An Interview with Alexandra Ivy
Interview conducted c. early 2010s
Introduction
Alexandra Ivy is a New York Times bestselling author best known for her long-running paranormal romance series Guardians of Eternity. Her work is recognized for its strong character dynamics, immersive supernatural worldbuilding, and sustained narrative momentum across an extended series.
This interview was conducted during a period when Ivy was actively expanding the Guardians of Eternity universe. Rather than focusing on publication milestones or promotion, the conversation centers on craft—how stories take shape, how characters drive plot, and how a writer sustains emotional engagement over multiple books.
Of particular interest is Ivy’s background in playwriting and her unconventional drafting process, which prioritizes dialogue and character interaction before layering in action and interior response. The interview offers a clear, practical snapshot of a working storyteller reflecting honestly on process, discipline, and long-form storytelling.
This interview is preserved as part of the Better Storytelling Archive, documenting the voices and working methods of contemporary genre creators.
The Interview
Life as a Writer
How did you get into writing?
Like most writers I’ve always loved to read and at a young age I started scribbling stories just for myself. But it wasn’t until I went to college and took a playwriting class that I realized I found my true love.
When did you first realize that you have what it takes to be a writer?
I’m not sure I really have. It took a long time for me to get published—almost ten years. Most sane people would have given up after so many rejections, but I looked on those years as my apprenticeship. With every new manuscript I was honing my craft and learning more about the business.
Premise
Where do you get your ideas from?
They’re always stewing in the back of my mind. Sometimes they’re sparked by something I read in the newspaper or even by a conversation I happen to overhear. Sometimes they come from a fragment of a dream.
How do you develop your ideas into a story?
I always start with the characters. Once I understand their strengths, their weaknesses, and how I want them to grow during the course of the story, the plot starts to evolve.
Genre
What kind of stories do you enjoy working with?
I started with historicals, and I loved the research and recreating the atmosphere of the past. But since writing paranormals, I’ve discovered just how much I enjoy creating my own world, populated with creatures from my imagination.
What genres would you like to explore in the future?
I would love to do a high fantasy.
Structure
Do you work from an outline?
A very, very flexible outline.
Plot
How do you build your story?
Since I started as a playwright I actually write my book in play format first. I write three to four chapters of pure dialogue, before I go back through and layer in stage movements or actions. After that I go through again and layer in the emotional responses for the scene.
I know it’s different from most writers, but with this method I can make sure that my characters are the main focus of the story without getting lost. All writers love words, and it’s easy to forget the plot in the prose.
Character
For you, what makes a great hero?
He has to be strong, and for a romance, sexually compelling. But more importantly he has to have an ability to be kind and vulnerable. A bad boy with a heart of gold. He also has to have flaws. A too-perfect hero is a bore.
If one of your characters were to describe you, what would he or she say?
That’s hard. I suppose they would say that I’m funny, driven, a little OCD, and devoted to my family. I’m also a perfectionist who tends to make those around me nuts.
Setting
How much time do you spend researching the setting for your stories?
My current stories are set in the Midwest where I live, so I haven’t needed to do a lot of research. When I wrote historicals I would do an intense month of research before ever starting to write the story. I had to be careful not to devote so much time investigating tiny details that I ran out of time to actually write the book.
What settings would you like to explore in the future?
I would love to create a whole new world for a fantasy—one that’s completely original and bound by my own rules of magic. I wonder if that means I have a god complex.
Theme
Do you like to know the purpose of your story before you sit down to write it?
Yes. I have an overall theme for the series about being outside the norm of society, and a theme for each book. They tend to focus on loss, lack of trust, or the need to be accepted by others.
Dialogue
Do you have any favorite lines from your stories?
My favorite lines are usually from my snarky gargoyle, Levet. But my current favorite is from Sophia in The Real Werewives of Vampire County:
“A family is like medicine. Best in small doses.”
Writing Process
Do you have a routine?
I usually get up early and exercise. After that I answer emails, check social media, and do a little promotion. Once I start writing, I usually don’t stop until late at night. When I’m in a book, I have to stay in writing mode until I’m done or I lose the feel for the storyline. My family has learned that once I disappear into my office, they won’t see me for a long time.
How do you deal with writer’s block?
I never let myself think of writer’s block. I write every day. Even if I throw it out later, I never give myself permission to wait for some mysterious muse. This is my job.
Story Development
How do you go about fixing a story?
Sometimes I’ll rewrite a scene from another character’s point of view. If that doesn’t work, I’ll pull out my outline and see where things started going wrong. I almost always have to trash a few chapters. You can’t be afraid to admit defeat and start again.
How do you know when to stop?
Sometimes I don’t. Usually a book has a natural progression, but sometimes I realize I’m way over my word count without a conclusion. That’s when I have to start making cuts—and they’re always painful.
Words of Advice
What advice would you give to new writers?
Write because you love to write, not because you want to get published. A reader can always tell when you love what you do.
Zombie Apocalypse
What is your plan for the zombie apocalypse?
I have no survival skills. None. So I fully intend to throw myself at the first zombie I see and get it over with.
Final Thoughts
What’s the best thing you’ve ever written?
I don’t know if it’s the best, but my favorite book is When Darkness Comes. I wrote it just for my own pleasure, without pressure or expectations. I never dreamed it would be the beginning of Guardians of Eternity.
What were you working on at the time of this interview?
I was working on a new series tentatively titled The Sentinels, beginning with a short story collection. The stories focus on gifted individuals—witches, psychics, necromancers—and the trained warriors who protect them.
Closing
This interview preserves a moment in Alexandra Ivy’s creative life when craft, discipline, and long-form storytelling converged. It is presented here as part of the Better Storytelling Archive, honoring the voices and working methods of the storytellers who shaped modern genre fiction.