Megan O'Keefe

Award-winning space opera author. Gemmell Morningstar winner for Steal the Sky. Philip K. Dick nominee for Velocity Weapon. Writers of the Future champion. Bay Area journalist's daughter crafting "steampunk Firefly" and edge-of-your-seat AI thrillers.

Megan E. O'Keefe was raised amongst journalists, and as soon as she was able joined them by crafting a newsletter which chronicled the daily adventures of the local cat population. At the age of nine a good friend introduced her to fantasy and science fiction, sparking a life-long love. She has worked in both arts management and graphic design, and spends her free time tinkering with anything she can get her hands on. Megan now lives in the Bay Area of California and is a first place winner in the Writers of the Future competition, vol. 30.

Megan E. O'Keefe's debut novel Steal the Sky was nominated for the 2017 David Gemmell Morningstar award and won, becoming the opening book in the Scorched Continent trilogy, which author Beth Cato called "An epic steampunk Firefly." The trilogy blends heist narratives with desert airship adventures in a world where controlling the skies means controlling valuable resources. But it was her second trilogy, the space opera The Protectorate, that really launched her into the big time. Opening volume Velocity Weapon (2019) was nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award, and Kirkus Reviews called it "edge-of-your-seat space opera with a soul; a highly promising science-fiction debut."

The Protectorate trilogy - comprising Velocity Weapon, Chaos Vector, and Catalyst Gate - follows soldier Sanda Greeve who awakens 230 years after her gunship is destroyed, trapped aboard an enemy smartship named Bero. The war is over, everyone is dead, and something doesn't add up. With dazzling space battles, rogue AI, intergalactic politics, and family drama spanning centuries, the series delivers twists and far-future intrigue that captivated readers worldwide. The trilogy concluded in 2021 with Catalyst Gate, bringing humanity's battle against ancient alien intelligence to an explosive climax.

O'Keefe's newest series, The Devoured Worlds, launched with The Blighted Stars and continues exploring her signature themes: morally complex AI, political conspiracies, and characters caught between warring factions. Her work has been praised by Max Gladstone, Alex White, and Tim Powers for its vivid storytelling, compelling characters, and breathtaking action sequences. Whether crafting steampunk heists or space opera thrillers, O'Keefe brings tinkerer's curiosity and journalist's precision to every page, creating worlds readers can't help but explore.