Margie Fuston’s writing comes alive in the space between grief and magic, where the extraordinary collides with the deeply human. Raised in the quiet, misty woods of California, Margie spent her childhood weaving fantastical worlds filled with creatures as real to her as the towering trees that surrounded her home. It’s no surprise that the tales she now creates are rich in emotion, tinged with magic, and always with an underlying question about what it means to truly belong.
Her creative journey is one of blending the fantastical with the relatable. While she holds degrees in both business and literature, it was her passion for storytelling that led her to pursue a master’s in creative writing, where she honed the craft that would eventually bring her novels to life. Now, back in those same woods that first sparked her imagination, Margie writes stories about teens searching for answers in a world that often seems too complex and too cold. Her characters, no matter their supernatural abilities, are always grounded in the same emotions that define us all—loss, love, and the longing for connection.
Margie’s debut novel, Vampires, Hearts & Other Dead Things, captivated readers with its blend of fantasy and heartache. The story follows a girl’s desperate search for a vampire to save her father—a journey that speaks to anyone who’s ever been forced to navigate the fragility of life. This heartfelt exploration of family and loss earned Margie a place as a finalist for the 2022 William C. Morris Award, underscoring her ability to blend the supernatural with raw human emotion in a way that resonates deeply with young adult readers.
Her subsequent novels, like Cruel Illusions and The Revenant Games, push the boundaries of her genre, exploring darker themes and more complex characters. In Cruel Illusions, the protagonist is thrust into the role of a vampire hunter after the devastating loss of her mother—a story that grapples with vengeance, identity, and the fine line between being a hero and becoming the very thing you’re hunting. The Revenant Games takes readers into a fierce battle between rival witch and vampire kingdoms, weaving intricate plots and relationships in a world where power, loyalty, and family collide.
Outside of writing, Margie is an avid fan of the wild beauty that surrounds her—whether it’s a solitary walk on the beach or getting lost in the forests that have inspired so many of her stories. And when she’s not crafting her next novel, you can probably find her watching The Vampire Diaries for the umpteenth time, a series that has long captured her fascination with the supernatural and the bonds between characters.
Margie Fuston’s stories are a love letter to those who dare to dream, to those who have loved and lost, and to those who still believe in magic, even when it feels far out of reach.
