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.
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 internationally 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 such as Gifted & Talented, Girl Dinner, and Dreamland releasing in 2025 and beyond. Several of her works are currently be adapted for film. 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.
Please note: I will never solicit you via social media on any platform. I do not use or offer any paid services—all of my writing advice is free.
Author Photo © Michelle Terris
Represented by
Amelia Appel, Triada US
Keep in touch
Forthcoming Releases
Currently . . .
Writing
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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 production.
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ASSASSIN WIFE, a '90s inspired SFF action/adventure about the multiverse. Also, a very healthy marriage. Currently in revision.
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UNTITLED AMERICAN ROAD TRIP NOVEL, in which a shape-shifting death doula and a DoorDash for Sorcerers(™) driver hit the road in pursuit of an entry to another realm. Currently drafting.
Reading
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THE GREAT WHEREVER by Shannon Sanders. This multigenerational family saga is about a piece of land owned by a Black family in Tennessee, which was meant to be owned by several people who never inherited (a mystery! Or rather, several mysteries!) and are now permanent residents in the form of ghosts. I loved this one and also ended with a myriad of feelings. The narrator is, as I mentioned, a ghost, whereas the primary protagonist is a living 31-year-old you kind of want to shake until better judgment falls out—an opinion shared by the narrator. Lots to uncover in terms of the generational trauma; lots of sensitivity and heart in the way family shapes you. Read if you love complicated families and relationships.
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THE COUNTRY LIFE by Rachel Cusk. There has been much noise of late regarding Cusk’s latest, LIFE OF M, which does not really excite me though I was a huge fan of Cusk’s OUTLINE trilogy and enjoyed her motherhood memoir, A LIFE’S WORK (she and I don’t share much in terms of our experience with motherhood but I think hers is nonetheless a validating perspective). I picked this one up instead when it was recommended by someone who similarly enjoyed her past work—it’s a Jane Eyre-esque comedy about a young woman living with an eccentric family in rural England, and my goodness, our protagonist is a total disaster. But it’s dynamic and bizarre and vivid, and I had a great time.
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CLOUDTHIEF by Nathaniel Rich. As I keep saying, CLOUDTHIEF is both a detailed instruction manual about how to rob a data center and an explicit dare to do so. It’s a heist novel, though perhaps only secondary to its being a novel about one man’s desperation in pursuit of 2-3 forms of love (read it and maybe that will make more sense). Because Nathaniel Rich has a background in environmental journalism, it’s very good and topical climate fiction, but I don’t think it would satisfy someone who typically reads sci- or cli-fi (not to the extent of something like AN ISLAND DROWNED IN BLOOD by Katie McNey, coming in February). In my opinion, it reads more closely to something like THE PAYBACK by Kashana Cauley—social commentary rooted in relationships. The human stakes, and the wonderful irrationality of its eccentric characters, are where the story really lives.
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LAST LYNN STANDING by Ashlee Lhamon. I recently learned this book got pushed to 2028, which makes this quite cruel of me, but mark your calendars now because this book is GREAT. There are some Umbrella Academy vibes—something I am always accused of having, not incorrectly—in this story about a very famous woman who is actually a dozen clones, a handful of which are the outward-facing personas with talent, most of which are “black holes” that failed to contribute in lasting ways to the brand, and one who is Lynn Prime, who serves as the protagonist and narrator. When the Lynn clones (who were raised in a mansion they called “Mutant Academy” by their unfeeling mad scientist/possibly Evangelical parents) begin to die in bizarre and targeted ways, Lynn Prime is forced to try to find the Lynn she believes is responsible—and the result is hilarious, weird, propulsive, and touching. I couldn’t put it down.
Listening
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How to Quit Smoking by Dominic Fike. I said last month that I was going to be listening to this and then they moved the release date so it’s getting bumped here as well! I just love Dominic Fike okay!! He did release a new single last month, “Pangea,” which I loved very much. I can’t wait to listen to everything. The line “I was nervous thirteen floors ago / now I’m like (let me in, let me in, let me in—)” is just… so good and so well-delivered.
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Proceed With Caution by The Paradox. So, I’ve mentioned in the past that the type of music I like is heavily dominated by emo white boys, perhaps because emocore that lead to alt/pop-punk originated in the Midwest. This EP, I will be honest, sounds exactly like something I would have listened to in, say, 2003. The vibe is absolutely blink-182, maybe even more pop than that, like the All-American Rejects, so I was delighted to learn this is a Black pop-punk band from Atlanta. The frontman, Eric Dangerfield, listed New Found Glory among his influences and they were a favorite of mine, so it kind of delights me to know that some of the other non-white kids pining in their bedrooms were like dang, I love this, to the point of making it their own. I felt similarly about Carter Benjamin and his similarity to alt bands I enjoy like The Wrecks. Anyway, on this EP I love everything, but particularly the opener, “I Kinda Like That,” and “Living Hell,” which references Fall Out Boy in a way that made me smile.
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Dopamine Chamber by Fontaines DC. I feel like I can hear the British alternative influences in this Fontaines DC album more than I have in the past—don’t ask me to explain that. I think it will take a couple more listens for me to really distinguish which songs appeal to me most, but I definitely enjoyed “Tongue” on first listen. It’s a standout for me, though I will confess that I immediately queued up “Starburster” rather than continuing to listen to the album in front of me.
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Mud by Remi Wolf. I typically enjoy the music Remi Wolf makes—some of my favorites in the past have been “Toro” and “Disco Man”—but I tend to like her most when she veers into Dominic Fike territory, as with the track “Cheesin’” that I definitely thought he was also on. Can I explain that more? Or better? Probably not. Anyway, there’s something more subdued in this new album that feels sleeker, a bit smoother, and despite those compliments, it might take me longer to get invested. I like “Champagne,” and the John Mayer duet “Moon So High” is nice in a way that sounds like John Mayer.