Born Sally Snyder in 1937, Morgan Llywelyn is an American-Irish author known for her extensive body of historical and mythological fiction, as well as non-fiction works. Her writing career began after a significant period dedicated to horses, where she achieved professional recognition and narrowly missed a spot on the 1976 U.S. Olympic Dressage Team. Inspired by her family history and a passion for her Celtic heritage, Llywelyn shifted her focus to writing.

Her literary output has garnered numerous awards and achieved considerable commercial success, selling over 40 million copies. She was recognized with the Exceptional Celtic Woman of the Year Award in 1999. Llywelyn's connection to Ireland deepened after the passing of her parents and husband, leading her to relocate to Ireland and become a citizen. She has also dedicated a portion of her career to writing for younger readers, exploring Irish history and legends through accessible narratives.

Morgan Llywelyn, born Sally Snyder in New York in 1937, spent her formative years in Dallas, where she developed a profound affinity for horses. By sixteen, she was a competitor in professional horse shows across the United States. Her dedication to equestrianism continued into adulthood; after fifteen years as a horse trainer and instructor, she came very close to qualifying for the 1976 United States Olympic Team in dressage, missing the mark by a mere 0.05 percent. This period of her life, marked by rigorous training and competitive spirit, laid a foundation for her later creative endeavors.

Following her extensive involvement with horses, Llywelyn, encouraged by her mother and the success of an article she wrote on horse training, redirected her energies toward her family's history. This pivot led her to explore her Welsh and Irish roots, ultimately shaping her career as a writer of historical novels. She has expressed a strong connection to her Welsh ancestry, tracing it back to Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, and a deep interest in Irish history and legends, stemming from spending significant portions of her childhood in Ireland. Her works often delve into these rich historical and mythological landscapes.

Llywelyn's contributions to literature have been widely acknowledged, with several prestigious awards recognizing her talent. She received the Novel of the Year Award from the National League of American Penwomen for "The Horse Goddess" and the Woman of the Year Award from the Irish-American Heritage Committee for "Bard: The Odyssey of the Irish." The latter was presented by then-Mayor of New York City, Ed Koch. Although her grandparents were of Irish descent, it was after 1985, following the loss of her parents and husband, that she made Ireland her home. She now resides near Dublin and holds Irish citizenship, continuing her prolific writing career, which includes a significant body of work aimed at younger readers.

“I have a strong strain of Welsh on my mother's side, which does indeed go back to Llywelyn ap Iorwerth. And Llywelyn the Great! (We have the proven genealogy from the College of Heralds.) She was very proud of her royal Welsh connection. That is why she was so interested in genealogy in the first place, and inspired me to get involved as well ... leading in turn to THE WIND FROM HASTINGS. But both my parents were predominantly Irish – my father totally so – and I spent half the years of my childhood here. So I have always been much more interested in Ireland and its history and legends.”