Tag: Maria Devivo

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Release Day: Above the Ash

We are excited for the release of Above the Ash by Maria DeVivo!

Whatever the outcome, the North Pole will never be the same.

In the final installment of the The Coal Elf Chronicles, Ember Skye Ruprecht has finally had enough. Tired of the constant sparring with the Council and her nemesis-turned-husband, Sturd, Ember demands an audience with the Boss himself: Santa Claus!

But first, she will have to contend with a furious Mrs. Claus, who is none too pleased with Ember’s decision to undertake the first ever All-Coal Night, where coal is left in the stockings of both the naughty and nice kids all over the world.

Meanwhile, Sturd has gathered up all of the remaining elf twins, promising protection, but Ember and her gang have good reason to doubt the evil elf’s intentions.

You can order this book  in all formats directly from our 4HP Website and receive 10% OFF using coupon code 4HP10!

Above the Ash (The Coal Elf Chronicles #3)
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Release Day: The Rise of Sturd – Book 2 in The Coal Elf Trilogy

We are excited for the release of The Rise of Sturd by Maria DeVivo!

You can’t keep a bad elf down.

Upon completing her first Big Night assignment—delivering coal to all the kids on the naughty list—Ember Skye thought all was well at the North Pole. She no longer has to slave away in the coal mines, and her arch-nemesis has seemingly been stripped of his power.

Sturd, however, has only been biding his time. After he discovers an ancient text, the demonic elf sets out on a mission that could change life at the Pole as they know it. His rise in power could threaten the very existence of the Big Night, the North Pole, and even Claus himself.

Return to the North Pole where Ember and all the coal elves will soon realize never to underestimate the corruptible temptation of unrivaled power. Unfortunately for them, it may be too late… chaos may reign supreme.

You can order this book  in all formats directly from our 4HP Website and receive 10% OFF using coupon code 4HP10!

The Rise of Sturd (The Coal Elf Chronicles #2)
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Release Day: Witch of the Golden Veil

We are excited for the release of Witch of the Golden Veil by Maria DeVivo!

Long Live the New Flesh!

Alex Deville is stuck in a rut. She’s a paranormal journalist from New York City who doesn’t believe in the paranormal. This gig was meant to be a stepping stone to real, hard-hitting investigative journalism, but it is looking like a dead end. To make matters worse, her boyfriend is cheating on her.

After receiving a tip from a mysterious stranger called Trent Blackwood, Alex drops everything to travel to a convent in Italy. It’s not the rumor that the nuns of the Golden Veil are performing exorcisms without the Vatican’s approval that intrigues her; it’s the man at the center of the ritual: Oskar Klepp, a serial killer Alex has reported on.

Inspired by true events, Witch of the Golden Veil follows Alex as she uncovers a massive conspiracy, one that could change her life forever.

You can order this book  in all formats directly from our 4HP Website and receive 10% OFF using coupon code 4HP10!

Witch of the Golden Veil (Dawn of the Blood Witch #5)
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Writing Horror

I’ve always been drawn to the scary side of life. Weird and spooky things have always sung to my soul. The darkness calls to me on windy, moonlit nights. I can’t explain why or how, but it’s always been a feeling I’ve had for as long as I can remember. Yes, I was the gothy, witchy girl in elementary school. I was the freaky outcast in high school. I was the loner in college… all of it. But for me, it never was a fashion statement or a temporary phase. There’s always been something in the pit of my soul that growls. 

Fear is one of the most basic, primal emotions, yet it is so complex. Some people genuinely freeze when they are afraid, while others thrive off it. Fear can either repel or fuel us, and for those of us who are captivated by it, I whole-heartedly believe that we are just wired-differently than others. Whether it’s environmental, spiritual, or encoded in our DNA, horror fanatics look at the genre as a mirror of humanity reflecting back our greatest terrors or our darkest desires (or a little bit of both).  

My mother believes I was cursed by a witch. While that’s the opening line to my occult horror novel Witch of the Black Circle, there are far more realistic implications to the sentence, ‘cause I’m pretty sure she did. She kinda told me once or twice or thrice about the creepy kids she used to babysit and their creepy, witchy mom in their Satanic-like apartment when she was seven months pregnant with me (spoiler alert** Chapter 11 in the book tells that story). So, who knows if that somehow affected me in utero. I like to think so. Makes for an interesting life story, I suppose. 

And of course, there was the time when my mom brought me to the movies when I was about five years old. The film? Creepshow!  Mommy dearest thought I was sleeping the whole time, but as a child, I distinctly remember covering my eyes, but looking through my fingers so I could see what was happening! I was both horrified and enthralled at the same time (especially during the cockroach segment). But that film awakened me—opened my hiding eyes to a world of mystery and terror. And I knew I wanted more… so much more.

For me, writing horror is a journey into the dark corners of the mind, a dance with the unknown, and a deep dive into the emotions that make us who we are. Through horror, I find not just fear, but also but also understanding, and a connection with my readers. I enjoy pushing certain storytelling boundaries, making the familiar unfamiliar, making the comfortable unsettling, and most of all—making my readers feel the wide range of emotions associated with the genre in general. 

Writers write about what they know. So, it seemed only natural for me to express myself in horror.     

Follow Maria on all the things! 

Author Maria DeVivo | Instagram, Facebook, TikTok | Linktree

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Release Day: The Coal Elf

We are excited for the release of The Coal Elf by Maria DeVivo!

Santa is real, but this isn’t your childhood Christmas tale!

Ember Skye is a fed-up teenaged Coal Elf with a big ashy chip on her shoulder. Torn away from her carefree life Aboveground, she was forced into a world of dirt and darkness in the Mines. Now, the coal is starting to take its toll. Plus, being the only girl-elf coal miner at the North Pole is not fun at all!

Then there’s Sturd—a power-hungry, twisted elf with a serious grudge against Ember. Hellbent on overthrowing the hierarchy, he leaves the smoking gun in Ember’s lap: the Naughty List.

When a mysterious illness threatens to decimate elves both Above- and Underground, Ember is thrust into a journey that will see her confront the demons of her past and lead her straight to the head of the North Pole himself.

You can order this book  in all formats directly from our 4HP Website and receive 10% OFF using coupon code 4HP10!

The Coal Elf (The Coal Elf Chronicles #1)
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Research and Writing

Any author knows that an important part of crafting a solid story involves a decent amount of research. Facts, figures, locations, language, environment, time… the devil is in the details. And having all your proverbial ducks in a row can give your audience a truly immersive experience whether you’re writing something realistic or in your own fantastical world. Well-researched content adds depth to a story and in a way, gives more credibility to the author as an expert on a certain topic (yes, even in works of fiction!) What’s the saying? Writers write about what they know? So, if you haven’t done your homework on a specific subject, why would you attempt to write about it? Even in the realms of fantasy, readers tend to feel more comfortable and connected when they are grounded in some tangible form of reality, so it’s important to have your world have logic and rules and consistency. A little bit of research can definitely go a long way.

My Dawn of the Blood Witch saga is purposefully crafted around events in history. I take my characters all over the map, and through many different eras of time, using real stories as the backdrops for my plots. The research can get intense because I don’t want to have any inconsistencies or have anything misrepresented (witches are very serious business, ya know). I include infamous serial killers, ancient Christian practices, the Salem Witch Trials, widely known kidnappings, cults and exorcists (to name a few things) throughout these books and the amount of hardcore research I’ve done to get things to fit ever-so-perfectly has been a daunting task. I often find myself going down rabbit hole after rabbit hole chasing ghosts and legends so that it not only makes sense for the reader, but also in my in my head, and within the context of the overarching story. There are a lot of moving parts in this series, so it’s important for me to be precise. 

While it’s another form of work—of the entire process—researching your topic can actually be fun. Yes, I said fun! All the little tidbits and additions to each book help to tie everything together. I love dropping Easter eggs and when readers reach out to me and say things like, “Oh my God! You said that in book 2, and then it like happened in book 4, but book 4 takes place before book 2!” Mind-blown moments like that make the tedious research so rewarding. Or when someone tells me they have a kinda-obsession-kinda-crush on Ricky Kasso, too… makes me feel like I’m not the only weirdo in the world. 

The bottom line is this: know your stuff. Know what you’re talking about. Present the information in your world in a well-prepared and logical way. Readers will pick up on it and have a stronger attachment to your characters and story. As the author, proper research can empower you to produce work that is meaningful, respectful to your readers and subject matter, and will make your audience want to dive into your entire catalog!

Follow Maria on all the things!

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Release Day: Aestrangel the Risen

We are excited for the release of Aestrangel the Risen by Maria Devivo! The final book in the Aestrangel Trinity!

Will she decide to continue being the pawn of the Morning Star…

…or will she carve out her own destiny in a quest for power? Aestrangel finds herself in quite the predicament: Lucifer Morningstar has tasked her to produce offspring. It will be her child that will ultimately destroy the holy host of angels.

Aestrangel has other plans. As Lucifer sends demonic suitors to her side who all fail in providing a child, she steals something from each of them. Now inside her may lay the key to her own freedom while she uncovers why this battle between the angels and demons unfolded in the first place.

The final installment of this unique trilogy explores what happens if evil conquers good, and then conquers evil again, and no one lives happily ever after. Can the balance of evil and good ever be returned?You can order this book  in all formats directly from our 4HP Website and receive 10% OFF using coupon code 4HP10!

Aestrangel the Risen (The Aestrangel Trinity #3)