Author Interview Questions – Morrigan B Moynihan

About the Book:
1. In the Shadow of the Wolf: Awakening is a dark romantasy. Can you introduce Odessa
Firth and the world she inhabits?

Sure thing. Odessa was born into a family that fears and despises magic, and
she’s given a lot of bias and prejudices because of it. She loves her family more
than anything else and wants to do right by them. But when she discovers she
has magic herself, she’s forced to hide it or risk execution, and even worse, her
family’s rejection. She lives in a city called Puurhaven, surrounded by an ancient,
red wall to keep out the wild Ulvs of the surrounding forest. The city is divided
into two, split by a river into the wealthier Upper City of non-magical people
known as Osekts, and the Lower City, home to Ulvs who have either abandoned
their ways completely, or who only practice harmless, “mundane” magic in return
for safety and security from the wild.

2. Odessa discovers she has the very magic she was taught to hate. What inspired you to
explore this theme of forbidden power?

I was inspired by my experience growing up in a high-control religion where I was
taught that women answer to men, that their worth is inherently dependent upon
the number of children they’re able to create, and constantly told to question my
intuition and doubt my own abilities. I always had issues with the teachings, but
chose to “doubt my doubts before I doubted my faith” as I was told to do,
because I wanted to make my family happy. I made all the “correct”
choices–going to the church school, marrying a “worthy” member in the
appropriate setting, and having a child all before the age of 24. After the birth of
my child, I became extremely depressed and started really questioning my
beliefs. The more answers I uncovered, the more I realized everything I’d been
taught had been a massive, disgusting lie. I ended up getting divorced and
leaving the Cult, which resulted in being cut off by many of my family and social
circle, and I had to figure out where I stood in the world and who I was as a
person without the thoughts that had been planted in my head since birth.
Odessa’s journey reflects my own: she’s taught to fear outsiders and believes
she’s broken for having minor abnormalities to the point where her family calls
her “Odd-Ball” for being strange. When she discovers her uniqueness is more
than she’s capable of controlling, she freaks out and turns to the enemy for help.
She then starts to realize the things she’s been taught all her life aren’t entirely
true, and so she has to decide for herself what to believe and the type of person
she wants to be.

Odessa then has to rebuild her life and identity, and accept that she was never
unworthy (of respect or love). She was powerful and wonderful all along.

3. The story delves into trust, loyalty, and family in a city built on lies. What drew you to
explore these themes in your book?

When you’re taught your whole life that “family is forever” and then discover that
the entire belief system that’s based on is false, it leaves you with a lot of
questions about what love, trust, loyalty, and family actually mean. Trust, loyalty,
and family are also concepts familiar to almost every human, and a large part of
the human experience. They’re something we can all relate to.

4. Without giving spoilers, can you share a moment in the story that best captures
Odessa’s journey or the stakes she faces?

The moment that sticks out most to me is when Odessa attends her first real
lesson with the Ulvs to learn how to control her abilities. Not only is having magic
illegal, but teaching it is an executionable offense, so she’s risking a lot by even
entertaining the idea of learning magic–even if it is just to control herself–and the
Ulvs are risking their lives to teach her. No one is happy about this.
At the first lesson, she learns that many of the Ulvs don’t like her, and it’s not just
because she’s putting everyone in danger. When Kieran (the Shadow Eater) tells
her about her father’s dark past, she denies his claims and sets out to prove him
wrong, only to learn that he told her the truth, and her father is not the saint she
thought he was. The realization is world-shattering, but she does not let it destroy
her. Rather than continuing to deny the facts or make excuses for her father’s
behavior, she decides to uncover the truth for herself and do what she feels is
necessary to make things right.

5. What makes In the Shadow of the Wolf stand out in the crowded world of dark, spicy
romance?

What sets it apart from others is that it has high emotional stakes. Odessa’s
journey isn’t just about love or power. It’s also about self-discovery, loyalty, and
challenging the beliefs she’s been taught her whole life. Fans of spicy, slow burn,
enemies to lovers romance get the heat they crave, but they also get a fully realized
world, complex characters, and a story that’s as much about inner growth as it is about
forbidden magic, danger, and spicy, forbidden romance. It’s a full meal.
Some of my early readers have also told me they found it incredibly healing and
grounding in their own lives, which honestly brought me to tears because this was one of
my goals in writing this book.

Writing & Inspiration:

6. You’ve described this book as a magical retelling of leaving your upbringing and discovering
your identity. How did your personal experiences shape Odessa and her journey?

Odessa’s story is really just a magic mirror of my own. Like her, I was taught to make
myself small, doubt myself, and put others’ expectations above my own. Writing her story let me
explore and share what it feels like to uncover your own power, question everything you were
taught, and ultimately learn to trust and love yourself and define your own identity.

7. What drew you to write in the dark fantasy/romantasy genre for your debut?

I’ve always loved Fantasy above all other genres, but it’s also more forgiving than other
genres, I feel. You can make up the rules of the world and have fun with it; so long as the rules
make sense, you can get away with a lot. Dark Fantasy provides a safe space to explore some
of the more unsavory parts of humanity. Romantasy adds another layer to that complexity. You
can explore the shadows, but you don’t go into them alone; you have someone there to hold
your hand and whisper that everything is okay.

8. How do you balance the romance, magic, and emotional depth to keep readers engaged?

This was both a fun and challenging experience. I felt like I was weaving more than I was
writing at times. I really wanted the emotional depth to be the main focus. The magic was the
carrier for the subject matter, and the romance is a sub-plot that I treated like a cherry on top
(except I hate cherries, so it’s more like rainbow sprinkles). I felt the romance was necessary to
alleviate some of the heavier subject matter in my story; otherwise, it would be too dense and
unpalletable.

Characters & Worldbuilding:

9. Odessa turns to “the enemy” for help. How did you approach crafting her relationships,
especially with morally complex characters?

Something about storytelling that we have to remember if we want to craft realistic and
believable characters is that everyone has their own prejudices, needs, and desires. When they
come together, they all mix and clash with each other. So I approached writing these
relationships with that in mind. Garrett has negative experiences with Osekts, Odessa has
negative experiences with Ulvs. Neither of them trusts the other, but they’re forced to work
together if they want to go their separate ways and pretend it never happened. And Poppy just
wants to help everyone, which puts her in the middle of others’ conflicts she’d rather play no
part in. When you have clashing personalities or motives, you get an interesting story.

10. The world of your book is described as a city built on lies. How did you approach
worldbuilding for a setting so atmospheric and layered?

It was difficult at first. Puurhaven is a fictional world, and I had to decide what it looked
like, how it functioned, etc., so readers could relate and understand it without getting lost and
confused. I drew a lot of inspiration from historic European cities–specifically Edinburgh,
Scotland, and Venice, Italy. Both of those cities have incredibly dark histories and secrets. For
the forest, I drew from my love of the Pacific Northwest and my obsession with paranormal
stories from the Appalachian Mountains. Once I grounded my world in reality, it really started to
leap out of the pages and I had to pick and choose what information to share in this book.

11. If In the Shadow of the Wolf were adapted into a movie or series, who would you cast as
Odessa and the key supporting characters?

I would love a bunch of unknowns to star in it if it ever gets a film adaptation. From the
start, I wanted this to be a grassroots project and didn’t bother querying with publishers–not
because I didn’t think it was good enough, but because I wanted to do it all myself, not just to
prove to myself that I could do it, but also to support small and independent creators. If it does
become big, I’d like to keep that at the heart of it, and would hope that whatever studio picked it
up would honor the grassroots of it all and find no-names for Odessa and the key supporting
characters. If I had to pick big names, though, I would love it if Collin O’Donohue played Kieran
(viewers might know him as Killian Jones/Hook from ABC’s Once Upon a Time series).

Author Life & Projects:

12. How do you use your platforms like Instagram and TikTok to connect with readers and
promote your work?

I’ve approached social media by creating the type of content and space that I’d like to be
a part of. There’s a lot of drama and negativity in the world already, especially on BookTok.
Rather than feeding that beast, I try to create a space where indie authors can support each
other on their journeys, come for advice and support, and leave with inspiration and confidence.
Life is too short to be something I’m not, so I’m just my weird, quirky self on socials. The right
people will find me, and those who don’t like me don’t have to. It’s no fur off my hide.

13. Are there any upcoming projects, covers, or reveals you can share with your fans?

I’m talking with several small, locally owned bookstores here in Colorado to set up
events to help support the community and independent creators. I share all of my event
information in my newsletter, so if you’re interested in learning more and getting some
behind-the-scenes extras, definitely check it out.

14. As a debut author, what has surprised you most about writing and publishing your first
novel?

I thought it would be simpler. I vastly underestimated the formatting and editing process
and had no idea how complicated making an eBook would be. It’s a fun challenge, but yikes!

Fun & Quickfire:

15. Coffee, tea, or something stronger while writing?--Hot cocoa or Mountain Dew Baja Blast.
16. Night owl or early bird when it comes to writing sessions?--I do all of my best work in the
night.
17. One word to describe In the Shadow of the Wolf: Awakening or Odessa
herself?--Healing/Humbling
18. Favorite magical creature or inspiration from folklore that influenced your story?--Oh jeeze,
there were so many to choose from. House spirits and the more mundane, lesser-known folklore
figures were a Huge inspiration for book one. I’m excited to get into bigger “baddies” in book
two.
19. If you could step into Odessa’s world for a day, what would you do first?--I’d 100% run
around in those woods and explore the ancient ruins with my magic.