elizabeth eksteen
Author. Artist. Creatrix
Debut novel
behind the mask
Jane Stewart is not your average teenager. She’s always felt like an outsider, never quite fitting in with her peers. But when strange events start happening around her, she has to choose: staying in her comfort zone or connecting with others like herself. With her newfound powers and abilities, Jane finds herself drawn into a world of mystery and darkness, with no choice than to navigate the dangers of the unknown.The new community into which she is flung fulfils needs she has never fully recognized – but it requires abandoning almost everything, and everyone, she’s loved.
"Art brings into being the dreams and fantasies
of the mind; a Vision of the subconscious..."
About the Author
elizabeth eksteen
As a multi-passionate author and artist with a love of fantasy, horror and mystery, Elizabeth invites readers and viewers into a lush, atmospheric world beyond the ordinary. Her vision is this: to hold a mirror to the complexity of emotions, choices and the human experience through storytelling and creative expression. Myth weaves with wisdom, poetry with profound questions, and every visual and written piece becomes a subtle commentary on freedom, authenticity and the true self.
Are you ready to look inside the mirror of your soul?
The journey awaits...
Biography
"In a world that tells you who to be
Rediscover who you truly are"
Growing up in a small village in the Western Cape, South Africa, Elizabeth has loved stories since a young age. Encouraged to read by her mother and listening to bedtime stories told by her father (in an attempt to get her to fall asleep), she began to draw her own stories at the age of six. Throughout school, she continued to write and illustrate over 200 short stories in both English and Afrikaans. In between, she enjoyed drawing, painting, acting out her own stories and playing various musical instruments such as flute, clarinet, keyboard and electric guitar. As an avid lover of ballet, she took ballet classes for eight years, earning Distinction in her final RAD exam, before moving on to challenge herself with weight training, then yoga, and finally returning to dance through tribal fusion bellydance.
At the age of 14, Elizabeth wrote a short story titled "Behind the Mask" which turned into a full-fledged series of eight novels. At age 17, after completing the series, she enrolled into a ten-week creative writing course from Allaboutwriting. Upon successful completion of the course, she was accepted into their mentorship program, led by author Jo-Anne Richards and screenwriter Richard Beynon. For the next four years, she rewrote and refined the novel, Behind the Mask, under their expert guidance. Thanks to her supportive parents and being homeschooled since she was nine years old, Elizabeth had the time and freedom to fully pursue her love for writing.
In 2023, at the age of 21, she self-published Behind the Mask, along with a compilation of music and a book trailer video to promote the novel. She successfully sold enough copies to have a second edition printed the following year, which featured an alternate version of the book's cover art. Spending so many years writing the same story and characters took its toll, though. Experiencing burnout, she turned towards graphic design, copywriting and hosting workshops/coaching for the following years.
During this time, Elizabeth took online courses in health and wellness, as well as an accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapy course from Transformation Academy, which led her to a deeper understanding of the human mind and emotions. 2026 marked her return to creative expression when she immersed herself once more into art, dance and writing a new novel. She also hosts talks on writing, poetry and the power of creative expression at literary festivals and related events.
Her career highlights include:
Karoo Eisteddfod 2014 (Youth) — Gold Prize for Art, Gold Prize for Prose, Silver Prize for Poetry
Karoo Eisteddfod 2014 — Special Prize for outstanding achievement in creative writing
Karoo Eisteddfod 2015 (Youth) — Gold Prize for Art, Gold Prize for Prose, Silver Prize for Poetry
Karoo Eisteddfod 2015 — Special Prize for outstanding achievement in creative writing
Karoo Eisteddfod 2015 — Exchange Trophy: Best Creative Writing
Leesfees 2017 Youth Category — Prose: 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes
Leesfees 2017 — ATKV Special Award for Creative Writing
Leesfees 2018 Youth Category — Poetry: 3rd prize
Afrifiksie 2018 — Fantasy Photo Competition: First Prize — Makeup artistry
Leesfees 2024 Adult Open Category — Poetry: 2nd prize
Leesfees 2024 — Youngest Author Interviewed
KKNK (Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees) 2025 — Hosted The Power of Poetry workshop
Workshop Reviews
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Elizabeth Eksteen — Author & Artist of Fantasy, Mystery and Horror — Western Cape, South Africa