speculative fiction · dark fantasy · gothic horror
I write stories about women, monsters, and power in uncanny worlds.
currently writing: an adult dark fantasy × feminist gothic horror novel
about Harley
Harley Hall is a Chicago-based author of speculative fiction. Previously published in the romance genre with Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, and independently under a different pen name, Harley has since left love stories behind in favor of more monstrous things that go bump in the night.
An elder millennial with a long career in various forms of writing—from playwriting and arts-and-culture journalism to ghostwriting and business communications—Harley has spent more than fifteen years making a living as a wordsmith and knows her way around blank pages and bookish spaces alike.
Away from the keyboard, Harley can usually be found exploring her city with family and friends, becoming a more confident home cook, or singing her heart out at karaoke.
socials
For books, writing, works in progress, and assorted creative nonsense, find me as @secondactscribbler on Instagram, Threads, and TikTok.
On Substack, I write as “myself,” Leni Zed, at Leni in Orbit, my personal blog / newsletter about books, movies, television, music, theatre, Chicago life, and whatever else happens to get caught in my gravitational pull.