ
Curses of Lavender Series
How many books are in the Curses of Lavender series?
Two! It is a duology.
How did I come up with the idea for Curses of Lavender?
I was on a car trip and was bored, so I started trying to get an idea for a new story (at the time I had more fun coming up with new stories than actually completing any of my ideas lol) and I saw a picture of a creepy door and thought: "What if someone went through a door in their dreams?" From there, I thought now THAT sounds cool. I started thinking about what kind of story could fit that and eventually I thought: What if that was how Sleeping Beauty woke up instead of being kissed by a prince. What if... she saved herself?
And that was that! Curses of Lavender was born!
Ice Queen Series
How many books are in the Ice Queen series?
Four are planned as of right now!
How did I first come up with the idea for Ice Queen?
I was doing an ice bath at my jiu jitsu gym and wanted to last for the full 2 minute challenge! It was my first time doing it but through pure stubbornness I stayed in for the full time! When I stepped out, the feeling was surreal, like my legs had become ice and were starting to fracture into billions of tiny pieces.
I immediately wanted to write something to capture that feeling! Because I stayed in for so long, my jiu jitsu gym was so surprised and started calling me the Ice Queen, which I thought sounded bad@$$. The final bit of inspiration was on the car ride home when I was sharing what happened with my mom and she said: "Ice can burn."
That did it for me and I immediately started writing the Prologue! Wynter was the first character and I knew I needed a world and characters to go with her, so I started adding in my favorite elements. A cinnamon roll MMC to soften Wynter's sharp edges, a group of 4 immortals inspired by my secret love of Disney's Descendants, an assassin BFF (to feed my Throne of Glass obsession), and a sprinkle of Greek Mythology (something I had been enamored with since reading Percy Jackson) to flush out the rest of the world.
Ice Queen is truly a collection of everything I love pieced together into a chaotic story—and somehow, it all works.
Will Ice Queen book 2 have a special edition?
Yes! I am working with Kathy's Bookish Shop on an edition for Ice Queen book 2! I will keep everyone updated once we have the official edition ready for preorder!
OTHER
What inspired me to become an author?
My mom!! She pushed me to write because I've always loved to read and tell stories. Once I started, I never looked back!
Am I working on anything aside from Ice Queen and COL?
I am! But I can't share any details yet 🤭