Dive into the dark and tempting world of Vivian Murdoch, a sassy romance writer who’s not afraid to explore the taboos that make us squirm and the complexities that make her characters unforgettable. Vivian’s latest release, “The Wolf,” is a spicy novella that’s part of The Annual Game Night series. It’s a story that challenges norms and takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions while keeping you on the edge of your seat. “The Wolf” is an omegaverse dark romance that delves into forbidden relationships and controversial themes. It’s a story of Adam and Jocelyn, stëpsiblings entangled in a complex relationship that defies societal norms. The book is a labyrinth of dark themes, including dubc0n/nonc0n and forced Os, among others. Vivian Murdoch crafts a world as intriguing as it is unsettling, making it a must-read for those who dare to venture into the darker corners of romance. But who is Vivian Murdoch? She’s a fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants author, whose creative juices flow strongest in the dead of night. Vivian has a penchant for writing alpha holes, anti-heroes, and heroes you love to hate. When she’s not penning down her dark fantasies, you’ll find her playing Animal Crossing or spending quality time with her pets. Now, let’s get into my exclusive interview with Vivian Murdoch, where she spills the tea on her inspiration for “The Wolf,” her approach to writing sensitive topics, and much more. Vivian, what was the initial inspiration behind “The Wolf”? Was there a specific moment when you knew you had to write this story? So, I’m a decent fan of horror movies. I saw all the Purge movies (except the most recent one… but we won’t talk about that one) in theatres. I’ve loved the concept of having one night where you can do anything you want. Even my friends and I talked about what would you do on purge night. Well… For me, I was like, I’d hack into the system and wipe out all student loans. Like, it kinda bothered me that we saw only really violent crime. I’m not a violent person, but I def have some things I’d like to accomplish. That of course, got me thinking even further. Why were there no sexual crimes? I mean, yes, we did get that scene where the women offered themselves to be living art and got touched, but really? That’s it? And that is what started the wheels turning. Once I started watching Black Mirror, the idea really solidified. I think it was after the last Purge movie that I really got excited about the idea of doing a purge night, but make it sex. At that point, I was really leaning into the omegaverse world and felt this was the PERFECT backdrop to start my story. At first, I wanted to just do several short stories and publish them together, but with my other projects, that wasn’t feasible. That’s why I opened it up as a shared world and anthology. Your book delves into some very taboo and dark themes, such as stépsibling relationships and dubc0n/nonc0n. How do you approach writing about such sensitive topics while keeping your audience engaged? I’ve always been a darker writer, and I feel my readers know to expect that at this point. I don’t really like to describe my stuff as just DARK, because, let’s face it, there’s way more darker stuff out there. However, I do say I’m dubcon minimum. Even my “light” stuff has things like arranged marriages where they really can’t say no. I do my absolute best to put up trigger warnings to help those not familiar with my work to know whether or not they can handle my brand of love. Adam and Jocelyn are complex characters with a lot of layers. Can you share some insights into how you developed them? What was the most challenging aspect? Literally, the hardest was the sibling aspect. I’m an only child, and it was so hard to think about the family dynamics in this situation. If I’m being honest, I’m worried I didn’t punch that part up enough because I just don’t have the life experience. I did my best to add in the angst, but I’m worried it still didn’t ring true. The saving grace, in my opinion, is that they didn’t grow up together. They don’t have that typical sister/brother dynamic. As far as developing them, they did things just like all my other characters. They told me what their issues were, how they would behave. They become real people in my mind, and all I can do is write down what they tell me. For example, in the scene where he pees on the suppressants, I was not expecting that. I’m writing, minding my own business, and Adam’s like… you know what? Imma piss all over them. Like… what???? “The Wolf” is set in an omegaverse. For those unfamiliar with this term, could you explain what it is and why you chose this setting for your story? So, it seems like there’s a lot of leeway when it comes to omegaverse. People do things differently. I’m going to tell you how I define my omegaverse, but please know other authors might do it differently. I write mostly human omegaverse, meaning they don’t shift. I have one shifter story right now that I consider kinda omegaverse, but for the most part, I deal with humans. There are three dynamics in my world—Alpha, beta, and omega. The Alphas are dominant, aggressive, bigger, and far more powerful. They have the ability to incapacitate betas and omegas with their Alpha bark or growl. They exude power over the other dynamics and bend them to their will. Betas are more like average Joe’s. They have nothing special about them. The omegas tend to be far more subservient, smaller, more delicate. The other aspect is Alphas can go into a rut (very animalistic. Same as heat in felines and canines) and omegas go into heat or estrus. Though they
