AMERICAN FALLS — Ever since she was little, Stephanie Bachman-West has enjoyed creating and telling stories, drawing inspiration from contemporary classics and pop culture while playing off genre tropes to spin fantastical tales that are entirely her own.

Her debut fantasy novel, “Morfran Dark Lord Reformed,” is a genre-twisting story about a villainous overlord who has traded his beheading sword for a plowshare, living out his retirement as an undercover goat farmer.

The titular character is tired of managing minions, is estranged from his exceedingly evil Queen Ravana and decides to book it for secluded foothills to live out his days in obscurity and peace. Before long, Morfran’s former soldiers catch up with him, intent on doing a little beheading of their own.

In a humorous twist, Morfran finds himself leading a grassroots rebellion against the tyrannical onslaught from — himself. The dark lord in disguise must decide where his allegiances lie, in a tale that questions what it means to be an unwitting hero.

Bachman-West said the idea took root while watching Amazon’s “The Rings of Power,” particularly the dynamic between Sauron and Galadriel in the show’s first season. She wanted to capture that push and pull between hero and villain, but with a lighter touch.

“I wanted to make it funny, and so I made a dark lord who is roped into leading a rebellion against himself,” Bachman-West said. “All the while, no one knows it’s actually him.”

That premise grew out of a broader impulse to upend expectations built by decades of straightforward villains like Sauron and Darth Vader, she said.

Rather than playing the dark lord’s menace straight, Bachman-West wanted readers to consider the mundane headaches of the job — the upkeep of a sprawling castle, the challenge of reining in minions who keep torching villages when they’ve been told to stop.

The resulting fantasy lands somewhere between heartfelt and absurd, comedic and a little crass. Bachman-West said her editors have compared it to twisted fantasy tales like “Shrek.” She also cited “The Princess Bride” and “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” as inspirational, along with childhood favorites like “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” penning two characters with the same names.

Bachman-West said that those who look closely will find similar Easter eggs and pop culture references throughout the book from tales like Snow White, Rapunzel, “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” and “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.”

Bachman-West’s publisher is marketing the novel as cozy fantasy, placing it alongside the work of Diana Wynne Jones and Terry Pratchett. While it does include a bit of exaggerated violence and edge, the tale is ultimately lighthearted and has a happy ending, suited for teens and adults alike.

The author traced her drive to write back to early childhood, when she made her own illustrated storybooks. That enthusiasm for both reading and writing stories has never faded.

The novel is the first of a two-book deal, and Bachman-West said she recently turned in the first draft of a sequel following Morfran the Dark Lord on a new adventure. A publication date for the follow-up has not been set.

“Morfran Dark Lord Reformed” officially releases Sept. 8 and is available for preorder at sbwestauthor.com/book. Readers interested in following the author and her work can find her on Instagram at @sbwestwrites.

Bachman-West will celebrate the launch with a signing event at 4 p.m. Oct. 2 at Hares and Hatters Bookshop, 200 S. Main St., inside Station Square in downtown Pocatello. The book signing will coincide with the First Friday Art Walk.

Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing, and Bachman-West said she’s looking forward to talking with readers about the story.