Interview with an Author featuring Faith Marlow

The Literary Vixen presents…

Joining us today is Faith Marlow! Her debut book, Being Mrs. Dracula (Being Mrs. Dracula Series Book 1) released on February 12th 2021.

How long have you been writing?

I first began writing in the fifth grade but I have been writing professionally since 2013.

Describe a typical writing day.

Typically for me, I do as much researching and note taking as I do writing. While I do plan ahead and often (not always) outline the story before I start, I end up doing a lot of web surfing and reading while I write. Very often, my books are set in specific historical times, such as Medieval Europe, an ancient Mediterranean island, or New York City in the Roaring 20’s. I feel that obligates me to be as historically accurate as possible when setting the scene and still write stories about vampires and other mythical beings.

Where do you get your inspiration for your books?

Inspiration comes from so many places. I wrote Being Mrs. Dracula because I wanted to know more about the Brides of Dracula and couldn’t find a book that had been written about them. The story of Medusa always seemed cruel and unfair, so I wanted to emphasize that she was first and foremost a victim and not just a mindless creature for the hero to slay. I also wanted to bring her happiness. I have a soft spot for characters that would be considered monsters, like vampires, Medusa, ghosts, etc. and enjoy examining their human aspects- and how their existence reflects us as humans.

My short story in Unbreakable Ink, Based on a True story, was based on a dream. My psychological horror “Couples Therapy” (which is currently unavailable as I rework and improve the story) was also based on a dream.

Do you have a favorite character that you have written? If so, who? And what makes them so special.

Valeria from Being Mrs. Dracula will always be my favorite. She is the main character of my first published book and we share a lot of personality traits, some good and some that could use some improvement. We are working on this together!

How do you deal with the emotional impact of a book (on yourself) as you are writing the story?

Many of my stories involve heavy subject matter. Being Mrs. Dracula was very emotional to write because I wanted the readers to empathize with these women, so I had to process a wide range of emotions writing them. While I may not have experienced such things first hand in my own life, ruminating on how it would feel to experience them can still be very heavy. We as authors become very attached to our characters and sometimes we have to put them through terrible events, or even write them out of the story. We mourn those characters misfortunes and deaths just like readers do.

Sometimes you just have to take breaks from certain stories. I am currently writing my next Scorned Women book and some of the subject matter became very heavy and was wearing on me, so I had to sit it down and start working on another project for a while.

What book is currently on your bedside table?

I don’t keep my Kindle on my beside table because my tiny panther Teddy will step on it, but I just read a Beta copy version of Carmilla Voiez’s work in progress and adored it! I can’t wait to see the finished version. I also have Rue Volley’s latest “The End of August, book 2” queued up next.

When writing a series how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?

With a series, I think it is important to have an overall goal and purpose for the series but you also need clear goals to accomplish in each book of the series. Making them all work together is what makes a series fun to write, even if the reader doesn’t know where the goal posts are at for the end of the series when they are reading the first book. In my Being Mrs Dracula series, I think the main goal is for Valeria to have a life beyond that of her association with Dracula, to step out of his shadow once and for all. We see how she is ultimately going to accomplish this (or at least she thinks) by the end of book three, Being Dracula’s Heir.

The Scorned Women series is a bit different. Each book in the series is about a different woman but united by an overall theme. Each woman in the series has been done wrong and deserves to have a second chance or a more to her story than she had the first time.

Describe yourself in 3 words.

Restless. Loyal. Curious.

What advice would you give to other authors?

Write the story you are afraid to write. Tell the story the way you know it needs to be told. You will always be pleased with your finished project if you are true to yourself. Your authenticity and dedication will show in your work.

What is the one thing you want people to know about you and your books?

The first thing I would like people to know, before they even open the book, is that I have done my absolute best to make the story the best I can on publishing day. I have devoted hours (which adds up to months or more for longer stories), to produce quality work and I hope that everyone who reads them finds something they can enjoy about them. I know it’s impossible to please everyone, but that doesn’t stop me from trying.

I would also want them to know that the gift of their time is not lost on me, and I appreciate that they have chosen to spend some of that time with books I have written. I am very thankful that I am able to tell people stories that they enjoy. I appreciate their reviews, words of encouragement, and sharing my work with others more than they will ever know.

Thank you Faith Marlow for chatting with me! I will include her information down below. Check out her series, Being Mrs. Dracula today!

~Synopsis~

When Valeria Karjan’s hand was given in marriage to the handsome and powerful Count Vlad Dracula, she dreamed of happiness but, instead, her life was filled with longing for her absent husband, their country ravaged by war.

When Vlad a last returned from the battlefield, he was a changed man, an alluring and dangerous creature with a thirst for her blood… and more wives.

Discover their stories, their secrets, and find out what it would be to love and be loved by history’s most powerful vampire.

In a marriage that spans centuries, one man shared by three women, love may be eternal but happiness is not guaranteed.

Faith Marlow is a USA Today best selling author of dark fantasy/ paranormal/ horror. Her stories stir emotions and explore the thin veil between human and the inhuman. Dark, yet inviting and familiar, Faith seeks to deliver chills with a sense of class, and sometimes a bit of heat. With each story, she hopes to build exposure for fellow women authors and artists who create horror.

Her debut, “Being Mrs. Dracula”, chronicles the lives of Count Dracula’s three beautiful, yet very different wives, Valeria, Ilona, and Fleur. The story continues with “Being Dracula’s Widow” and the third installment of the series “Being Dracula’s Heir”. The fourth book is currently in development.

Faith’s “Scorned Women” series launched in 2020 with its first book, a retelling of the story of Medusa. Each book in this series will focus on a different woman in and seek to give them a second chance. She most recently co-wrote and published a Southern Gothic horror novel, “Our Fearful Roots”, with Carmilla Voiez.

Faith is also proud to be featured in multiple short story anthologies. When she isn’t writing or reading, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, watching a horror movie, sculpting with polymer clay, or entertaining her house panther, Teddy. She lives in Tennessee with her husband, Scottie, and son, Avery.