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Lauri Mukkala - Fantasy Writer

Lauri Mukkala

Fantasy Writer & Storyteller

Fantasy Writer & Storyteller. Crafting worlds of magic, mystery, and adventure. Epic fantasy with unforgettable characters and heroic journeys.

New release ·

A Winter Tale of Friendship and Love

When the first snow falls, one small hedgehog stays awake to find his friend. A young redstart has flown away to Lintukoto, the faraway land of the birds, alone and far too late in the year. With lingonberries in his pack, his warmest scarf and a single orange feather, the hedgehog follows the road of the birds toward an old lighthouse by the sea. Book two of Tales from the Misty Hills, a standalone companion to The Button Map. For ages 7 to 12.

More about the book

About Me

I've been a reader for as long as I can remember, but it was J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings that opened the door to fantasy for me, and it remains my favorite book to this day. There's something magical about the idea of creating entire worlds from nothing, populating them with characters who feel real, and watching their stories unfold. Writing has been part of my life since I first learned to form letters on a page, and that fascination with world-building has only grown stronger over the years. My literary influences span from Tolkien's epic landscapes to the surreal narratives of Haruki Murakami, the intricate magic systems of Brandon Sanderson, and the gritty folklore of Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher series.

My creative process is simple: I write fast and edit later. Free-flowing first drafts work best for me, letting the story spill onto the page without overthinking it. I'm a tactile writer at heart, often reaching for notebooks and fountain pens to capture ideas, plot threads, and character moments. There's something about the connection between hand, pen, and paper that keeps my imagination flowing. My stories tend to center on ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances: heroes who don't start out looking for adventure but find themselves on journeys that change everything.

Beyond writing, I'm deeply involved in solo tabletop RPGs, where I can explore narrative possibilities and test story ideas in interactive ways. I also run an Instagram account focused on storytelling and creative process, which has become another outlet for my storytelling impulses. These creative pursuits all feed into my writing, enriching the worlds and characters I create.

My hope is simple: that one day, someone will tell me my writing affected their life in a positive way. Whether it's a story that helped them through a difficult time, sparked their imagination, or simply gave them an escape when they needed it most, that's what drives me to keep creating. Fantasy has the power to transform, inspire, and connect us, and I want to be part of that tradition.

My Books

English and Finnish editions, as Kindle ebooks and in print.

Showing 16 books

Tales from the Misty Hills

Cozy, gently philosophical chapter books for young readers.

EnglishBook 1

The Button Map

A Cozy Autumn Adventure About Courage and Big Feelings

When the cold comes too early, one small mouse decides not to wait. Far beyond the misty hills, a village of shy mice lives beneath a great oak, their winter stores nearly empty, and one young mouse sets out with a carved wooden button that turns out to be both a map and a lantern to find the legendary great pumpkin of the old stories. Along the way he learns the only magic that works against the Darkness: say what you feel, out loud, and keep feeling it.

EnglishBook 2

Feather and Quill

A Winter Tale of Friendship and Love

When the first snow falls, one small hedgehog stays awake to find his friend. A young redstart has flown away to Lintukoto, the faraway land of the birds, alone and far too late in the year. With lingonberries in his pack, his warmest scarf and a single orange feather, the hedgehog follows the road of the birds toward an old lighthouse by the sea. Book two of Tales from the Misty Hills, a standalone companion to The Button Map. For ages 7 to 12.

SuomiBook 2

Sulka ja piikki

Talvinen satu ystävyydestä ja rakkaudesta

Kun ensilumi sataa, yksi pieni siili valvoo ja lähtee etsimään ystäväänsä. Kaukana utuisten harjujen takana asuu siilien kansa, joka joka syksy sytyttää suuren kokon ja kaivautuu lehtipesiinsä talvihorrokseen — mutta tänä vuonna yksi heistä on yhä hereillä. Koko kesän siilin kodin yllä asuneen leppälinnun kolo on aamulla hiljainen, ja ystävä on lähtenyt ensimmäiselle muuttomatkalleen Lintukotoon yksin, liian myöhään ja hyvästelemättä.

Fantasy for adults

Standalone Nordic fantasy.

English

The Well of Souls

An Afterlife Fantasy About Second Chances

Some people only really start living after they die. Matti is thirty-two, a programmer who has been meaning to change his life, when a bus fails to stop. He wakes in the world where souls rest between lives, the only one who remembers who he was. A standalone Nordic fantasy about death, second chances, and the people you find once you have lost everything else.

Suomi

Jotkut alkavat elää vasta kuoltuaan. Matti on kolmekymmentäkaksivuotias turkulainen ohjelmoija, joka eräänä tavallisena syyskuisena maanantaiaamuna herää keltaisten kukkien merestä Sielumaailmassa, jossa sielut lepäävät elämien välissä. Jokainen sielu saapuu sinne tyhjänä, ilman nimeä ja ilman muistoja — mutta Matti muistaa kaiken, ja Sieluportti on ollut pimeänä kymmenen vuotta.

Witchcraft & Tarot

Learn about Witchcraft and Tarot by The Esoteric Witch: honest beginner's guides.

English

The Novice's Guide to Witchcraft

A Practical Beginner's Path to Discovering Magic, Spellcraft, and Personal Power

You may be here out of long curiosity, a quiet pull you cannot name yet, or the wish for a spiritual craft that fits ordinary life. You are allowed to begin without already knowing which kind of witch you will become. The Novice's Guide to Witchcraft is a practical, honest introduction for adults beginning or restarting a personal practice, pairing clear history and ethics with techniques you can try this week.

English

The Novice's Guide to Tarot

Your Friendly Companion to Card Meanings, Intuitive Readings, and Personal Transformation | For Beginners Starting Their Journey

You bought a deck, opened the little booklet, and felt more lost than when you started. You do not need a secret gift or a perfect ritual to begin — you need curiosity, a clear question, and a guide that tells you the truth about what tarot can and cannot do. This book is a practical, card-by-card companion for beginners who want to read with confidence and care.

English

The 5-Minute Witch

Quick Everyday Magic for Overwhelmed Adults

You have five minutes before the next meeting, a cold cup of coffee, and a message you have been avoiding since breakfast. An elaborate ritual is probably not happening today — a small one might. The 5-Minute Witch is a practical guide to everyday witchcraft for busy, uneven, overfull lives, written for workdays, shared homes, limited privacy, and the days when energy is low.

English

The Closet Witch

Everyday Magic for a Private Spiritual Practice

You may be reading this with the cover turned away from someone else — perhaps your family would object to witchcraft, your coworkers would make it their business, or you simply want one part of your life to belong to you. The Closet Witch is a practical guide to keeping a private witchcraft practice under real constraints: shared homes, watchful families, workplaces, monitored devices, and days when energy or privacy is low.

English

The Magical Child

How Parents Can Foster Intuition, Nature Connection, and Self-Confidence Through Everyday Witchcraft

A child talks to a tree, leaves a drawing for the moon, or asks whether magic is real. You would like to share your practice with them, honestly, safely, and without turning their imagination into a test. The Magical Child is a practical guide for adults who want to bring witchcraft into family life while taking children's needs seriously.

English

The Novice's Guide to Working with Hekate

An Honest Beginner's Path to the Goddess of Crossroads, Keys, and Torchlight

Perhaps you met Hekate on a screen first: a short video calling her the Queen of Witches, a moon-and-key graphic, a list of signs that she is calling you. However you arrived, you are allowed to begin with curiosity rather than certainty. This book is a clear, grounded introduction for adults who want to know who Hekate was, how she changed over the centuries, and how people honor her today, distinguishing ancient evidence, later tradition, and modern practice.

English

The Novice's Guide to Working with Lilith

An Honest Beginner's Path Through Her History, Myth, and Modern Practice

A night spirit, a creature in the ruins, a name on a protective bowl, Adam's first wife, a feminist icon — each of those Liliths is real history, and only the last few are modern. This book is a clear, careful introduction for readers who are drawn to Lilith and want to know where she actually comes from before they begin to practice.

English

The Novice's Guide to Working with Lucifer

An Honest Beginner's Path Through the Light-Bearer's History, Symbolism, and Modern Practice

Satan began as a role, the Devil as a Greek translation, and Lucifer as a star. This book tells how a Latin word for the planet Venus became a name for the Devil, and what people do with that name today. It is a clear, careful introduction for adults who want to understand Lucifer before they decide whether to practice.

Facts for Kids!

Fun, surprising facts for curious young readers.

EnglishBook 1

100 Amazing Animal Facts for Kids

Fascinating Discoveries from the Animal Kingdom

Did you know that octopuses have three hearts and blue blood, dolphins call each other by name, and sharks are older than trees? Open this book to any page and a new surprise is waiting. 100 Amazing Animal Facts for Kids takes young readers from the deep sea to the Australian outback, with stops at the zoo, the farm, and their own backyard.

EnglishBook 2

100 Amazing Human Body Facts for Kids

Fascinating Discoveries About Your Body

Did you know that a grown-up's heart beats about 100,000 times a day, you are a little taller in the morning, and you cannot tickle yourself? Your body is the most interesting place you will ever live. This book takes young readers on a tour from head to toe, exploring how their bodies work, grow, and keep them healthy.

Coming soon

  • The Novice's Guide to Chaos MagicComing soon
  • The Novice's Guide to Goetic DemonsComing soon
  • The Novice's Guide to Art HistoryComing soon
  • The Novice's Guide to Classical MusicComing soon
  • The Novice's Guide to Sigil MagicComing soon
  • The Novice's Book of ShadowsComing soon
  • The Novice's Guide to RunesComing soon

On my writing desk

  • Echoes of the ForgottenPlanning

    Sixty years ago, the Archivists erased an entire civilization from existence and from every memory. Sera is a memory keeper who cannot forget. When a dying stranger entrusts her with proof of what was lost, she becomes the last person alive who knows the truth, and the hunters are coming.

  • Wandering Where I AmWriting · 20% done

    After three centuries of saving the world, the legendary wizard Theron has grown weary of heroics. He's toppled dark lords, sealed dimensional rifts, and fought in wars that shaped history, but somewhere along the way, he forgot what it meant to simply live. Now, he walks. No destination, no quest, no world to save. Just the open road and the small wonders he never stopped to notice before.

  • ArkanaPlanning · Outline

    When Siiri's grandmother gives her a worn tarot deck and tells her the cards speak of the traveler, not the future, she wakes on a cliff in a world called Arkana. The twenty-two Major Arcana have scattered to their homes, and the only way back is to visit each of them. A portal fantasy about first steps, unfinished magic, and finding yourself in every card.

  • Hädin tuskin pinnallaPlanning · Outline

    Every ten years, someone from the underwater village of Syvikkö rises to the surface to see if the world above has healed. When the lot falls to Sulo, a carpenter who fixes things nobody asked him to fix, he discovers that the myth his people live by is a lie. An undersea fantasy about leaving home, surviving a dry world, and deciding what to do with a truth that would break the village that sent you.

  • Arkkienkelten siipien suojassaPlanning · Outline

    In a Finnish forest in the year 2805, tracker Kielo can read a trail better than anyone in her village. The village believes archangels carried the chosen to safety and will one day bring them home. Then the same dream returns every night: a white tower over water, three stars in a line, and a name she has never heard. A post-collapse fantasy about following a trail all the way to the sky.

  • Taimia ja tähtipölyäPlanning · Outline

    Cassi spends his days rubber-stamping work an AI already did aboard the station Meridian's Dawn. His real life is a hydroponic greenhouse and a dream of growing things that actually matter. When a botanist hands him a forbidden seed from a distant planet, he has to decide whether a quiet, legal life is enough. A science fiction story about growth, belonging, and choosing new soil for an old dream.

Latest News

Feather and Quill Is Out

Feather and Quill: A Winter Tale of Friendship and Love is out now as a Kindle ebook, a paperback and a hardcover. The Finnish edition, Sulka ja piikki, came out on the same day. It's book two of Tales from the Misty Hills, and it stands on its own, so you can start right here.

See the book →

Feather and Quill Is Coming November 9

Feather and Quill: A Winter Tale of Friendship and Love is now on Kindle pre-order and comes out on November 9, 2026. It's book two of Tales from the Misty Hills, the series that began with The Button Map. This time a small hedgehog stays awake through the first snow to follow his friend, a young redstart, across a wintry land. It stands on its own, so you can start here or begin with The Button Map.

Read more →

The Well of Souls Is Out

The Well of Souls is now available on Amazon Kindle, in English and in Finnish as Sielujen kaivo. It's a standalone fantasy about a programmer who dies on an ordinary Monday and wakes up remembering a life every other soul has forgotten. The first two chapters are free to read here.

Read the sample →

I've Started Writing Wandering Where I Am

The legendary wizard Theron is finally on the page. After months of planning, I've started drafting Wandering Where I Am, a cozy fantasy about a hero who's grown weary of saving the world and has decided to take the scenic route instead. No quest, no dark lord, just the open road and the small wonders he never stopped to notice. The first chapters are underway, and I'll share more as the journey unfolds.

The Mouse and The Button Map Is Now Online

My children's fantasy adventure The Mouse and The Button Map is now available to read on this site. Follow a brave little mouse into an enchanted forest with a glowing button map, forest spirits, and a nameless cold that only courage and feeling can overcome. All 15 chapters are in the Online Stories section. Settle in with a cup of tea and enjoy the journey.

Website Launch & New Beginnings

Welcome to my new website! This is where I'll share updates about my fantasy writing projects and creative journey. I'm also launching my Instagram (@stories.by.lauri) where I'll be documenting my writing process, sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses of my work, and offering writing tips for fellow storytellers. Follow along as we explore worlds of magic and adventure together!

New Projects in the Works

I'm currently developing two new fantasy projects. 'Echoes of the Forgotten' is an epic fantasy about truth, erasure, and who has the right to decide what the world remembers. 'Wandering Where I Am' follows an overpowered wizard who's decided to take the scenic route through life. Both are in early development. Follow along on Instagram for updates!