S. Van Toor

Shannon van Toor (1993) grew up in Breda and Prinsenbeek, where her love for stories began early. As a child, she wrote fan fiction and short fantasy stories, often inspired by the worlds she loved to get lost in herself.

Although she trained as a pastry chef, writing continued to draw her throughout the years. In the quiet moments—between glazing, baking, and creating—the first outlines of the kingdom of Wintermere emerged. A world full of gifts, secrets, and shadows that would eventually form the basis for her debut novel, *Whisper* .

On November 1, 2024, her first book was published, a young-adult fantasy story about a girl with a forbidden gift and voices in her head that turn everything upside down. *Fluister* was enthusiastically received and won the BoekGoud 2024 Public Prize in the Young Adult category.

Shannon writes the books she would like to read herself: magical worlds with morally grey characters, a touch of darkness, and always a hidden heart. Although fantasy is her home genre, she occasionally ventures into horror and feel-good—as long as there is a good story to tell.

For her readers, Shannon continues to work on new worlds, new characters, and new whispers that want to be heard.