Sarah Penner’s writing is a portal to the past, where hidden poisons, secretive women, and untold histories linger beneath the surface. Her debut novel, The Lost Apothecary, is more than a work of fiction—it’s a breath of life into forgotten corners of history. With intricate detail and a keen sense of suspense, she weaves stories where the weight of the past influences the present, and where every character is chasing something—whether it’s justice, redemption, or revenge.
Born and raised in northeast Kansas, Penner's childhood was far removed from the glamour of the literary world. Instead, it was the quiet beauty of the woods and the stories found in the pages of her books that ignited her imagination. She went on to study finance at the University of Kansas, where her career took an entirely different direction. Yet, the pull of storytelling never left. Penner made her leap into writing in 2015, enrolling in an online creative writing class after attending a lecture by Elizabeth Gilbert—a moment that altered the course of her life.
Her journey from corporate finance to full-time author is not just a career shift but a reinvention. The Lost Apothecary was born from hours of meticulous research, including the exploration of old apothecary journals and a fascination with the untold lives of women in history. The novel’s success—becoming a Reese’s Book Club pick and selling over a million copies worldwide—was the moment Penner realized that her stories resonated with readers on a deep, personal level.
Her work continues to explore themes of female empowerment, secrecy, and the complexity of human nature. With The London Séance Society, Penner dives into the occult, mixing suspense with gothic allure, and crafting stories that feel timeless, yet distinctly modern in their relevance.
Now living in Florida with her husband and their miniature dachshund, Sarah Penner is a writer whose work doesn’t just echo the past—it reshapes it. As she looks ahead to new projects set in cities like Edinburgh and Prague, one thing is clear: Sarah Penner’s storytelling will continue to captivate, blending the shadows of history with the undeniable light of human resilience.
