A single question about Beauty and the Beast became a novel, then an interconnected fantasy universe, then an award-winning screenplay. With the October 2026 release of the second Age of Gods novel, the story keeps growing.
Most fantasy universes begin with a map or a magic system. Leslie Anne Lee’s began with a question asked while reading to her children.
In 2020, while reading Beauty and the Beast aloud, the California author found herself wondering: what if the Beast never transformed back into a prince? Would Beauty still love him if he remained a monster? That question became Child of Dawn, the foundation of the epic fantasy series Legends of the Vale, and the starting point for a creative journey that now spans five published novels, a prequel mythology, a podcast, a film review platform and a feature screenplay that has earned 23 film festival awards.
The latest chapter arrived in October 2026 with the release of When the Stars Fell, Book Two in the Age of Gods series, which expands the mythology behind Legends of the Vale.
A Lifelong Writer Takes a Challenge
Lee has been writing since she was six years old. Her early influences included classical literature, historical fiction, mythology, and authors such as C. S. Lewis, Charles Dickens and Emily Brontë. Her background also includes theatre, directing, acting, film and screenwriting. For much of her life, she believed she would become a historical fiction author.
That changed in 2020, when a friend challenged her to write fantasy. What started as a single novel grew into a world of gods, vampires, elves, dragons, ancient conflicts and generations of interconnected characters.
Building the Vale
Legends of the Vale is an expansive fantasy universe of ancient kingdoms, vampires, elves, dragons, magic, political intrigue and complex relationships. The series includes Child of Dawn, Silken Waters and The Ashwalker, with a fourth installment, Firebrand, currently in development.
Alongside it sits the prequel series Age of Gods, which explores the divine origins of that world and introduces the gods, tragedies and defining events that shaped the lives of the characters in the original books. The series so far includes When the Gods Wept and When the Stars Fell.
The relationship between the two series is central to Lee’s approach. Legends of the Vale introduces characters and conflicts shaped by centuries of history, while Age of Gods takes readers into the distant past to reveal how that history was created. The prequels, she explains, do not merely explain previous events. They challenge assumptions, transform the reader’s understanding of familiar characters, and reveal the tragic origins of conflicts that continue for generations.
“Love made monsters of them all.”
Gods Who Are All Too Human
That phrase is one of the central lines associated with Age of Gods, and it captures a theme running through all of Lee’s writing: that love, loss, desperation and power can transform even the most extraordinary beings. When the Stars Fell continues the mythological history established in When the Gods Wept, delving into the relationships, tragedies and choices of the divine beings whose actions shaped the Vale.
Exploring love, betrayal, sacrifice, grief and the destructive consequences of power, the novel introduces readers to the devastating events that would echo across generations. It is a story of gods who possess extraordinary power but remain vulnerable to the most human of emotions.
For Lee, that is the point. Although her stories feature gods, vampires, dragons, immortal beings and supernatural kingdoms, she says the emotional experiences of the characters are profoundly human. They struggle with grief, betrayal, ambition, love, sacrifice, guilt, forgiveness and the consequences of their choices. Her message is that fantasy is not simply an escape from reality; it is a powerful way to explore what it means to be human.
She hopes readers will question what truly makes someone a hero or a monster, and recognize that goodness and darkness can sometimes exist within the same individual. Monsters, in her view, are not always those who look frightening, and heroes are not always those who appear beautiful.
Writing Like a Film Director
Lee’s theatre and film background shapes the way she writes. She says she writes her novels as though she is watching films unfold in her imagination, developing every scene with attention to atmosphere, dialogue, visual composition, pacing and emotional impact. She envisions her stories as cinematic productions, with movement, lighting, performances, landscapes and emotional pacing.
That approach led her to adapt her debut novel, Child of Dawn, into a feature screenplay. The screenplay has since received 23 film festival awards, bringing her closer to the possibility of seeing her literary world translated to the screen. Her long-term ambition is to bring the Vale to life through film and television, and above all to see Child of Dawn become a feature film.
It is a goal that sits within wider conversations about the popularity of fantasy and romantasy, the influence of mythology in modern storytelling, the continuing appetite for literary adaptations, and the growing opportunities for independent authors to develop original intellectual property.
Beyond the Books
Lee’s creative work extends well beyond fiction. She is the founder of The Cinematic Quill, an independent film review and interview platform, and the host of The Written World, a podcast celebrating authors and the art of storytelling. Together, they reflect her belief that storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to encourage empathy and understanding, and her commitment to supporting fellow authors, filmmakers and creative professionals.
Her story also carries a message for aspiring writers, particularly those beginning their creative journeys later in life or exploring a new genre: imagination, perseverance and reinvention can carry an artistic vision well beyond its original boundaries.
In Her Own Words
Her brand, she says, can be summed up in a single phrase: Epic worlds. Human hearts. Cinematic storytelling.
“I never set out to create an entire fantasy universe. I began with a question about whether someone could love a monster who never became a prince. Years later, that question has become a collection of novels, a mythology spanning generations, and an award-winning screenplay. My greatest hope is that one day, audiences will not only read about the Vale, but see it come to life on screen.”
— Leslie Anne Lee
BOOKS AND AVAILABILITY
Legends of the Vale: Child of Dawn; Silken Waters; The Ashwalker; Firebrand
Age of Gods: When the Gods Wept; When the Stars Fell (released October 2026)
Available: Amazon
Amazon Author Store: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Leslie-Anne-Lee/author/B09TGHWDJX
Official Website: https://www.leslieannelee.com
Media and Interviews: https://www.leslieannelee.com/media
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lepie21
Age of Gods Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theageofgods
The Cinematic Quill: https://www.thecinematicquill.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leslie Anne Lee is an American author, award-winning screenwriter, film critic and creative storyteller based in California. She is the creator of the epic fantasy series Legends of the Vale and its prequel series, Age of Gods. A lifelong writer with a background in theatre and film, Lee began writing at the age of six and developed a passion for literature, history, mythology and dramatic storytelling. Her published fantasy novels include Child of Dawn, Silken Waters, The Ashwalker, When the Gods Wept and When the Stars Fell. She adapted her debut novel Child of Dawn into a feature screenplay that has earned 23 film festival awards. She is also the founder of The Cinematic Quill and host of The Written World podcast, and continues to develop new novels and screenplays while pursuing opportunities to bring the Vale universe to the screen.