About O. M. Grey

*UPDATE* This blog has been resurrected to continue the types of articles and processing that have helped so many through the years, although O. M. Grey as an author is still dead, The Grey Ghost takes her place here on this blog.

-_Q

Olivia M. Grey died after a long, brave struggle against rape culture and sexual violence on August 1, 2014.

Well. Sort of…

O. M. Grey was a pen name used between the years 2010 and 2014, mostly in the Steampunk community. Olivia was originally created as a marketing experiment early in 2010, which was a smashing success at first. Olivia’s original mysterious persona and dark erotic fantasy earned her a NY agent and a spot on Amazon’s Gothic Romance Bestseller list during the summer of 2010. .

Then, tragedy struck and, as happens with life experiences, began to change Olivia. She became a prolific blogger and podcaster on relationship issues and alternative lifestyles in the wake of a sexual assault perpetrated by her best friend at the time (The Writer). It was to be the first of three such betrayals. After the second assault by a trusted colleague (referred to on the pages of this blog as The Steampunk Musician) about 7 months later, her writings, both fiction and nonfiction blogging, became increasingly darker. She began writing about abusive relationships and how to spot sexual predators. Although, she still didn’t recognize it fast enough, for in early 2012, her boyfriend at the time (The Auctioneer, aka The Austin Poly Rapist) raped her. Each of her communities turned their backs on her and embraced her assailants. The police, as in most cases of sexual violence, either didn’t believe her or minimized her assaults.

Her research and blogging on rape culture, sociopathy, and trauma recovery became the only things that kept her alive and anchored in this world. O. M. Grey had gone from a marketing experiment, through a liberating voice, to a cathartic vehicle through which to process multiple assaults and the subsequent debilitating PTSD.

Her budding career had been destroyed by these betrayals, along with her sexuality and ability to write erotic romance. Ultimately, watching the Steampunk Community continue to embrace The Musician and shun her, along with the everyday triggering battles with rape apologists on social networks, she realized that O. M. Grey had become a prison rather than a liberating voice.

Olivia’s eulogy follows…

Nestled in the mountains of Northern California, Olivia M. Grey lived in the cobwebbed corners of her mind writing Gothic stories and controversial nonfiction. Olivia focused both her poetry and prose on alternative relationship lifestyles and deliciously dark matters of the heart and soul.

Her work has been published in various anthologies and magazines like Stories in the Ether, Steampunk Trails, SNM Horror Magazine and How The West Was Wicked. Her premiere Steampunk dark erotica novel, Avalon Revisited, is an Amazon.com Gothic Romance bestseller. Its sequel (of sorts), Avalon Revamped, explores true justice and retribution. She also wrote The Nickie Nick Vampire Hunter series, teen Steampunk Romance novels consisting of The Zombies of Mesmer and The Ghosts of Southwark. Finally, her Caught in the Cogs: An Eclectic Collection is filled with short stories, love poetry, and relationship essays.

In addition to being a cover model for Gearhearts Steampunk Glamour Revue (left), her poem “New York Rain” not only won an award for best poem, but it also made the Bar None Group’s Hall of Fame. Her short story “Dust on the Davenport,” written for Tales of the Archives, as well the short story “A Kiss in the Rain” won the Steampunk Chronicle’s Reader’s Choice Award for Best Short Story in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Her bestselling Steamy Steampunk novel Avalon Revisited won the 2012 Steampunk Chronicle’s Reader’s Choice Award for best novel as well. Olivia was voted “Muse of the Fair” at the 2011 Steampunk World’s Fair and has enjoyed being a special literary guest at Steampunk Conventions, like AnomalyCon, The Steampunk World’s Fair, Clockwork Con, Aetherfest, HRM Steampunk Symposium, Florida Steampunk Exhibition East, among many others.

At genre conventions, Ms. Grey presented controversial topics, interacted with fans, and participated on panels discussing fiction, writing, steampunk, mental illness and emotional insecurities, rape culture and misogyny, sexual health and safety, and relationship styles and tools, just to name a few.

She loved to host proper tea parties, and she had the pleasure of orchestrating a delightful game or two of charades, Victorian style during her Steampunk days.

Among the pages of this blog lies the remains of Olivia M. Grey, “The Grey Ghost.”
May she rest in peace.

From her virtual grave, however, she still maintains The Order of the White Feather, an organization dedicated to supporting victims of sexual violence and changing the way communities respond to accusations of harassment and assault.

Although Ms. Grey is no longer actively writing or touring, she is still available as a sympathetic ear for those struggling with abuse or trauma recovery. Please email her directly if you need someone with whom to talk.

-_Q

May you all find peace.