About Olivie
For an official bio, find my press kit.
Olivie Blake, the pen name of Alexene Farol Follmuth, is the author of internationally bestselling speculative fiction 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 in 2022 from Tor Books, with The Atlas Paradox and The Atlas Complex rounding out the bestselling trilogy 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 Gifted & Talented and Girl Dinner releasing in 2025. She is also the writer for the graphic series Clara and the Devil with co-creator Little Chmura. As Alexene, she is the author of young adult fiction (alexenefarolfollmuth.com).
Olivie lives and works in Los Angeles with her husband and son. She has trained in boxing for the last seven years and enjoys dinner conversation, art made by humans, and overindulging her sweet tooth.
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Please note: I will never solicit you via social media on any platform. I do not have a Facebook profile, and I do not use or offer any paid services—all of my writing advice is free.
Author Photo © Michelle Terris​
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Represented by
Amelia Appel, Triada US
Keep in touch
Currently . . .
Writing
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NEWPHORIA!, a dystopian satire set three generations in the future of Western technocracy about an archivist, a pop star, a neo-Luddite cult, and clicktivism in the digital dark age. Currently in revision.
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Dead Weight, a play about a complicated pair of frenemies and some priests on LSD. Currently in revision.
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CALL ME WHEN YOU MAKE IT, formerly STARGAZING IS NECROPHILIA, an Alone with You in the Ether-esque romantic narrative about life, disappointment, desire, and the uncertainty of art. Currently in revision.
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UNTITLED ASSASSIN WIFE, a '90s inspired SFF action/adventure about a very healthy marriage. Currently drafting.
Reading
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TRAD WIFE by Sarah Langan. I actually had a very heavy reading month, not that you'd know it by the list that's about to follow, because I have the very great honor of being the guest editor for the Best American Sci-Fi & Fantasy 2026. I spent pretty much every free moment of last month reading short stories, which I loved, but also can't discuss in much detail yet, because you'll get to see my choices very soon. But this was the first book I got to read for pleasure, and it was a banger. I obviously wrote about trad wives in GIRL DINNER—"trad wife" referring to the social media persona of a woman earning a profit from sponsored content of her traditional life, which (coincidentally!) often promotes rightwing Christian values—but this is a true horror novel where the woman behind the account isn't quite what she seems. It's incredibly engrossing read that wrestles with feminine agency and is, yes, a total nightmare.
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HENCH by Natalie Zina Walschots. Someone once told me the best thing about being an artist is taking advantage of the perks that come with the job, namely: proximity to other artists. For example, when I was stuck on how to build smuggling into my multiverse, I called my good friend Alix E. Harrow to bounce a few ideas off her, and she suggested I pick up this book, which is superhero novel that zeroes in on the bureaucracy of something otherwise fantastical. This is something I love to do myself, so I was all too eager to take her up on the recommendation. I'm not very far in yet, but it's fast-paced and feels highly on-the-nose as far as being a cog in a profit-driven machine that very much does not care about you.
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LINCOLN IN THE BARDO by George Saunders. I'm highly superstitious—if I encounter something three times, I'm probably going to act on it. Sign 1: Mr. Blake picked up CONGRATULATIONS, BY THE WAY by George Saunders, which is essentially the book version of his commencement address that posits that the biggest things in life you will ever regret are your failures to be kind, more so than any other achievement. I read it, found myself nodding along, and thought nothing of it. Then—Sign 2: my good friend Veronica Roth (ha!) told me how much she loved George Saunders, even if most people didn't quite enjoy his latest. Then—Sign 3: my agent asked me if I had read LINCOLN IN THE BARDO, which she loved. So now, obviously, I am reading it. I'm excited. I'm strapped in. Let's go, universe. You called and I am here to answer.
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UNCERTAIN SONS AND OTHER STORIES by Thomas Ha. Okay, so, remember how I said I read a bunch of short stories last month? Anonymously, of course, but I do exist in SFF circles, so one of my reads ended up being spoiled for me by the Nebula short list. As it turns out, I actually considered multiple short stories by Thomas Ha, a new-to-me author who can write the fuck out of a short story. I am a lover of short form, personally, and the titular story from this collection particularly stuck with me, to the point where I immediately bought his story collection. Most stories lean sci-fi in world building, but Ha definitely has horror inclinations. I really recommend his writing if you've never picked it up before.
Listening
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Some Dreams You Never Wake Up From by Valerie Broussard. I listened to a lot of Valerie Broussard while I was writing my little fanfics—her sensibilities are basically those of a goth cottage witch who wanders the mists and maybe sometimes takes revenge on her exes. I later found out Valerie Broussard is the sister of Drew Broussard, an excellent bookseller, LitHub contributor, and overall Bookish Person who interviewed me for Tor's Voyage into Genre podcast, and she also frequents my local indie. ANYWAY, I really enjoy this EP, which is classified as Alternative Folk, but is, once again, music for daydreaming witches.
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Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally by Harry Styles. I wouldn't call myself a big Harry Styles enthusiast, but I did enjoy the album title and I had a long drive through LA traffic ahead of me, so I hit play just for fun. I like it! "Aperture" was a weird single but I do enjoy it when it's playing. I found myself a little bit more engaged by the back half of the album, starting with "Season 2 Weight Loss." I loved (and found very memorable) the dreamy, orchestral ambiance of "Coming Up Roses" and bopped along to "Pop" and "Dance No More," so that string of songs was a hit for me. One thing I will say: I have no idea what the lyrics are to anything and can't speak to that at all, which is unusual for me, a person who is definitely trying to listen to the lyrics.
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THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE. by Raye. I really like the single off this album ("WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!" which is both a great song and a very good use of load-bearing exclamation point) and I hit play on this while I was doing my makeup in my hotel room. Such a good decision. I love the retro feel and it has so much verve and energy. Some of the album is lyrically a bit more... wholesome? Philosophically upbeat? Optimistic? (slightly... corny??) than I normally prefer, but on the whole I don't mind it. "I Hate The Way I Look Today." was delightful and brilliant. "Click Clack Symphony" was outstandingly epic. "Goodbye Henry." is also a favorite. It's really enjoyed it, basically, and you should listen to it, too.
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better late than not at all by Chelsea Jordan. I queued up this EP from a bit of a listless place and it started playing while I was out of the room, so I initially thought it was Alessia Cara (who just came out with a jazz album, I believe). It's an easy listen; I really enjoyed the production style, which has a very light touch. I would put this on for ambiance, personally. I like "1 on 1" and "picky choosy" best.