Olivia Dunham – Writer of Dark Fantasy & Supernatural Thrillers – The Legacy Beneath

Join My Journey:

Welcome to a new series on my blog, crafted for both longtime fans and those discovering THE LEGACY BENEATH for the first time. As we approach the release of my yet-to-be-published novel, I’ll be exploring the many facets of legacy each week—no spoilers, just thoughtful insights. Sometimes these posts will take the form of a personal journey, other times they’ll be straightforward reflections.

This blog series invites you to join me, week by week, as we dive into the world of THE LEGACY BENEATH. Designed for readers old and new, I’ll be sharing deep explorations of the novel’s themes of legacy—always spoiler-free. Expect a mix of journal-style entries and classic blog posts.

About Olivia Dunham

After retiring from more than twenty years as a Registered Nurse, I returned to a story I had started years ago and transformed it into my debut novel, THE LEGACY BENEATH.

When I finished the manuscript, I thought the hardest part of the journey was behind me. I quickly discovered that was far from true. After countless rounds of rereading and editing that left my eyes aching, I decided it was time to hire a professional editor. That was a tough step—until then, only my mom had read my manuscript (and of course, she loved it!).

Once I chose an editor and began working with him, I assumed this would be the hardest part. His first ten-page critique was brutally honest. The first two pages highlighted what worked well in my story and writing, but the next eight pages were tough to read. Still, that’s why I sought an editor—to get honest feedback and improve my work.

Throughout the process, I developed a thicker skin, which prepared me for the next challenge: querying agents. Suddenly, I was learning about loglines and how to describe my entire manuscript in just one paragraph—tasks I tackled by researching and reading other queries. I realized that finishing my novel was only the beginning.

Now, I find myself deciding between traditional and indie publishing, both of which have their own advantages and drawbacks. No matter which path I choose, I know one thing for certain: I will publish my novel, whether through a publisher or independently.

I write dark fantasy and supernatural thrillers, weaving cursed bloodlines, haunted cities, and fierce, broken heroes.
Explore lore
An ancient underground library stretches into darkness, carved from rough basalt rock, lined with towering shelves of chained, iron-clasped tomes and glass jars holding preserved, unidentifiable specimens. A massive circular stone table dominates the foreground, its surface etched with a summoning circle partially obscured by scattered parchment maps and a single raven-black feather. Cold blue light filters down from a cracked ceiling grate, mingling with the smoldering embers of a dying brazier to create stark, high-contrast pools of light and shadow. Photographic realism from a wide-angle, eye-level composition, sharp focus throughout to capture every texture. The atmosphere is oppressive, secretive, and scholarly, perfectly evoking the hidden depths where dark fantasy plots and supernatural legacies converge.

Newsletter

Receive new chapters, release news, and exclusive dark folklore.

The mountains remember. Follow the whispers of forgotten legends, hidden sins, and restless spirits through exclusive updates from an Appalachian Gothic paranormal suspense series.

A blackened forest clearing at night, the skeletal silhouettes of leafless trees curling overhead like twisted fingers, encircling a small stone altar streaked with centuries of rust-colored stains. On the altar rests an ornate, closed coffin-sized box of dark wood inlaid with tarnished gold sigils, a faint crimson glow leaking from the thin gap of its lid. Delicate mist clings to the ground, catching slivers of pale moonlight that pierce the canopy, while distant lightning illuminates a crumbling castle barely visible on the horizon. Photographic realism with a low-angle composition that makes the box feel ominously dominant. The lighting is dramatic and directional, casting deep shadows that swallow the edges of the frame, creating a mood of dread, legacy, and something ancient pushing against its prison.

Explore visual echoes of my worlds—abandoned chapels, moonlit forests, sigil-marked doors, and the obscure relics that inspired The Legacy Beneath and its cast of haunted heirs, monster hunters, and reluctant saints.

 
 
A cracked porcelain mask, half white and half matte obsidian, rests atop a stack of handwritten letters tied with black twine on a narrow windowsill of an old stone manor. Outside the warped glass panes, a storm churns over a windswept moor, blurred into painterly streaks by rain and darkness. Inside, a single oil lamp on a nearby table casts a warm yet feeble glow, catching the subtle fractures along the mask’s surface and emphasizing the jagged line where the two halves meet. Photographic realism from a close-up, side angle that places the mask in sharp focus and the storm as a soft, bokeh background. The mood is intimate, melancholic, and haunted, symbolizing fractured identities and secret pasts central to a dark fantasy narrative.

Each image hints at buried legacies, forbidden magic, and the thin, trembling boundary between our world and the cavernous dark beneath it.

Contact

hello@oliviadunham.com

PO Box 1313

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨