Morella Moon (she/her) was born in the shadows, emerging from a cauldron of blood and bile after an ancient ritual was performed. From her crypt, she weaves tales of love and darkness, crafting each story like a delicate spell. Occasionally, she emerges to devour a book or two, feeding her insatiable hunger for magical tales. Beware—her stories may just enchant you long after the final page is turned.
Author Links:
Website: morellamoonwriting.wixsite.com
Newsletter: morellamoon.substack.com
Instagram: @morellamoonauthor
Threads: @MorellaMoonAuthor
Amazon Author Page: Morella Moon
GoodReads Page: Morella_Moon
Etsy Shop: MorellaMoon
What drew you to horrormance as a genre, and made you think, “I need to write one”?
I was actually strictly a horror fan for pretty much my whole life until around 2023 when I started looking into romance. That was around when I started getting serious about writing journey, and I knew my writing didn’t traditionally fit with standard horror as I was always writing about relationships and had spicy events but I never really considered romance. But I discovered it, and my world opened up. It was only natural for me to combine my love of the romantic and horrific, as those have always been some very prominent themes in all of my writing. It’s kinda funny because if you were to tell 20 year old Morella that my first novel was a romance novel, I would’ve told you that you were crazy. It’s funny how things change like that.
Which occult rock and sludge metal artists/bands inspired you while writing Fatally Yours, and what was it about them that inspired you?
Oh, I love this question! Music inspires around 60-70% of my writing. So, I took a lot of inspiration from Pentagram, Bedemon, Coven, Sabbath Assembly, Astaroth (even though they only have two songs, they are both really good and fit my story well), and more.
I also used a lot of Type O Negative influences, along with some goth songs.
As far as sludge metal goes, it’s no secret I’m a huge Acid Bath fan, and they are my favorite band. I also love all their derivatives, so I used their morbid but poetic/almost romantic themes to influence my story. Their music isn’t traditionally romantic, and I’m sure I’m going to make some people not happy saying I get romance vibes from them, but that’s what I take away from their songs since I find a lot of darker things romantic/poetic.
What drew you to the 1980s as a setting for Fatally Yours, and did you ever consider setting it in another decade? Why did the 80s win out?
I was dead set (no pun intended) on doing a story set during the Satanic Panic. This story started off as a satanic cult, but I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to make adults practice satanism and not make it seem cheesy. I love a good cheesy occult story, I just didn’t know how to make it work with my skills. I am very pleased with the end result though, so I have no regrets changing that. It also stemmed a lot from being goth.
I’m a tad disappointed I was not around to see the height of goth culture, so I feel like I’m almost nostalgic for a time I did not get to experience. I also wanted to pay homage to older horror movies and get that vibe, and also I think modern day technology is quite prominent in romance, and I wanted to do something different. I also really love counterculture in general, so I wanted to do something with that. Most of my characters are goth/alt/outcasts/etc because that’s what I relate to the most. I never even considered another time period. I just knew I wanted that older horror vibe with my little group of outcasts.
Introduce us to your MCs and tell us why readers will love/have a complex relationship with them!
I am a sucker for musicians so of course I had to have August sing. He’s feisty, flirty, and would do anything for Natasha, including killing people. He’s a bit hot-tempered but not without reason. But he has a charming, mischievous side too. Honestly he’s my favorite MMC that I have written if I’m allowed to have favorites. He’s the typical rebel. Natasha is much more reserved and shy, but was charmed by him when they were in high school. There’s something about the shy/more open dynamic that I really love, so I have that in some of my stories. She keeps him grounded, and he helps her be more open. They are the perfect match, and they grow together, even after death.
What themes and vibes can readers expect going into Fatally Yours?
I really went wild with the grief and dedication themes in this story. I also wanted to do something with a ‘be careful what you wish for’ idea, or like a monkey’s paw. Your boyfriend comes back from the dead, but instead of everything going back to normal, death twisted him into someone who craves revenge. I also, of course, wanted to capture that old horror vibe, along with the occult and sludge vibes and the Satanic Panic thing as well. One of my favorite lines from the story encapsulates exactly what I was going for: love was passionate, love was vicious, and sometimes, it could be violent.
Can you share some of your favourite reader comments and reviews with us?
I am still getting so many lovely messages and compliments, but one I got was along the lines of ‘what is this depravity I am reading and why am I loving it?’ and that’s the exact reaction I want from almost all of my novels. I also got a wonderful comment saying that I inspired someone to write, which is just the compliment to end all compliments, honestly.
I also had my book put beside Lights Out in a ‘if you like this, you’ll like that’ and that is a huge honor!
I’m sure as people continue to read, I will get many more since I just sent out ARCs a few days ago.
My fans are so wonderful, and I am so grateful for all the support I have received as when I started this, I had very low confidence and didn’t think I would find people who liked my work. I am so beyond grateful, and I make sure to thank them frequently since I would never have been able to do this without them. Here’s another thanks to all my fans. I couldn’t have done it without you.
Leave a Reply