Atwater started writing at a young age after being inspired by a
Dungeons & Dragons campaign led by her father. She submitted her first novel to a
publishing company at the age of twelve, but later decided to pursue different careers and continue writing in her spare time. She worked as a
web developer,
historical re-enactor, repairperson, and salesperson. After researching
self-publishing, Atwater followed a friend's advice and published her debut novel,
Half a Soul, on her own in 2020. The novels received positive reviews from
Publishers Weekly,
The British Fantasy Society,
Tor.com,
Booklist, and
Library Journal. She wrote the novella
A Matter of Execution with her husband Nicholas as a prequel to the fantasy novel
Echoes of the Imperium. Atwater sold the English rights of the
Regency Faerie Tales to
Orbit Books, who re-released all three novels in 2022. Writing for
The New York Times, Olivia Waite recommended the novel, likening it to Pratchett's work.
Small Miracles won the eighth edition of the
Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off. == Writing style and technique ==