Life & Work with A. E. Purvis of Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to A. E. Purvis.

Hi A. E., can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always been a storyteller, even from a very young age. I participated in Mercer University’s Budding Authors program in 1997–when I was just 8 years old–and knew even then that I wanted to write in some capacity as an adult. On top of that, I’ve always been an avid reader who loves immersing myself in books and fictional worlds. By high school, the “plan” was to become an American literature teacher so that I could continue to foster a love of stories in future generations. That plan didn’t come to fruition as I found my career in a totally different field, but that love of the written word never left my soul. In my early thirties, I had a dream about a ghost and when I woke up, I knew I had to tell her story. That dream was the foundation of my debut novel, The Living and the Dead, which released in October 2025.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I don’t think that creativity can exist without any obstacles at all; it wouldn’t be worth it if it was easy. The first draft of The Living and the Dead took about five years to complete, mostly because I didn’t want to rush myself or my characters into revealing too much too early on. I wanted to give them time to introduce themselves and their stories, then give myself time to plan what could be told in the first book, and what to hold back for future books in the series. A lot of times, I’d find myself driving when a scene would come to me, and I’d have to frantically dictate it out to my Notes app so I wouldn’t forget it. At one point, I decided I wanted to change the tense of the entire book from present to past (and back again) which was such a tedious (and ultimately pointless) endeavor. But I think the biggest challenge I faced was an unexpected, personal one: the week after The Living and the Dead’s release, we abruptly lost our 10-year-old Jack Russell, Harry, which completely took the wind out of my sails when it came to marketing.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m an author of romantic fantasy and contemporary romance novels, but I’ve also written young adult and horror short stories. My debut novel, The Living and the Dead, is the first book in a romantic fantasy series about a woman named Abby who was born a ghost but ages like the Living, and Ryden, the Reaper who would die to get her to look at him. I’m also working on a contemporary romance tentatively titled The Library War, which follows Mya and Milo and the library study room they’re forced to share…much to Mya’s frustration. My horror short story “The Christmas Visitor,” which was featured on the No Sleep Podcast, is a nightmare-inducing cautionary tale about how strange it is that Santa Claus isn’t considered a stranger to young children, and how they’d trust Santa if he appeared in their home. Most recently, my short story “The Battle for the Byrne” will be featured in Once Upon a Book Club’s 2026 12 Days of Book-Club-Mas Advent box. It’s a Jumanji-esque tale about a young girl, a ghost, and the chaos they experience when an intern mis-categorizes books in their library.

I’m actively working on The Living and the Dead’s sequel and the Library War, interchangeably, but I have so many ideas for future stories rattling around in my skull that I can’t wait to share more about! When I’m not writing, I’m also half of The Incoherent Fangirl podcast where my best friend Karin and I interview authors and gush about their books every week.

What makes you happy?
I love to travel and spend time with my family, because they remind me that that’s the point of life: to experience new places and new things with the people you love most. I also truly love writing, as it gives me an outlet to process things I’m feeling, and reading to escape the day-to-day grind.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aepurvis.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mandypurv
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoraepurvis
• Twitter: www.threads.com/@mandypurv
• Youtube: www.tiktok.com/@mandypurv
• Other: https://www.theincoherentfangirl.com