Mary Elizabeth Ames penned Homo transformans: The Origin and Nature of the Species and H'Ilgraith, both of which won award as a Finalist in the Fantasy: Epic/High Fantasy category of the American Fiction Awards in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Raephela continues the saga of Homo transformans wherein society is again threatened by a malevolent organization. Ms. Ames has a Master of Science degree in biology. She incorporates the science of biology and genetics into her narratives to imbue a sense of realism into the story and to provide an understanding of how genes function, especially in Homo sapiens.