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.
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
-
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.
-
NEWPHORIA, a standalone SFF set three generations into the future of Western technocracy about an archivist, a pop star, a survivalist cult, and clicktivism in the digital dark age.
-
STARGAZING IS NECROPHILIA, an Alone with You in the Ether-esque romantic narrative about life, disappointment, desire, and the way love shapes us.
Reading
-
MARGO'S GOT MONEY TROUBLES by Rufi Thorpe. Last year I had the same experience twice of picking up a book considered popular despite doubting I would like it much and then, behold, discovering with pleasant surprise that it deserved the hype—THE MINISTRY OF TIME was one, while this was the other. It helps that I didn't read the summary (I went into this book blind, thinking only that it would fall under my favorite category of Woman Having a Meltdown) and found every little turn of the narrative to be an absolutely unexpected delight. As an artist and a mother the ending hit me hard, right in the soft bits. I will add for anyone VERY TRIGGERED by the thought of losing your child (so sorry to the book THE SCHOOL FOR LOST MOTHERS which is probably amazing but will never be read by me, personally) that many scary things happen like a custody dispute and CPS being called, but not to worry, all's well that ends well.
-
TEHRANGELES by Porochista Khakpour. In the interest of not lying to you, much of this list will probably be useless because I'm writing it halfway through December to post on January 1, because I plan to be in gremlin mode or at least unbeholden to the internet. The rest of the books on here are currently awaiting my attention, but I cannot tell yet whether they are especially good. I've been excited about this one for ages! Now would be a good time to provide a summary, probably, but then again I do so love to be taken on a ride. Okay, for you I will look at a summary (I will probably forget what it even says)—okay, I'm being told it's The Kardashians meets LITTLE WOMEN and that's all I'm going to pursue at this time.
-
ANA MARÍA AND THE FOX by Liana De la Rosa. I committed to one day reading this romance novel despite having very little information about its tropes, archetypes, or plot, and as I'm sure you're starting to grasp, I am not especially interested in enlightening myself now, when I would rather discover as I go. But! Because I am offering a public service via this recommendation, I will summarize with: "forbidden love between a Mexican heiress and a shrewd British politician makes for a tantalizing Victorian season." Delightful.
-
THE DEEP SKY by Yume Kitasei. I won't lie to you—I opened this book while in bed next to my husband and whispered "oh no" when I saw the diagram of the ship, and then I said "oh no" slightly louder when I turned the page to an even more detailed diagram of the ship, and then I simply called it and went to sleep with intention to return when I am more rested. Reader, I have almost no 1) concept of or 2) interest in ships and this is why I almost never read space operas, because I am typically desperate for the author to stop describing the ship to me. But I've been on a panel with Kitasei and find her to be very smart and interested in the same things I'm interested in, and I've been wrong about this before (see also, SOME DESPERATE GLORY by Emily Tesh) so I'd be delighted to fall in love with this thriller set "on the eve of Earth's environmental collapse." (Okay, I'm back in.)
Listening
-
Vicious Creature by Lauren Mayberry. I wouldn't call myself a fan of CHVRCHES, though I enjoy their stuff from time to time, and I didn't initially know who Lauren Mayberry was until after I heard and enjoyed the track "Mantra" (she's their lead singer). I didn't especially like the initial single off the album—"Crocodile Tears," which for some reason puts me off around the chorus, it feels like... I don't know, The Lizzie McGuire Movie—but I really love the sleek run on the back half of the album, from "Change Shapes" to "Sunday Best." My favorite is "A Work of Fiction."
-
Quinn XCII presents: Mustard Mike's Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner by Quinn XCII. My boy Quinn makes compulsively listenable songs, which is pretty much what I expected for this one, and he loves a concept album—his dedication to his overall aesthetic is one of my favorite things about him. I also love how prolific he is, and I always know I'm going to like whatever he puts out. It doesn't always stick with me for long, but I do really love the vibe of "Pasadena." He also has a knack for creating interesting characters over the course of 3 minutes.
-
Be OK (Continued) by Letdown. This album has a real Warped Tour vibe to it, though the production is distinct. I had apparently been gradually compiling the singles without noticing until I heard "Decades" and decided to listen to the whole album while walking to get a grocery item I'd forgotten. Needless to say, I enjoyed myself immensely. Aside from "Decades" and the title track, I also really love "Go to Hell."
-
Melt by Beach Weather. There's a strong chance I already mentioned this band and/or album recently (this one came out in October 2024) but I'm bringing it up again now because I'm working on KISS YOUR DEVILS IN LOS ANGELES, the LA Gothic coming in 2026 for which Beach Weather is kind of lowkey writing the soundtrack (along with Glass Animals—they are to this book what The Last Dinner Party was to GIRL DINNER). I really can't get over the most recent single, "Seth Cohen," which is absolute perfection on so many levels, but I have played "Hottest Summer on Record" probably a hundred times in an effort to curate a vibe.