PHOTO: Ashley Stoyanoff, award-winning author and storyteller of soulmarks, werewolves, and grim reapers, brings magic and heart to every page she writes.
Exploring Magic Emotion And Strong Female Leads
Award-winning author Ashley Stoyanoff delves into her writing process, the emotional depth behind her paranormal romances, and the inspirations that fuel her stories of love, power, and transformation.
Ashley Stoyanoff writes with a voice that feels both intimate and unafraid—bold in imagination yet rooted in the emotional realities that connect us all. From the moment her debut novel The Soul’s Mark: FOUND emerged, readers were drawn not only to her fresh take on the paranormal but to the deeper questions simmering beneath the surface: destiny, identity, and the fragile courage it takes to love. Her work pulses with the thrill of the extraordinary, yet it is her characters’ vulnerabilities that linger longest.
In world after world—whether laced with vampires and soulmarks or woven through with werewolf politics and grim reapers solving crimes—Ashley builds with care. Her protagonists are often women on the edge of something transformative: not superheroes, but survivors. She explores power not as a given, but as something earned through pain, resistance, and choice. There is no illusion of perfection here, only the beauty of change.
Beyond the page, Ashley’s love of storytelling extends to the aesthetic and the everyday. Her dual passion for literature and fashion gives her writing a texture that’s both vivid and unexpected—a blend of the magical and the modern. It’s no surprise that her readers return book after book, series after series, to see what world she’ll build next—and who they’ll become by the time they leave it.
What’s your ideal writing fuel?
Coffee, no doubt about it.
Do you outline your books or wing it?
I start with a rough outline, but my characters love to go rogue.
Are you more Team Paranormal or Team Contemporary?
Don’t make me choose! I love both, but I do love the magic when writing paranormal.
What’s something readers might be surprised to find out about you?
I’m a fashion lover who almost always writes in pajamas.
What initially drew you to the idea of soulmarks and soulmates as the core of The Soul’s Mark series?
I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of soulmates. There’s just something so cool about the thought that our souls are destined for that perfect match. The Soul’s Mark gave me a fun way to dive into questions about love, fate, and how much control we really have over who we fall for.
How did you balance the supernatural elements—vampires, witches, spirits—with relatable emotional conflicts in Amelia’s journey?
At the core of Amelia’s journey is emotion—love, fear, joy, loss, and the search for identity. By grounding the story in real and relatable emotional conflicts, the supernatural is easy to blend and balance. When the emotion is authentic, it doesn’t matter what paranormal elements exist, it still resonates because the emotional stakes are relatable.
The Deadly series has a very different feel with its werewolf pack politics—how did you approach creating that world compared to The Soul’s Mark?
With the Deadly Trilogy, I definitely did more research, especially around pack structure, ranks, and hierarchy. I wanted the politics to feel grounded and believable. The Soul’s Mark was a lot more instinctual for me. That one came straight from my love of soulmates, so I just followed my gut and let the emotional connections lead the way.
Your Alexa Cross books mix death, mystery, and dark humour—how do you find the right tone when blending paranormal with detective fiction?
Blending paranormal and detective fiction was honestly so much fun, and really, the tone found itself as I wrote. One thing I love about the supernatural is how you can shape it into anything you want. With Alexa being a grim reaper dealing with violent deaths, bringing in the detective angle just made sense and gave it structure.
Many of your books feature strong female leads confronting power dynamics—what drives your interest in exploring these themes?
I’m not interested in perfect or unshakable characters. What draws me in is the strength that comes from falling, getting back up, and growing through the struggles. I love exploring those power dynamics because they challenge my female leads to grow. This is where the strength comes from.
With so many series and standalone titles, how do you keep your characters’ voices and worlds distinct from one another?
I focus a lot on each character’s emotional journey. I know where they start and where they need to go. That really helps shape their voice and keep it unique. As for the worlds, each series and standalone are very different, so it’s easy to keep things separate. Once I’ve built the character emotionally, the rest tends to fall into place.
What advice would you give to other authors trying to write genre-blending stories that still feel cohesive and emotionally grounded?
My best advice would be to start with the emotional elements. It doesn’t matter how wild the story gets, or how many genres you mix in, readers will connect to your words if the emotional struggles are relatableand feel real. And don’t be afraid to break all the rules if that’s what your story needs.
