Allie Oleander: Appreciate Your Readers
In this interview, author Allie Oleander discusses making previous side characters into main characters with her new romance, Prey for Me.
Allie Oleander writes spicy, contemporary, dark, and monster romances with kink exploration and characters ages 35 and up. She loves anything with chase scenes, the marriage-in-trouble trope, and monsters (of both the spicy and un-spicy variety). When she's not writing, she's in the woods, trying to arrange a meet-cute with Bigfoot. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
In this interview, Allie discusses making previous side characters into main characters with her new dark romance, Prey for Me, her advice for other writers, and more.
Name: Allie Oleander
Literary agent: Jill Marr, Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency
Book title: Prey for Me
Publisher: Berkley
Release date: September 22, 2026
Genre/category: Dark(ish) Romance
Previous titles: Willing Prey
Elevator pitch: A woman running from her televangelist ex-husband explores her most feral desires with the morally gray haunted house owner who’s not-so-secretly obsessed with her.
What prompted you to write this book?
Margot, the FMC in Prey for Me, and Caine, the MMC, were side characters in Willing Prey, the first book in the Feral Love Series. They were fun to write, and I wanted to tell their stories. So I started wondering, What have they experienced that makes them who they are now? Where do they need to grow as people? What would they act like in a romantic relationship?
I also wanted to write a story for those of us who are in our 30s, have gone to therapy, done all the things, and feel like we should be completely “over” our trauma—but aren’t yet. That phase where you’re aware you’re growing and healing, but it doesn’t feel like you’re progressing fast enough. That’s where Margot and Caine are at, and because this is a dark(ish) romance novel, they explore it in sexy, slightly questionable ways.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
I wrote a very rough version of Prey for Me in the summer of 2024, but quite a few things have changed since then. At its core, the story has remained the same, but I always joke that my early drafts are like a choose-your-own-adventure book. Before I commit to an idea, I need to write out a half dozen options, just to be sure.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
I’m new enough to this authoring adventure that the publishing process is still full of learning moments! One thing I don’t think I’ll ever stop being impressed by is how many people are involved. So much work happens behind the scenes that I never imagined. I feel incredibly lucky to have such an amazing team championing my stories and helping me get them into the world.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
I usually do most of my drafting outside, on the porch or in a lawn chair in the woods. For whatever reason, I could not settle into an outdoors writing groove for this one. It was odd. Once I finished this book and started on the next, though, I went right back to my little lawn chair and bug spray routine and was a perfectly happy camper. I’ll say it’s because this story is so hot it had to be written in air-conditioning.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope they have a fantastic time! I also hope that Prey for Me reminds them that they don’t have to be perfect to be loved, and the right people will join them on the journey to becoming their best selves.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Appreciate your readers, whether you have three or three million. Think about how amazing it is that in a world with so many distractions and responsibilities (and millions of great books!) readers decided to give ours a try. That people invest hours in these characters I’ve created makes me emotional, and I don’t take it for granted.
