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Kisma K Stepanich-Reidling

Kisma K Stepanich-Reidling (born July 4, 1958 as Kisma K Stepanich) is an author of women spirituality and Irish faery lore. She is best known for her six volume The Faery-Chronicles novel series. As of 2024 she has 9 non-fiction books (7 of which are found in the Library of Congress) and 8 fiction books in print.

Born in Southern California, Kisma grew-up in Cypress. She moved out of her parents home at the age of 18 and moved around California every few years until the age of 50. She lived in Belmont Shores, Seal Beach, Dana Point, Costa Mesa, Santa Cruz, Huntington Beach, settling in Newport Beach with her husband, Jack Reidling. They were married on October 25, 1992. They have one child, Tristan Shane (born April 3, 1995).

Though mostly known for her writing, Kisma branched out into art. Having created several illustrations for her third book, Sister Moon Lodge: the power and mystery of menstruation (Llewellyn, 1992) and drawing all the card illustration for Faery Wicca Tarot, which was then painted in oil by R. Yates (Llewellyn, 1997). Today, Kisma has developed a substantial presence as a mixed-media and art journaling artist.

Early Years

Kisma was the youngest of three children. Her mother and father bought their own home in Cypress, California when Kisma was 2 years old. She grew-up there, and underwent all her childhood education at various schools in the district. It can be said that both her writing and art came from this time of her life. When she was in the second grad (age 7) her short story 'How To Get A Gorilla To Love You' won first place in a school writing contest for her grade level. The story and ribbon were put on display for a summer at the Cypress City Hall. While still in grade school, at the age of 11, she went on to writer and illustrate her first novel, 'Kathy and the Little People'.

Writing Career

Kisma's writing career as a published author began in 1989 under her maiden name, with the publication of her first book, 'An Act of Woman Power' Whitford Press, 1989). She became a best seller with Llewellyn for her Faery Wicca books. In 1996, Kisma had a run-in with another modern writer, which ended her association with Llewellyn. She then went on to become an "Indie Author" and walked away from traditional publishing.

The Artist

Writing wasn't the only creativity for Kisma as a young girl. By the time she was 8, classmates had begun to ask for one of her paperdolls and line-up around her during recess to await theirs. In her earlier years, however, Kisma never thought of herself as an artist, even when creating the illustrations for her tarot deck. It wasn't until in her 50s that she became aware that she'd always been one.

In 2018 she became an art teacher through a local art studio, which came to a close in 2021 due to the Covid lockdown. Like so many others, Kisma turned to online teaching. Her presence on the internet grew as an instructor, resulting in the creation of her website, originally titled Studio Inspiration Art Journal and rebranded in 2020 to Visionary Artist Path

2021 saw the beginning of Kisma's participation in local art galleries (Las Laguna Art Gallery) and annual city collective art exhibitions with Costa Mesa and Newport Beach. She has gone on to become a regularly featured artist in the Art Journaling Magazine, seeing six issue publications since 2022 to 2024.

Bibliography

Non-Fiction

1. An Act of Woman Power (1989), ISBN 0-914918-93-1
2. The Gaia Tradition: Celebrating the Earth in Her Seasons (1991), ISBN 0-87542-766-9
3. Sister Moon Lodge: The Power & Mystery of Menstruation (1992), ISBN 0-87542-767-7
4. Faery Wicca: Book One, Theory & Magick: A Book of Shadows & Light (1994), ISBN 1-567718-694-7
5. Faery Wicca: Book Two, The Shamanic Practices of the Cunning Arts (1995), ISBN 1-56718-695-5
6. Faery Wicca Tarot (1998), ISBN 1-56718-696-3
7. Faery-Faith Traditional Wisdom: Codex 1, Irish Cosmology & Faery Glamoury (2004), ISBN 1-4184-9292-2
8. Faery Initiations: Stone, Sword, Spear & Cauldron, Codex 2 (2005), ISBN 9781420835830
9. Life Light: A Journey Into Intentional Creativity (2020), ISBN 978-1-71-552120-2

Anthology Inclusion

1. The Magical Pantheons: A Golden Dawn Journal; The Ancient Ones of the Irish Faery-Faith (1998), ISBN 1-56718-861-3

Novels

Stand Alones

1. The Last Matriarch (2004), 1-4184-1653-3
2. Beyond Atlantis: The Empress and the Magician (2018), ISBN 978-1-79088-386-8

The Faery-Chronicles

1. Faery With Teeth: Book One of the Faery Chronicles (2003), ISBN 1-4107-4070-6
2. Oceans of Time: The Faery Chronicles (2007), ISBN 978-1-4343-1982-1
3. Children of the Stars: The Faery Chronicles Book Three (2008), ISBN 978-1-4343-9945-8
4. The Love of Tear-Drop and The Hound (2009), ISBN 978-1442145108
5. It's Always About Trust, Isn't It? (2012), ISBN 978-14700-4686-6
6. In Search of the Beloved: The Faery Chronicles, Volume 6 (2023), ISBN 978-1477-647448