In Their Words - Maria Levato, Author
Maria Levato discovered her love of writing in second grade. Learn more about Maria, her work, and get a sneak peek into a fan-favorite character's upcoming story.
What’s your origin story? When did you realize, “Yep, I’m a writer”?
Writing was a childhood love. I had a teacher in the second grade who did the open journalling thing where we could free write and she'd respond. I always loved doing it. It wasn't just the writing part I loved though. It was receiving her response and feedback, figuring out what I made her feel, and learning how to do better. That passion stuck with me throughout my life. I may not have consciously realized it until I was much older, but I think some part of me always knew that writing was innate to who I am.
Which authors and books have influenced you the most? How does that influence manifest in your writing practice?
Early on, it was Alyson Noel's Immortals Series. I was HOOKED on it in my teenage years and it's probably why I write Romantasy now. Today, though, I'm influenced by Amber V. Nicole more than anyone else, often referring to her as my "Mixed Author Hero." It helps that I adore her as a human and as a writer. Outside of my immediate genre, Harley Laroux also sticks out to me.
Ever had a character totally take over your story? Who was it, and what happened?
Clears throat.
Callian, come to the front please?
No, seriously though, he stole the show a little in The Fate of Angels and Demons. So many of my early readers were dying for more of him. Luckily, I already planned on doing his book next. What happened though is that my little half-angel hero endured heart-break, betrayal, and the family drama to end all family drama's. By the end of it, readers were too hooked to let him go (understandably).
You’re hosting a dinner party with your favorite characters from your books. Who’s causing the most chaos and why?
Undoubtedly, Lilly (who is Callian's sister). She can only be described as a pretty, pink, boiling hot caldron of chaos and rage. Wherever she goes, there's sure to be chaos and destruction. Admittedly, that's what I love about her.
How do you approach developing a story? Where do you begin? Do you focus on the plot, a character arc, something else?
You know that meme of Charlie from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia? That's a pretty accurate representation of my process. Usually, I'm watching, reading, or doing something that sparks a random thought. Then, 800 unrelated thoughts follow it. None of them go away until I'm able to connect them. So, I sit down, open a new document, and start trying to piece them together coherently. Usually characters come to me first. I can never figure out what happens until I know them because I don't know what they would do. After that, I tend to build the plot around who they are.
Got any sneak peeks for us? New books, epic events, or secret projects? Spill the tea!
No, how could I possibly have any sneak peeks regarding the book about Callian I briefly mentioned earlier? I only JUST got it back from its final round of editing.
Looks around before whispering, Think they believed me?
Oh, alright. Here's a snippet from The Depths of Bloodshed and Purgatory:
***
"Dammit," I mutter, pissed at my own thoughts as I descend the stairs that lead from my high room nearing the top of the palace of Oceanica to the general living space where I hope to meet the new envoy from Alacrium. Regardless of the whirlwind of emotions stirring within me, I try to remain composed. I have to trust Julius and Alexandria. They may have left, but they do care about me. If they say this new person can help, I resolve to take them at their word. Commander Luca, who I've worked closely with for months, awaits my arrival. I don't stop to greet him before waving my hand for the servants posted at the door to open it. As I enter, I sense the commander follow behind me, words unnecessary for him to understand that I needed him in here.
I look at the envoy who sits with an annoying sense of composure at the table, sipping the tea one of my maids must have brought for him. He doesn't even look our way when we enter. It almost makes me want to be an ass just to rattle him, but well, that wouldn't be befitting of the crown prince of Oceanica, so I opt for a less instinctual approach. "Is it not practice to stand and greet a royal properly in Alacrium? I'll have to write to Queen Alexandria and ask her about that."
Okay, maybe not a totally different approach, but it's the best I could do.
The envoy turns slowly, glances at me, then rises to his feet. "My apologies, your highness, Prince Callian." He bows. "I thought it was the maid re-entering. She said she'd be back to check on me because she thought you'd be a while."
"I see. I'll overlook it this time, but don't let it happen again. While you're here, I am the ultimate authority. Disrespect won't be tolerated, especially not in front of my men." I gesture toward Luca. "This is Commander Luca. I trust him with my life. If he tells you something, it's best you take it as though the words came from my mouth."
The envoy nods. "As you wish, sire. My queen made it clear that I was to support you in any way you need. Consider me and my talents to be at your unrestrained disposal."
Unrestrained disposal… Well, isn't that something? I won't deny that having control over something feels euphoric after such an extended period that left me feeling powerless in the face of fates foreseen before my birth. "That's good to know. What's your name?"
"Max, sire. Maximillian Jade. I hail from the Jade clan, a clan of demons in Alacrium that specializes in orlǫg wefan."
"Orlǫg wefan? Can't say I've ever heard of that one before, but it sounds like it might be interesting. Elaborate."
Max sighs as if his specialty is too complex to explain. "It stems from the old tongues. Probably further back than anything in your royal library would tell you. Orlǫg stems from our tongue meaning original law or cycles of fate. Wefan is from a conflicting tongue that falls under the domain of Myrkr's maker, but no other gods abide it. It's the origin of the word weaver. Essentially, I am a changer of fate by interfering with natural law as it pertains to the cycle of fate. It's like… The gods craft fates. Particularly Skuld, maker of things yet to come. Myrkr, Alexandria's father and the first demon to ever come into existence, naturally had an issue with this when he parted from his makers. He didn't want Skuld to control his fate any longer. So, he had my ancestors research a type of magic that could disrupt her designs by threading desirable fates and unthreading undesirable ones over and over until they were so many that she stopped having the bandwidth to correct them all."
***
If you enjoyed this snippet, I recommend keeping a close eye on my pages in November, but that's all I can tell you for now.
Last but not least—what should we all be reading, watching, or obsessing over right now? Give us your recs!
I just read a few amazing ones! The Way We Used to Be by Amarie Wheeler is an awesome self-published contemporary friends-to-lovers romance that deserves WAY more attention. I found it to be relatable, sweet, and so much fun to read.
My Revenant: Devil & Rabbit by Ronan Marlow has me cracking up all the way through. It's an MM Dark Romance with all the fire and plenty of banter to break up the more… intense bits. I'm not 100% sure if it's self-published or small press, but it's great!
Devil of the Deep by Falencia Jean-Francois has been my #1 read of the year so far. It's a fantasy that was released by Left Unread, Michael Laborn's imprint of Bindery Books, and it is fantastic. My favorite aspects of the book were the social commentary, action, and magic. I'd almost call it Little Mermaid x Pirates of the Caribbean, but Black and queer.
Maria, thank you so much for taking the time to share a little more about yourself and the excerpt from your upcoming book, The Depths of Bloodshed and Purgatory.
You can connect with Maria on her website, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and BlueSky.
Website: https://www.marialevato.com
IG, Threads, and TikTok: @authormarialevato
Bluesky: @marialevato.com
Absolutely love this author! Absolutely love this interview! Love that she gave us a cookie into the new book. Her personality shines through in this interview. I look forward to all the things she does in the future.
I love it! Thank you!