About the Author
TAPIA PAULA is a speculative fiction writer and worldbuilding consultant with over a decade of experience crafting intricate societies for novels, tabletop role‑playing games, and interactive media. She holds a master’s degree in political theory from the University of Barcelona, where her research focused on utopian thought and the governance of extraterrestrial settlements. Her debut novel, *The Heliostat Accord*, won the Premio Minotauro for best science fiction novel in 2021, and her short fiction has appeared in *Clarkesworld*, *Lightspeed*, and *Asimov’s Science Fiction*.
As a consultant, Paula has worked with independent authors, game studios, and screenwriters to develop believable political and economic systems that enhance narrative depth and world consistency. She is a frequent speaker at conventions such as Worldcon, Eurocon, and the Barcelona International Game Festival, where she leads workshops on building feasible future governments. Her online course “Foundations of Sci‑Fi Worldbuilding” has been taken by over 4,000 students globally. Paula lives in Madrid with her two cats and a growing collection of vintage Soviet space memorabilia.