Chris Humphreys, VPL's fall 2021 writer in residence, has been hailed for his pulse-pounding prose and the rich worlds he has realized over the span of three fantasy series. With his comfort for performance and command of process, Chris is an engaging guide to writers and readers who want to explore the wide-ranging genre of fantasy for self-expression and entertainment.

His Tapestry Trilogy visits a land of dragons, unicorns and other fabulous beasts like it was another New York City borough. The family secrets uncovered in the Runestone Saga are rooted in dark magic and time travel. Concluding soon with a third book, the Immortals' Blood Trilogy deals with societies where immortals are the 1% and bend everything to their will. "More than any other genre of writing, arguably, fantasy can help us escape our own troubled times while still allowing us to wrestle there with human passions, contemporary issues and dilemmas," said Chris.

A nimble writer across genres, Chris (as C.C. Humphreys) has authored numerous historical fiction books including The French Executioner, the Jack Absolute Trilogy, Vlad, A Place Called Armageddon, and Shakespeare’s Rebel. His novel Plague, set in 1665 London, won the 2015 Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel in Canada.

When Chris is not creating new fantasy worlds through his writing, he’s made all the world his stage. He’s portrayed Hamlet in Calgary, a gladiator in Tunisia, and even waltzed in London’s West End. On TV he has played a dead immortal in Highlander, resided on Coronation Street, commanded a starfleet in Andromeda, and voiced animated characters.