Violet Tempest is a Lowcountry author, crafter, and entrepreneur. She writes Christian dark fantasy and faith-based picture books for kids, and at her shop, you can find everything from jeweled pens to handcrafted stuffed bears and jewelry.
Hi, I’m Violet Tempest, a Christian dark fantasy author from South Carolina. I was born in Charleston, raised in Summerville, and have lived in the Lowcountry my entire life, which is why I set the Soul War Universe along the black water rivers of Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties. This area also shaped my faith, which is why my stories are full of faith and redemption.
The Little Guardian is the first book I’ve released from the Soul War Universe, and it is the start of The Guardian Series, a picture book series for ages 3–6. For fourteen years I’ve been working on Soul War: The Keeper of the Realms, an adult novel that will finally be ready for the public in September 2027. I also have plans for a series for every age group, so a family can enjoy the universe together. My tagline says it all: The darkness is real. So is the Light.
I also handcraft stuffed Guardians through Marsh’s Creature Creations. Each Guardian has a prayer ironed inside its tummy, and I pray that same prayer three times during its creation, instilling God’s love and protection into each of them. I want each child to know that God is always with us, even when we can’t see or feel Him. That’s why I created the first Guardian, and why I keep creating them.
What inspired you to write this book?
I remember being a small child afraid of the dark, and my own daughter went through the same thing. Neither of us had a stuffed Guardian to hold, but we would clutch our stuffed animals as we shrank under the covers, trying to remember the bedtime prayer we’d recited earlier that night. That’s why I wrote The Little Guardian: for every child who is scared and feels all alone. I want them to know they never are, because God is always with us, and when we’re scared, all we have to do is ask Him for help.
Who is this book for, and what do you hope readers take away from it?
It’s for children ages 3–6 and the grown-up reading beside them. My hope is that when they reach The End, they feel safe and loved, and know that God is always with them and loves them.
What role does Charleston or South Carolina play in your writing?
The Lowcountry is a part of who I am. Growing up, my parents took us to the historic sites across Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester counties, instilling a deep understanding of this area’s history, the good and the bad. From that I learned to see the evil that lurks behind the beauty. I learned to listen to the whispers of the old live oaks and magnolia trees, to sense the sorrow in the blood-soaked soil, and to see the veil in the fog that rises from the swamps. Every story I write is set in the Lowcountry. I draw on its history and natural settings because they are the perfect place for the Darkness to meet the Light.
What’s your favorite independent bookstore or literary hangout in the Lowcountry?
I’ve always loved libraries. My favorite growing up was the Timrod Library in downtown Summerville. It’s an old house turned library, and it felt like the perfect place to wander between the shelves and find another world to enter.
How do you stay connected to the local arts or writing scene?
I have to admit I’ve fallen out of the scene lately because of health issues, mine and my family’s. I used to be a member of the Summerville Writers Guild and the Lowcountry Romance Writers of America, and I’d go to Third Thursday in downtown Summerville to talk with artists and other writers, even setting up a booth on occasion. At one point I started a local chapter of the Horror Writers Association covering South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia. Those were fun years.
What other creative projects are you working on right now?
The Gentle Guardian comes out November 25th. Soul War: The Keeper of the Realms follows in September 2027, and a third Guardian book is in the planning stages. I also have series planned for beginning readers, early chapter books, middle grade, and young adult. And I’m always crafting new Guardians for Marsh’s Creature Creations.
What advice would you give to emerging writers?
Write for you. Write the story you want to read, write it with feeling, and learn the craft as you go. You can learn a lot not only from the many writing craft books out there, but also the online courses through writing organizations. It can be a bit of an investment, both in time and money, but I promise every step you take to improve your craft is worth it.
What’s a book you always recommend to others?
There are always so many, but my favorite adult series is The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. As a child, my favorite was the Winnie the Pooh collection. I loved all of it: the short stories, the poems, and the chapter books.
You can reach Violet Tempest or purchase her book via the links below.
