Please help me welcome today’s guest, Shaelynn Long…
Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from? Where do you live now? Family? Pets?
I’m originally from Coleman, Michigan, which is a small town in the central part of the Lower Peninsula. I currently live in Boyne City, Michigan, which is another small town, but I’m a lot further north! My partner, our son, and I moved up here a few years ago for a job opportunity, and there are some days I can’t believe it’s real. It’s such a great place to live, and our three dogs enjoy the space we’ve been able to acquire.
Tell us a little about how the book came to be…
Fury’s Fate was born out of a writing exercise I was doing to work on descriptions, but I just fell absolutely in love with the main character, Olivia. I set her story aside for many years, though, as I worked to establish my career and start my family. I’ve always written fantasy and knew that was where this book belonged—I just needed to create the right world.
In the midst of a neurodivergent obsession with Greek mythology, I found so many myths that really helped me to not only create this world but a deep backstory for Olivia, who is one of the three ancient Furies (the Alekto). In my gut, I suddenly knew where she belonged. Using a lot of the research that I did, I pieced together even more of who Olivia is, and her current life-state (which is the catalyst for the actions we see her taking in the book) became not only real to me but also something I wanted to explore. One question really bugged me: What happens if an immortal being experiences what we humans call “a mid-life crisis”? Unfortunately for Olivia, the book ends up showcasing what happens.
The most difficult thing about the writing of this book is that it was the first novel-length manuscript I’ve tried to tackle. I’ve written poetry, creative nonfiction, and short stories, but the scale of this project was daunting!
Do you have another occupation, other than writer? If so, what is it and do you like it?
I’m an English instructor at a community college, and I adore it. I’m lucky enough to teach writing, literature, and creative writing, and it’s just… it’s the best job in the world. I love working with learners. They bring so much energy and light to my life, and there’s nothing more fulfilling to me than hearing them speak confidently about themselves as writers and readers. Teaching can be really hard—there are days it feels impossible—but it’s such important work, and I am so grateful that it’s what I do for a living.
What’s your favorite book of all time and why? What’s your favorite childhood book?
This might be a really expected answer now that you know what I do for a living, but my favorite novel is Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. Her ability to write damaged characters capable of growth was superb. No one’s perfect in her world—they’re far from it, and I think it can be hard as a writer to not want our darlings to make the right decisions and say the right words. But characters are so much more interesting when they make mistakes. What’s strange about my love for the novel, though, is that I hated it the first time I read it. I picked it up several years later and could not, for the life of me, figure out what I thought was wrong with it. It was so good! But that had such a fantastic impact on my thinking about books. I’m not afraid to put down a book and return later to see if I feel differently about it.
My favorite childhood book was The Secret Garden. It had everything! There was a sad main character with an attitude, a mystery to unravel, slightly scary things occurring, trauma. I just fell in love with it. I own several copies of it now, and I had the gate to the garden (as it looks in my mind) tattooed on my arm a few years ago.
What actors would you like in the main roles if your book were made into a movie?
Casting my books like they’re films/movies is actually something I do to start writing. It gives me a concrete image to write with that I’ve found to be really helpful.
Here’s the cast of Fury’s Fate (if I was lucky enough for this novel to be made into a movie):
- Olivia: Megan Fox
- Gabrielle: Kat Dennings
- Leslie: Anya Taylor-Joy
- Evangeline: Maggie Q
- Demetrius: Djimon Hounsou
- The Fates: Brenda Song
- Allison: Rachelle Lefevre
- Alex: Theo James
- Fabian: Michael Malarkey
Your most prized material possession? Why?
I have a silver pinky ring from my paternal grandmother that I received after she passed away. It’s very simple—just a silver band—but it reminds me of her. She was a force to be reckoned with. An absolute ball of energy, that woman. Her work ethic, her sass, her stubbornness, and her grace—I just want to embody even a scrap of it. I miss her.
Have you written any other books that are not published?
I have! I have written a book of poetry that will be out in early 2026. Wild Ink, who published Fury’s Fate, is also publishing this. It’s called wild thing. It explores the feral nature of human beings, revealing vulnerability, heartache, confidence, and ultimately, what it’s like being a female-presenting human doing what they have to in order to survive.
I’ve also recently written a romantasy, tentatively titled Court of the Unwanted. Its future is a bit up in the air right now, in terms of where it’ll land, but I’m describing it as spicy Hunger Games with fairies.
Who is the most famous person you have ever met?
Emmy Rossum and Emma Kenney, who were very kind and gracious enough to take a photo with me. I was in Chicago for a work conference, and we’d taken a dinner break at a restaurant. I looked up and saw someone walk in—and I just knew they seemed familiar. Then she was joined by Emma Kenney! Turns out they were in Chicago filming “Shameless.” I spent the rest of the meal trying to work up the confidence to say hello to them. Looking back, as lovely as it was to meet both of them, I feel bad that I interrupted dinner. The poor girls were just trying to eat.
How did you come up with the title?
My editor, Brittany McMunn. I’d given the book a tentative title, as one does, but the vibes weren’t right, so Brittany tossed a few ideas at me. Fury’s Fate was one of them. I liked the alliteration and the word play with the idea of “fury,” since Olivia is both a fury and pretty angry. It felt right, so I went with it.
Your favorite…
Movie: The 2005 version of Pride & Prejudice. Total comfort film.
Music: Currently? Sleep Token. All day. Generally? It’s a very long list. Here are a few loves: Trixie Mattel, Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran, Lifehouse, Rocky Votolato, Billie Eilish, Fletcher, The Pretty Reckless, Yungblud, MGK.
Place you’d like to visit: If I’m being realistic, Los Angeles, CA. My brother lives there, and I’ve never visited. But if we’re talking bucket list locations, I desperately want to visit Ireland.
TV show from adulthood: New Girl or Lost Girl. Both are comfort shows.
Food: Potatoes. What a fabulous food. So versatile. Delicious.
Sports team: My kid’s soccer club. I’m not really into sports, per se, but I love seeing how into soccer my son has gotten. I’m even sort of learning the rules.
Which do you prefer: Board games/card games or television? TV.
I enjoyed the interview…thank you for being my guest. Potatoes definitely are a versatile food. 🙂 And, so cool that you met Emma and Emmy and they were gracious.
Now…about your book….
Excerpt:
The bodies piling up in Detroit were a problem. Humans were asking too many questions. How could they not? Spectacularly vicious crimes were splashed across their screens. They were an imaginative species, the humans, and their imaginations were rapidly removing the cloak we’d hidden ourselves under. Beyond that, too many people had disappeared or been turned against their will for The Twelve to ignore what was happening. As one of the three Furies, I was to send Roland’s spirit to Tartarus, one of the Hell realms—a place for the spirits of Creatures who had been deemed unworthy of Earth.
We did not feel regret, nor did we feel pity. It was not our way. We were created to exist as an arm of Justice, and so we did.
I felt nothing as I stared at Roland. It was not a cold nothingness like what I often felt; this nothingness cleared my mind and readied it for what it might see when I reached out to the vampire. For true judgment, I needed the clarity. Seconds later, after I’d sifted through his mind, I knew what was necessary. There was no bringing Roland back from the edge. He’d made his decision and plunged himself into the madness that too often consumed those of his kind. The victims this vampire had strewn about throughout the years were too clearly seen as I peered inside. In his memories, I heard their cries, saw their tears, and felt their fear as he attacked without mercy.
With a cruel smile I knew had spread across my features, showing off the length of my incisors, I moved.
Almost instantly, I was behind Roland, pulling him from the bed and away from the young woman. I pushed him to his knees. Though I was deadly, I hardly looked it, and I welcomed the surprise he felt at my strength. The Creature populations knew we existed, but many did not recognize the faces we wore until it was too late.
For thousands of years, through thousands of lifetimes, that had been my duty as the Alekto, alongside my sisters, the Megaera and the Tisiphone. In this era, we were known as Olivia, Leslie, and Gabrielle Beckett—a trio of assassins, to put it simply—to be guided and guarded by the also-immortal Guardian, Evangeline. We, the Furies, gleefully delivered justice. Our Guardian kept us safe and gave us a point of contact should we need to speak with the Steward, or, if all Hell broke loose, The Twelve.
We attempted to disguise ourselves anew in each century. The Twelve quietly called us forth from the depths so long ago that I had no memory of when or where it all began. We were molded into what was required. So it was, and so it must be.
I felt Roland try to turn and look at me. He quickly reassessed his assumptions, and I smiled maliciously. I was a living nightmare, a horror story told to newborn vampires in hopes of curbing the bloodthirst that haunted them. I was sure my entrance allowed Roland to convince himself I was nothing more than a rogue vampire looking to claim riches and territory. The underestimation was a common mistake—one I almost relished. It made my job that much easier. I nestled into the cold, dark abyss of my soul and welcomed the familiarity.
There was no need to ready myself for what duty called on me to do. In that dark part of my being, I celebrated.
Buy links:
About the Author:
Shaelynn Long is a 2023 Pushcart Prize nominee. Their fantasy novel, Fury’s Fate, debuted from Wild Ink Publishing in 2023. That project is currently being turned into an audiobook! Shaelynn is also partnering with Wild Ink Publishing on a 2025 fairy tale anthology, titled Wickedness & Wonder.
Author Alicia Dean 