Fay Irwin (pen name)

@fantasyscience.bsky.social

906 Followers 1010 Following

Chemist by day, sci-fi, fantasy, and rom-com writer by night. My past includes stints as a legal secretary, martial arts instructor, and rock'n'roll clarinettist. Over 50 publications to date, but they're all in science journals. She/her

Photo of a sky with the top of trees in the foreground. A big cloud is lit up pink with the sunset.
Poster of a silhouetted man and woman facing away from each other, looking annoyed. Behind them is an Erlenmeyer flask leaking a pink liquid that turns into a heart. The background fades from blue through pink to orange. To the right, a wreath contains the words "2026 RevPit winner" Title: Chemical Solutions for Lonely Hearts Author: F. Irwin Logline: a sci-fi rom-com with real chemistry
Two chemical formulae I don't want to write here without the ability to do sub- and superscripts. They're both about producing ammonia from nitrogen gas. Then there's a (terribly incorrect) sketch of an electrochemical cell and the words "project fertile-as-fuck". Then "Will a pressure cooker work?" Finally, a picture of a bomb exploding and the word "BOOM!" followed by "Just kidding, George")
A sketch of two people standing in front of a fume hood. On the left, a woman in a lab coat and safety glasses has her hands on her hips. She's glaring at the man, who is very tall and skinny. His arms are crossed and he stares at her impassively. He's wearing normal glasses and has a bit of a beard. In the fume hood, red liquid is exploding out of an Erlenmeyer flask on a hotplate. In the air it turns into little hearts.
Poster with a blue, pink, and orange ombre background. Title: Chemical Solutions for Lonely Hearts. Below that is written "F. Irwin" and below that is an award wreath with "2026 RevPit winner" inside. At the very bottom it says, "a sci-fi rom-com with real chemistry". The image is of a silhouetted man and women facing away from each other (arguing) and an Erlenmeyer flask in the background spilling liquid that turns into a heart.
I scribble a reply. Dear Dr. Ramos, You can stuff your synthesis up your ass. - Reznik It takes me longer than it should to toss the note into the recycling bin.
Images are displayed on top of a background of fire. The word “ChemPortal” is written at the bottom. Images clockwise from top left: - A notebook with a pen resting on it and crumpled pieces of paper. On the notebook is written “Dear Boss, You suck. – N.R.” - A bat hangs from a tree - An attractive bearded man cooks food in a fancy-looking kitchen - The Toronto skyline at night - A farm field - A dark-haired woman wearing safety glasses, gloves, and a lab coat examines a test tube with a serious expression
A crocheted penguin on a hardwood floor leaning against a white background. His belly is not centred. His beady (literally) eyes stare into the distance, full of fear.
It has begun. Probably from mortal kombat.
Graph of words per chapter. There are 8 traces. All are varying shades of pink and purple except one which is green. A dotted best fit line is fit to the green trace to show the average number of words per chapter and the trend in word count over the course of the book.
Moodboard. Centre image is a pressure cooker with "CHEMPORTAL" written across it. Outer images clockwise from top left: - fancy drinks and food on a table set for 2 - typed text on a page of a book. "Chemistry" is highly visible - a white woman with brown hair working on a car engine - the Toronto skyline - a colourful stack of books - a bright light shining through a partially open door, obscuring the world beyond - a bat hanging from a branch - a stack of latkes
Moodboard. Centre image is a pressure cooker with "CHEMPORTAL" written across it. Outer images clockwise from top left: - fancy drinks and food on a table set for 2 - typed text on a page of a book. "Chemistry" is highly visible - a white woman with brown hair working on a car engine - the Toronto skyline - a colourful stack of books - a bright light shining through a partially open door, obscuring the world beyond - a bat hanging from a branch - a stack of latkes
Image of a pink and silver pressure cooker against a black background. Top says “ChemPortal: a Romantic Sci-fi.” Bottom says: “Two awkward scientists just want to be left alone to build a lawnmower. Instead, they find themselves battling time, powerful corporations, and doomsday cults to save the world from starvation.”
Moodboard. Centre image is a pressure cooker with "CHEMPORTAL" written across it. Outer images clockwise from top left: - fancy drinks and food on a table set for 2 - typed text on a page of a book. "Chemistry" is highly visible - a white woman with brown hair working on a car engine - the Toronto skyline - a colourful stack of books - a bright light shining through a partially open door, obscuring the world beyond - a bat hanging from a branch - a stack of latkes
Moodboard. Centre image is a pressure cooker with "CHEMPORTAL" written across it. Outer images clockwise from top left: - fancy drinks and food on a table set for 2 - typed text on a page of a book. "Chemistry" is highly visible - a white woman with brown hair working on a car engine - the Toronto skyline - a colourful stack of books - a bright light shining through a partially open door, obscuring the world beyond - a bat hanging from a branch - a stack of latkes
Moodboard. Centre image is a pressure cooker with "CHEMPORTAL" written across it. Outer images clockwise from top left: - fancy drinks and food on a table set for 2 - typed text on a page of a book. "Chemistry" is highly visible - a white woman with brown hair working on a car engine - the Toronto skyline - a colourful stack of books - a bright light shining through a partially open door, obscuring the world beyond - a bat hanging from a branch - a stack of latkes
Moodboard. Text: "ChemPortal," "Fay Irwin," "Sci-fi romcom." Central image: a steaming pressure cooker Outer images (clockwise from top left): - a table set with food and two colourful cocktails - printed text with "chemistry" bolded - a woman working on a car engine - the Toronto skyline - a colourful stack of books - bright light shining through a partially opened door - a bat hanging from a tree branch - latkes on a plate
Moodboard. Central images is a steaming pressure cooker worth CHEMPORTAL superimposed. Bottom right says FAY IRWIN - SCI-FI ROMCOM. Images clockwise from top left: -a table with food and two colourful cocktails - typed text on a page with "chemistry" bolded -a woman working on a car engine - Toronto's skyline viewed from the Toronto islands -a stack of colourful books - a bright light shining through a partially-opened wood door - a bat hanging upside down from a tree - a plate of latkes
Dark blue poster background with a cartoon of a pink and silver pressure cooker. Text: ChemPortal A romantic sci-fi Two awkward scientists just want to be left alone to build a lawnmower. Instead, thy find themselves battling time, powerful corporations, and doomsday cults to save the world from starvation. Fay Irwin
Poster with a dark blue background. A pink pressure cooker with a silver lid is the only image. Text: ChemPortal A romantic sci-fi Two awkward scientists just want to be left alone to build a lawnmower. Instead, they find themselves battling time, powerful corporations, and doomsday cults to save the world from starvation. Fay Irwin
poorly drawn cartoon of two people. The man is wearing slacks and a sweater vest. His thought bubble says, "I just want peace and quiet." The woman is wearing jeans, red shoes, and a lab coat. Her thought bubble says, "I'm gonna blow shit up."
Word cloud with too many words to paste here. Big ones: library, book, lab, portal, time, world, reaction, family, synthesis
Poster with a forest background and a very angry blue and orange blanket floating in the air. Can Seya save the prince before war breaks out? And before her blanket kills her? The Ember and the Crown by Fay Irwin
Pink poster with a blue and black portal in the middle. An ombre (pink to yellow) heart is in the middle of the portal. Text: What if Andy Weir and Ali Hazelwood co-wrote a Pride and Prejudice retelling? ChemPortal A romance with real chemistry Portals (but only for books) Enemies to lovers Explosions Bats Feminism Science (mis)communication Extreme awkwardness LGBTQ and neurodivergence rep Found family Fertilizer
Poster with dark blue background and an illustration of a hot pink pressure cooker in the middle. ChemPortal A romantic sci-fi Two awkward scientists just want to be left alone to build a lawnmower. Instead, they find themselves battling time, powerful corporations, and doomsday cults to save the world from starvation. Fay Irwin
A poster with a blue and purple ombre background. An angry-looking orange and blue blanket lurks in the bottom corner. “So, the point is to produce more powerful mages?” Seya shrugged. “A breeding program. Makes sense.” Aniel’s eyebrows lifted, and Liset sputtered a laugh. “Seya! I hope you don’t talk about breeding with other people here!” She turned to Aniel. “Can you imagine Seya discussing that with the prince?” Seya’s face heated. Liset stopped laughing, her eyebrows rising to match Aniel’s. “No! You didn’t!” “Not about people! Just animals.” When her friends’ expressions didn’t change, Seya plowed forward. “I told him about chicken husbandry.” Their eyebrows climbed even higher. “He seemed interested,” she muttered. The Ember and the Crown by Fay Irwin
Orange background with a cartoon hand holding a (live) chicken The Ember and the Crown A fantasy novel featuring chickens, sentient objects, and a woman finding her place in the world
Can Seya save the prince before war breaks out? And before her blanket kills her? The Ember and the Crown by Fay Irwin Image: a cartoon-ish angry blanket floating in the air in a forest.
The Ember and the Crown In a world where magic follows the rules of science, Seya’s brings inanimate objects to life. Now she’s trying to prevent a war while dealing with mind-controlling mages, complicated romantic entanglements, and political intrigue. Oh, and an angry blanket intent on murder.
Comps and vibes: - unique magic system - relatably awkward heroine - sentient objects - royals, spies, mages, and chickens - from zero to competent Photo of cover of Uprooted (Naomi Novik) with text "Heroine with unexpected, quirky magic" Photo of Assistant to the Villain (Hannah Nicole Maehrer) with text "A fast-paced, hilarious romp" Background is faded flames
Screen shot of an AI overview: "The length of a squirrel stomach is typically about 136 centimeters and accounts for 2.94% of their total body length, according to a study on wild gray squirrels according to CABI Digital Library. The small intestine, in comparison, is about 90.73 centimeters long and accounts for 66.18% of the total length of the digestive tract.
Black text over a sunset scene (silhouetted rooftops and trees with an orange, pink, and purple sky). "THE EMBER AND THE CROWN is a fast-paced, adventurous romp with a heroine you'll cheer (and cringe) for."
Washed-out photo of a barren landscape forms the backdrop for a poster titled "Catalysts Under Pressure." Main text: "In an alternate Earth, a disaffected chemist with a penchant for engineering explosions reluctantly joins forces with her uptight supervisor to save the world - by inventing fertilizer. With global starvation the cost of failure, they find themselves in a race against time - and against a greedy corporation intent on monetizing the impending tragedy." Bullet points: - Portals (but only for books) - Chemistry (literal and interpersonal) - Enemies [this is crossed out] Antagonistic coworkers to lovers - Dual POV - Medium spice - Alternate timeline
Photo of a cloudy blue sky over a field dotted with hay bales. Trees are in the background, and a fence in the foreground. Text reads: "Shaking off her thoughts, Seya headed toward the palace. Thinking about chickens reminded her of [name]. Now there was an entertaining association. “Hello, your highness. Chickens make me think of you.” I’m being ridiculous, she decided. Time for sleep. She quickened her pace, thinking of her bed and her friends. The future already appeared brighter."
A dark grey background. A title ("The Ember and the Crown"). A badly-drawn picture (done in Word) of a young woman in a blue dress holding a glowing orb in her right hand, a short sword in her left. A photo of a canola field against a blue sky with clouds, and text: "She hopes her magic will saver her farm. It might just save her country. That is, if she can get it to work." In white writing on the bottom half of the grey background: "A young woman must harness her unpredictable magic to avert a war - while also dealing with: - An arranged marriage - Forbidden love - The mage who keeps taking over her mind - The objects she keeps turning sentient
Poster with a backdrop of a desolate landscape against a cloudy sky. Title: "Catalysts Under Pressure" Text: In an alternate Earth, a disaffected chemist with a penchant for engineering explosions reluctantly joins forces with her uptight supervisor to save the world – by inventing fertilizer. With global starvation the cost of failure, they find themselves in a race against time – and against a greedy corporation intent on monetizing the impending tragedy. Bullet points say: - Portals (but only for books) - Chemistry (literal and interpersonal) - Enemies to lovers [crossed out and replaced with "Antagonistic coworkers to lovers"] - Dual POV - Medium spice - Alternative timeline
A poster titled "The Ember and the Crown" Top panel is a background of a canola filed with a blue, cloud-dotted sky. "She hopes her magic will save her farm. It might just save her country. That is, if she can get it to work." Middle panel is text over a sunset with silhouetted trees and a roof. "- Strong heroine with fun magic - Forbidden romance - Arranged marriage - Societal expectations - Coming of age" Bottom panel is text over a photo of a sun dog in a blue sky. The tops of trees are seen at the bottom of the photo. "Beta readers say: 'I loved it' 'Hilarious' 'There are some great twists' 'I really like the ending' 'I seriously cried'"
Poster showing a young woman in a blue dress standing on a somewhat desolate plain with a cloud-dotted sky in the background. The scenery is a photo, while the woman is a hastily-doodled drawing made in Word. Her brown hair is blowing in the wind. She holds a blue flame in her right hand and a short sword in her left. A title reads: "The Ember and the Crown" A snippet below that says: "Ripped from her farm and thrust into a world filled with royalty, mages, and spies, a young woman must harness her malfunctioning magic to help prevent a war – while navigating an unwanted arranged marriage, forbidden love, and a mage intent on taking over her mind." Below that it says "YA-crossover fantasy for fans of:" and there are photos of 3 books: Dragon Gate, A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking, and Uprooted. On the bottom left are bullet points: - A fast-paced, humorous romp - A heroine you'll root for - A fun world with unique magic
Seya was in a bed. She cracked an eye open then shut it quickly. Yet another room she didn’t recognize. She could write a memoir titled, Beds I Have Woken Up In. No, that sounded like a different sort of story. Waking Up in Other People’s Rooms? Not much better. Maybe she’d get straight to the point: Ways I Have Almost Died.
The apple sat smugly in its glass bowl, mocking her. Seya knew inanimate objects didn’t act out of spite – they didn’t act, period. But the way it lounged indolently, its skin shiny and unblemished, felt like a direct taunt. She sighed and picked up the fruit; her inspection showed only a small bruise on the bottom. Scowling, she tossed the apple back in the bowl. All around her, students transformed apples into juice with an ease born of years of practice and innate magical talent. Talent she was sorely lacking. Seya stared dejectedly out the window, wishing she was at the lake that peeked through the trees rather than in this depressing classroom. The classroom is fine, she chided herself. You’re depressed because your magic is useless. It was true; if she ever managed a successful spell, she’d think this cavernous room, with its beige walls and narrow windows, the most beautiful place on earth.
A scatter plot of number of words (y-axis) per chapter (x-axis). Traces are in shades of pink and purple apart from the trace representing the current round of edits (round 6), which is green. There are 31 chapters, and the average word count (not shown) is 3700.
Acrylic painting of a seascape with a partially cloudy sky. There are some large rocks to the left, and a wave is breaking in the foreground. Blues and greens and browns dominate.
Computer art of a woman wearing a wizard hat casting spells. A man is in the background. Also featured are a sentient blanket and rain cloud.
Cartoon (screenshot) of a ray and a mouse walking side by side. The rest wears a blue tunic over a yellow shirt and the mouse wears a red cloak.
Photo of a fire pit and two red Adirondack chairs. There is still snow on the ground. The sky is very blue. Leafless trees and a (also leefless) fence are also present.
Digital art of a woman casting magic. The woman is wearing a wizard hat, a blue tank top, and pink pants. Her skin is yellow. A man is in the background. He looks upset. (Not sure if that's intentional.) There's also multicoloured blobs and swirls (not sure what they represent), plus a grey cloud and a colourful striped blanket. Both cloud and blanket have faces.
Lined up in front of the school’s fountain with fifteen other graduates, Seya contemplated her death. Her parents, who’d made the trip from their farm, waved. Her mom grinned broadly, and her dad blew kisses. They were so proud of her. They didn’t know her fate. For most of Seya’s life, magic was a vague concept. Her family bought charms each year to keep their livestock healthy, and the community once hired a mage to conjure rain during a bad drought, but magic was generally a “city thing.” Then, a year ago, magic came to them.
Northern lights through trees. Lights are mostly green.
Photo taken through a window. A fence, buildings, and trees are visible. Northern lights (green) can be seen in the sky.
A woman bundle up for winter (black snow pants, black coat, black and grey gloves) lies sprawled out in the snow. The sun is shining.
Photo of a child bundled up for winter (grey ski pants and a purple coat) on a swing. There's lots of snow on the ground.
Photo of a snowy backyard. The blurry stuff is falling snow.
Photo of a shiba inu (red and white) standing on top of crusty snow in a back yard. He looks concerned, but that's his default expression.
Photo of a shiba inu (red and white) examining a dirty snow bank.
Acrylic landscape painting. A lake with mountains behind it. Pinks, blues, and greens dominate.
Landscape painting of mountains and a lake. Pinks, blues, and greens dominate.
The farmers shuffled. After years of drought, insects, and crop diseases, the adults were perpetually gaunt and haggard. Seya looked down at her twelve-year-old sister, grateful that the children, at least, remained well-fed. “He has sent us,” the mage gestured to the man and woman standing beside him, “to ensure you receive such bounty.” Excited conversations broke out across the barn. A bountiful harvest meant food in their bellies for the whole winter. Proceeds from crop and livestock sales would cover the repairs the houses and farming equipment sorely needed. Behind her, Seya’s parents and brother argued quietly over purchasing a new horse or investing in pigs. Seya’s sister Glia was silent, her wide eyes trained on the mages. At twelve, she probably wasn’t thinking about crop yields. More likely thinking of magic and mages (and perhaps specifically the handsome young mage on the left). The central mage (Seya dubbed him “Boss Mage”) raised his hand. The excited chatter slowly quieted. “These are troubled times,” he stated ominously. “While we hope to avoid war, we cannot ignore the threat. As such, we are proactively working to increase the country’s grain stores.” This elicited more shuffling and murmuring. They needed to feed themselves, not soldiers. Boss Mage raised his hand again. “We will spend a week improving your production, starting at the southwest corner of the region. Be prepared to host us when we reach your farm.” He turned smartly on his heel and exited the barn, his compatriots following.
Filtered photo (sketch? Graphic art? No idea what my kid selected) of a woman wearing a 😷, stranding in a chemistry lab. Very cool science stuff is in the background. The woman has what looks like 2 pies affixed to her torso, connected by a stick.