Maxym M. Martineau: Who Doesn’t Love a Thick Book?

Maxym M. Martineau is an associate creative director by day and a fantasy author by night. When she’s not getting heated over broken hearts, she enjoys playing video games, binge-watching television shows, competing in just about any sport, and of course, reading. Follow her on X (Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.

In this interview, Maxym discusses how her lifetime of vivid nightmares helped inspire her new gothic romantasy, House of Blight, her advice for other writers, and more.

Name: Maxym M. Martineau
Literary agent: Kimberly Whalen of The Whalen Agency
Book title: House of Blight
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release date: April 8, 2025
Genre/category: Romantasy
Previous titles: Kingdom of Exiles, The Frozen Prince, The Shattered Crown, Shadows of the Lost
Elevator pitch: House of Blight is a dark gothic romantasy where a woman with the ability to restitch life’s threads—at the cost of severing her own—faces a creeping blight that infects more than the land, an immortal family with sharp tongues and even sharper magic, and a vow destined to drag them all to their graves.

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For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been prone to vivid nightmares. I found early on that writing helped me process what I was experiencing, and after a time, it became an activity that I really enjoyed. They were always fantastical in nature, with dark, twisting things and ominous tones, and so it felt natural to carry that over into my books.

House of Blight is the romantasy of my nightmares, with a horrific plague and immortals who are all too eager to hide their horrific intentions beneath a perfect façade, reinforced by their magical glamour. No one knows what lies beneath, what their intentions are. And for me, that’s so much like my dreams. They’re dark and twisted, and you’d never guess they’re part of my thoughts from the way I walk through the world.

Additionally, I was inspired by The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen Poe, Death’s Messengers by the Brothers Grimm, and Dorian Gray. Gothic horror is so darkly beautiful, and weaving a romance into that type of setting? Count me in.

My publication journey was actually a bit wild. I drafted and edited the initial concept during the end of 2022 and through to the summer of 2023. I then queried it in August 2023 and was picked up by Kimberly Whalen of The Whalen Agency. We had very minor tweaks and went out on submission with it shortly thereafter, and House of Blight sold at auction to Harper Voyager in September of 2023.

And then more editing! Ha. I connected so well with my editor, Ariana, and we spent lots of time really unpacking the characters and their motivation and amping the gothic elements throughout. There wasn’t too much that changed plot wise or anything like that throughout the process. If anything, it was just about adding more words and details, which is fine, because who doesn’t love a thick book?

The biggest and most unexpected surprise of this entire experience was just the absolute speed with which House of Blight was picked up. This wasn’t my first traditionally published book, so I was prepared for a longer submission run and all the emotional ups and downs that came with that rollercoaster experience. But sold at auction within a month or two? I didn’t have that on my bingo card!

I’ve been completely blown away by the attentiveness and excitement the Voyager team has brought to the table. It’s clear they adore my book as much as I do, and being involved in decisions from the cover to the voice actors has been incredible.

This is the first book I’ve tackled where I specifically tried to write to a genre/aesthetic (gothic). My earlier works are fantasy romances, but the world and characters from those stories were straight from my imagination and involve a quest, mythical creatures, and the like.

While House of Blight does take place in a fictional world, I knew I wanted it to have a very specific vibe. I devoured all things gothic and really welcomed the nightmares for a bit as I tried to understand how I’d bring those into the storyline itself. I wanted dark. I wanted creepy. I wanted to give myself chills while writing it. I found myself asking, “Can I make this grotesquely beautiful?” Haha. I paid a lot of attention to the environment itself and the mysterious Evers with more secrets than anyone could count.

Edira, the main female character, is hugely important to me. She has first eldest daughter syndrome and takes on the role of both caretaker and provider, and the weight she carries is heavier than she ever lets on. She stepped into this role after her parents passed, and even though she did so willingly, that doesn’t mean it was without hardship. There are moments throughout the book where you see glimpses of her longing, of wishing for a different path, but she always reverts back to taking care of others first.

Which led me to write the dedication:

For those who constantly sacrifice in the name of others, it’s okay to save yourself first.

I think so many of us struggle with honoring our wants and placing value on our needs, especially when it’s perceived as “selfish.” But I’d encourage everyone to ask, “Who gets to determine what is selfish and what isn’t?” It’s the concept of putting your air mask on first in a crashing airplane, because if you can’t take care of yourself, you can’t help anyone else.

It’s better to write the story of your heart than to try and write to the market. House of Blight was something that sat with me for months, and I just simply had to get it out on paper. And I love love. So, I knew I was going to put a romance in there, too. These are all concepts and themes and genres that just flow for me. If you’re writing a book, find the thing that you enjoy writing about, because inherently when you love what you’re creating, others will feel that passion and enjoy it, too.