ABOUT ME

Bio

    Currently Writing

    Currently Reading

    Currently Listening

BIO

Novelist and screenwriter,

Purveyor of internet romance,

Village witch.

fullsizeoutput_3664.jpeg

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 graphic series Clara and the Devil and a variety of other books. The revised hardcover edition of her cult favorite The Atlas Six releases March 2022 from Tor Books. As Alexene, her debut YA novel, My Mechanical Romance, is coming May 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

​​

  • THE ATLAS PARADOX, Book II of The Atlas Series. The sequel to The Atlas Six is forthcoming! As the new Society initiates prepare for their final year in residence, outside forces conspire; alliances shift; somebody lost gets found. Coming October 25, 2022 from Tor.

​

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

UNPUBLISHED WORKS

​​

  • 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, opposites-attract romance, and a lot of me consulting Mr Blake's science curriculum. Coming May 31, 2022 from Holiday House.

​

  • 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.​

​

  • 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

  • A MARVELLOUS LIGHT by Freya Marske. I am so excited to read this one, having been reputably told that I will love it. Mystery, magic, and murder! What more could anyone want? (I have also just devoured HITHER, PAGE by my beloved Cat Sebastian, so this seems the natural follow-up.)

​

  • WHEN A SCOT TIES THE KNOT by Tessa Dare. I have recently read a few of what seems like hist-rom staples (everyone needs a Scot in their repertoire) but I have yet to sample Tessa Dare's. As I suspect I'm about to be slammed with work related to one of my three releases this year, I'm being gentle with myself by being deeply indulgent.

​

  • SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN by Shelley Parker-Chan. I actually don't know very much about this book aside from it being inspired by the Ming Dynasty, but I'm feeling a taste for fantasy lately. Something about winter, I expect.

​​

  • SEX AND RAGE: Advice to Young Ladies Eager for a Good Time by Eve Babitz. In addition to Joan Didion, we lost Eve Babitz this year, who was Joan's lesser-known (to me) contemporary in terms of cool girl L.A. writers. I saw the title of this one and figured it was the one to pick up.

 

CURRENTLY LISTENING

  • Ley Lines by Flor. Never not perfect for ambiance. An old favorite for sure.

​

  • Apocalypse Whenever by Bad Suns. I really​, really love Bad Suns (one of the bands I trust to be lyrically complex in addition to sonically appealing). This one releases mid-January, so I will probably spend the lead-up to the album reliving my fondness for "Cardiac Arrest," and "Salt" several hundred times.

​

  • About U by MUNA. I recently had "Winterbreak" stuck in my head and thought I ought to listen to the entire album. They also recently released a single, "Silk Chiffon," with Phoebe Bridgers, which is a song I quite enjoy.

​​

  • Fix Yourself, Not the World by The Wombats. I totally thought The Wombats were breaking up recently, so I'm excited to see they're releasing another album. Those of you who have been around a lot will know that Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life is one of my favorite albums of all time.