Bio
Olivie Blake, the pen name of Alexene Farol Follmuth, is the author of bestselling fantasy and sci-fi crossover titles for adults. She 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.
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Olivie 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. Her New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling The Atlas Six released 2022 from Tor Books, rounding out the bestselling trilogy with The Atlas Paradox and The Atlas Complex in 2024. The re-release of her viral literary romance Alone With You in the Ether was followed by backlist titles One for My Enemy and New York Times bestselling Masters of Death, with brand new titles forthcoming in 2025. She has also been published as the writer for the graphic series Clara and the Devil and a variety of other adult SFF books. As Alexene, she is the author of young adult fiction (alexenefarolfollmuth.com).
Olivie lives and works in Los Angeles with her husband and goblin prince/toddler.
Represented by
Amelia Appel, Triada US
Keep in touch
Currently . . .
Writing
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KISS YOUR DEVILS IN LOS ANGELES, previously UNTITLED HOLLYWOOD GOTHIC, a Gothic romance inspired by the Black Dahlia featuring extended immigrant families, the noble sport of pigeon seduction, and some demonic Santa Ana winds.​
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NEWPHORIA, best described as The Hunger Games if it were written by Susanna Clarke, a standalone SFF set three generations into the future of Western technocracy about an archivist in the digital dark age.
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STARGAZING IS NECROPHILIA, an Alone with You in the Ether-esque romantic narrative about life, disappointment, desire, and the way love shapes us.
Reading
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THE GIRLS by Emma Cline. My next manuscript is a century-spanning future epic that involves a lot of different curiosities floating around in my head, including cults that get violent. It was a tough reading month for me, what with being primary caregiver again for a time, but this was a very propulsive and captivating read. Because it's a fictionalized story about the Manson murders, details of which are very well known and horrific, I appreciated the narration skipping through time or referencing events from the future rather than relying on visceral dread for what was to come. I will note that it has an approach to feminine rage and/or violence that feels more well-trodden now, since it defines the zeitgeist of its particular #MeToo era.
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THE INCANDESCENT by Emily Tesh. I’m going to provide a formal quote for this read, which I am lucky to have received early, but here I can express my true feelings: I’m fucking delighted. Every fucking minute of this book is a fucking goddamn delight. Basically, do you now have complicated feelings about magical school narratives? Do you wish an older woman would narrate a story about wizarding children? You’ll love this shit. Oh my god. You’ll absolutely eat it up.
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EXHIBIT by R.O. Kwon. asically every blurb about this book references it being hot and/or sexy, so obviously I am intrigued. I love any book about a woman in crisis. I’m particularly drawn to the storyline about an injured ballerina because I wrote one of those (see also: GIFTED & TALENTED). But I have not yet started it, so all of this is to come! (Also on my haven’t-started-yet-but-soon list: LADY MACBETH by Ava Reid, KITTENTITS by Holly Wilson.)
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WHO FEARS DEATH by Nnedi Okorafor. I’m very honored to be doing a panel at Rose City Comic-Con with Nnedi Okorafor, who is one of those people in publishing whose career is so profound and longstanding it makes me wonder why we’re even in the same room. It’s one of those books that hooks you right away with the voice, and I’m really excited to dig into it.
Listening
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Viva Hinds by Hinds. Okay, the truth is that I'm actually listening to Noah Kahan (Live from Fenway Park) on repeat (the goblin prince likes it, too; he seems to find it soothing) but I can't in all good conscience say any variation on Stick Season for the third (fourth?) time, so here are some artists that are generally new to me. I came to this album for "The Bed, The Room, The Rain and You," which is definitely still one of my favorites, but "Boom Boom Back" is probably the stronger intro. Upbeat, slightly bratty alternative (not sonically, but in terms of feminine hedonism? "Coffee" the most bratty choice I'd say), very addictive. They don't actually sound like The Last Dinner Party but I'd categorize them with a similar vibe, perhaps alongside The Beaches.
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Flourish by Meredi. I found a lot of classical and classical crossover albums I enjoyed this month, including Landscape to Light by James Ross & Maxwell Quartet (also great album cover design) and Sheku Kanneh-Mason's cello work, but this one stuck out to me most. Meredi is a composer and pianist and this album just floats, ethereal and lovely.
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If I Could by Benjamin Carter. I'll be honest, much of the poppy alternative I'm drawn to sonically is very white, so it was nice to stumble across Benjamin Carter, whose single "If I Could" (this Apple Music EP also includes "Sticks 'n' Stones," which might be even better, and "All My Life") is pretty much exactly perfect in terms of my musical tastes. His forthcoming album (coming October 4) is called Black Boys on the Radio: Part II, and I am sooooooo seated. Insert meme here about how seated I am.
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Rayo by J Balvin. Okay, J Balvin is not new to me. I'm always here for J Balvin. Sometimes a girl just really wants a slutty club beat and he never fails me!! My favorite on the album is "Bajo y Batería," again for the aforementioned slutty beat.