Hello. I’m Teresa.
I’m a Portuguese screenwriter turned novelist, writing dark romantasy from Lisbon. My stories live in the Ruined Realms: crumbling Gods, messy love, dangerous magic, and a great deal of emotional damage, all of it deliberate.
It started with The Serpent’s Dance, a dark fable for the girls who burned and didn’t apologise. Then Lisbon cracked open and Of Wards and Wi-Fi came out of it.
I also draw the people in my head, and I built two languages for this world, because apparently writing the books wasn’t enough. Nelson Rodrigues makes the covers and the interiors, and puts up with me on live streams.
Online I’m Aya Crowfoxtail. I’m also a bit of a Witch myself.
Things you should know
My cat Loki has opinions about my manuscripts. I write the series in the wrong order and fix it later. Between the books, the drawings and the languages, there is usually something slightly unreasonable happening at my desk.
For press, podcasts and events
Teresa Ribeiro is a Portuguese screenwriter turned novelist and the creator of Ruined Realms. Born in Lisbon, she studied Film at Kingston University and spent over a decade in London before returning to Portugal. Her dark fantasy and romantasy explore feminine power, desire, grief and survival. Her books include The Serpent’s Dance and Of Wards and Wi-Fi (2026). She writes online as Aya Crowfoxtail.