About | Olive Blake / AFF

ABOUT ME

BIO

Novelist and screenwriter,

Purveyor of internet romance,

Village witch.

Alexene Farol Follmuth, also known under the pen name Olivie Blake, is a lover and writer of stories, many of which involve the fantastic, the paranormal, or the supernatural, but not always. More often, her works revolve around the collective experience, what it means to be human (or not), and the endlessly interesting complexities of life and love.

Alexene tripped and fell into writing after abandoning her long-premeditated track for Optimum Life Achievement while attending law school, and now focuses primarily on the craft and occasional headache of creating fiction. As Olivie, she has been published as the featured fiction contributor for Witch Way Magazine, as well as the writer for the self-published graphic series Alpha and a variety of other books. As Alexene, her debut YA novel, My Mechanical Romance, is coming summer 2022 from Holiday House.

Alexene lives and works in Los Angeles, where she is generally tolerated by her rescue pit bull. She can be loosely defined as the sort of person who picked up sparring as a means to improve writing fight scenes.

CURRENTLY WRITING

UNTITLED HOLLYWOOD GOTHIC, a young adult romance featuring the noble sport of pigeon seduction and some demonic Santa Ana winds.

THE ACADEMY COMES TO LIFE, my current story in installments for Witch Way Magazine! Emmeline Taylor, Victorian vampiress and spinster, has been headmistress of the most prestigious school for supernatural career rehabilitation since the turn of the twentieth century. In this inconvenient reverse murder mystery, Headmistress Taylor's undead students have begun turning up mysteriously alive.

THE ATLAS PARADOX, Book II of The Atlas Series. The sequel to The Atlas Six is underway! As the new Society initiates prepare for their final year in residence, outside forces conspire; alliances shift; somebody lost gets found. I currently anticipate a fall/winter 2022 release.

UNPUBLISHED WORKS

TWELFTH KNIGHT, a YA homage to Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Another dual POV rom-com, this one features the gender politics of fandom, RPGs, and gaming. Currently under revision.

MY MECHANICAL ROMANCE, previously UNTITLED S.T.E.M. YA, in which I strive to convince young women everywhere that nerds are hot and being true to your own nerdy self is even hotter. Competitive robotics, AP Physics, enemies-to-lovers, and a lot of me consulting Mr Blake's science curriculum. Currently under revision for a summer 2022 release.

BOYS WILL BE BOYS, a short film written for Phineas Productions about two hyper-competitive college friends who are dared into a kiss. A playful exploration of what it means to love and be loved. Currently awaiting production.

AWE OF THE NIGHT APPROACHING, a high fantasy about women in a War of the Roses-type conflict. THE WHITE QUEEN or GAME OF THRONES, but MOANA-ed.

STARGAZING IS NECROPHILIA, a nonlinear exploration of love, sex, and the female experience. You can check out some excerpts here.

CURRENTLY READING

THE OFFICE OF HISTORICAL CORRECTIONS by Danielle Evans. This month's S.P.E.L.L. read! A lot of short story collections tend to strike me as needlessly bewildering, but this one really hits hard. The collection's social commentary feels modern, brutal, and incisive while also leaving you with the sense of having been with a friend.

PERFECT ON PAPER by Sophie Gonzales. I didn't know anything about the plot before I picked this up (something about anonymous letters?) but bi romance? Yes please.

GENESIS: THE STORY OF HOW EVERYTHING BEGAN by Guido Tonelli. While this particular book is mostly a curiosity for me, I have my reasons for wanting to keep tabs on the various takes in astrophysics.

JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR. NORRELL by Susannah Clarke. It already seems like a major oversight for me to have not read this yet, but I feel that even more strongly after reading and loving PIRANESI. I physically could not figure out how to read a book of this size while pregnant and now I am unsure how I will do it while holding an infant but by god, I will find a way.

CURRENTLY LISTENING

Greatest Hits by Waterparks. I feel confident that I've raved about this band in the past, which has a definite pop-punk sound that carries my fave 2000s emo sensibilities. Hard to pick a favorite, but I'm currently very into "American Graffiti."

Jérémy Jouve and Friends (Play Mathias Duplessy Chamber Music) by Jérémy Jouve. French classical guitar is 1) a vibe abd 2) kind of a safe bet for when you need breakfast ambiance for your infant.

Sour by Olivia Rodrigo. A new great in the vein of female singer-songwriters encapsulating the torment of youth, the detail of two weeks does become a bit of an overused beat (not unlike her predecessor Taylor's infamous phone call breakup). That said, I love her on "Good 4 U" (addictive and "Misery Business"-esque) and "Brutal."

Wild Party by Phantom Pop. This is an older album of exuberant, dancey alt-pop that never misses. My long-time fave is "Lo-Fi Children" while some newer loves are "Outright" and "First Two Days With You."