Bethan James grew up in Wales and works in marketing for an online library.

Her work-in-progress speculative crime novel, which weaves Celtic mythology with a modern-day murder investigation, is longlisted for both the Yeovil Literary Prize and 2026 Mslexia Novel Prize. 

She was a winner in Wordfactory’s Fables for a Modern World contest, has been shortlisted for the Rhys Davies Short Story Award, and selected for the United Nations’ global fairy tale retellings anthology Awake Not Sleeping.

Delivering an Arts Council Wales funded storytelling project (re-imagining Celtic myths with a climate justice theme) helped inspire her work. She is an Associate Member of Crime Cymru, the Welsh crime writers’ network.  

Bethan studied English & Philosophy at the University of Southampton. An identical twin, she lives by the sea in South Wales and is fuelled by Earl Grey tea, folklore deep-dives, and trips to the theatre. Find her across social media on @thebethanjames.