One of the great character traits of any person is how authentically real and human they are. This is explicitly true of writers who identify as Catholic. I recently attended a webinar in which a Catholic fiction writer talked about the craft of writing Catholic fiction. That person happened to be Daughter of St. Paul, Sr. Allison Regina Gliot. Sr. Allison is not the first Catholic writer to submit an interview to me that involves vampires but is the first nun to do so and also the first religious to submit an interview to my Meet the Writer series.
When you think of Nuns, you don’t usually think of Sisters who like animie and write vampire fantasy and Sci-Fi. But as I said above being real and human makes you relatable and if your trying to reach people with the gospel of Christ, appearing as a normal human being goes a long way in relating to others while still setting yourself apart for Christ. Sr. Allison is a real treat of a human being, fun, happy and interesting. So now it’s time to
Meet Vampire Catholic Writer
Sr. Allison Regina Gliot
1. Tell us something interesting about yourself.
I am a Daughter of St. Paul, which is a Catholic congregation of sisters dedicated to evangelization through all forms of modern media. Books are definitely a part of that mission, but I believe I’m the first Daughter of St. Paul to try evangelizing through vampire books.
2. What makes a good Catholic writer?
I think it’s a blend of wholeheartedly loving Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church while also being dedicated to strengthening your craft skills as a writer.
3. What do you like about being a Catholic writer?
I love talking to Jesus about my writing and workshopping my books with him. He often uses something going on in my spiritual life to inform my storytelling, but just as often he teaches me something about my spiritual life through the plot or characters that I’m working on. Writing stories enriches my life as a Catholic and being Catholic enriches my writing.
4. What is the main focus of your particular writing or what do you like to write about?
I love to write stories that inspire readers to meet God more deeply in their everyday lives, blending mystery and wonder with the truths of Catholicism through premises that range from fantasy to real life (though, I often find that real life is stranger than fiction). Although I write everything from picture books to spiritual nonfiction for young adults, I especially love writing Catholic novels for teens and young adults.
5. How does your Catholic faith influence your writing?
I pray about what I write and write about what I pray. For me, I never want to tell a story that doesn’t involve God because he is so integral to the way I view the world that I can’t truly imagine a world without him. Even when I’m telling stories with more fantastical leanings, they are always grounded in my Catholic worldview, which acts as a compass for me as I navigate the sea of storytelling possibilities.
6. What’s your favorite book you have written?
My favorite currently published book is The Light They Left, which is the second installment of my In Aeternum vampire trilogy—mainly because I love diving deeper into the characters’ spiritual journeys and backstories, and it was a fun challenge to weave historical fiction into the modern urban fantasy genre. Also, my favorite chaotic neutral vampire gets a lot of page time in that one!
Blood and ashes. The taste was on my tongue, the first thing I remember, singeing my lips with an iron tang.
Blood and ashes. I sat up and saw only snow, the charred remains of . . . what? covered in a fine layer of white powder. The flakes fell from the darkened sky, kissing my face. I couldn’t feel them. I couldn’t feel anything. I should have been cold. Confused. Afraid. But I was nothing. Nothing, except hungry.
Blood and ashes. Blood. I wanted—no, I needed blood.
So it began.
7. What is your favorite topic/subject to write about?
It changes based on whatever project I’m working on. Some of my favorite genres to write in are urban fantasy, historical fantasy, and sci-fi not set in space. But whatever genre I’m writing, I especially love to focus on developing authentic relationships between characters, whether that’s friendship, family bonds, romance, or an authentic relationship with Christ.
8. Favorite scripture verse?
I don’t know if I can pick an absolute favorite, but one I’ve been praying with a lot (and that makes an appearance as an epigraph in my vampire books) is Exodus 14:14: “The Lord will fight for you; you have only to keep still.” I love this image of God as our active protector. I’m also bad at keeping still, so it’s a good reminder for me.
9. What are you currently working on?
My current work in progress isn’t a project I’ve announced yet, so I can’t share too many details. But I will say that it’s a Catholic sci-fi story set in the distant future, the two main characters have totally captured my heart, and it has been so much fun to write.
10. Name a favorite saint or Catholic or some other figure who inspires you in your life.
As a Daughter of St. Paul, I draw a lot of strength and encouragement from Saint Paul the Apostle, who used his writing (and speaking, and actions) to share God’s love with so many people. He knew how to effectively reach the people of his time with the truth of the Gospel in creative ways, and I pray that he helps me to do the same for the people of today.
11. Who is your favorite living writer?
There are many authors I enjoy, but I especially love the work of Gene Luen Yang, a Chinese Catholic graphic novelist famous for works like American Born Chinese and Boxers & Saints. I have learned so much from the way he organically weaves Catholicism into his stories without being preachy (and the way he pulls off great plot twists!), but I also admire the imagination and heart he brings to his work.
12. If you could have lunch with any deceased writer, who would it be, what would you eat and what would you talk about?
I think it would be delightful to have lunch with C.S. Lewis—not just because I love his writing, but because I think he seems like a very kind person and a good conversationalist. We’d have to eat something British—tea and scones with clotted cream, perhaps? I’d love to pick his brain about fantasy storytelling and ask him about how his prayer life influenced his writing.
13. Name a favorite movie/tv show or music you find worth sharing with others.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood—one of my favorite anime series of all times and definitely a classic! Besides great storytelling, worldbuilding, and character development, it’s also rich in Theology of the Body themes (but be forewarned that it sometimes gets a little dark).
14. Can you see one of your books being made into a movie or tv series? Who would you want to star or direct?
I could definitely imagine The Curse He Chose (the first book of my In Aeternum vampire trilogy) being made into a movie. The book is now available as an audiobook, and it’s amazing how the narrators bring the characters to life. I’d also love for it to be adapted into a graphic novel or anime. It would be super cool to see how vampire characters like the Shadow (who are faceless and . . . shadowy, for lack of a better word) would be drawn in that art style, and I’d love to see what kind of visual representation an artist would give to the powerful scenes involving the Eucharist.
The trouble with vampires is that they don’t seem like they should be real. I mean, what is “undead” anyway? Either you’re dead or you’re alive, right?
Wrong. I’ve met plenty of people who breathe without living, and only a few of them were what we’d usually refer to as vampires. Most of them don’t realize they’re not doing either thing, being dead or alive. Vampires do. They own it, claim their status, give it a new name: undead. Quite fitting, really, since they won’t die a natural death but they won’t live a real life, either, one with mortality that ends in resurrection. No, they choose suspension. An infinite amount of the finite. I think it’s the saddest thing I’ve ever seen.
15. Favorite historical event?
The Incarnation of Jesus Christ.
Second favorite: the conversion of Saint Paul (though, as a Daughter of St. Paul, I may be biased).
This interview was published on May 11, 2026
The day these events took place
1813 – William Lawson, Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth discover a route across the Blue Mountains, opening up inland Australia to settlement.
1985 – Chester Gould (November 20, 1900 – May 11, 1985) the creator of the Dick Tracy comic strip dies. He wrote and drew from 1931 to 1977, incorporating numerous colorful and monstrous villains.
1997 – Deep Blue, a chess-playing supercomputer, defeats Garry Kasparov in the last game of the rematch, becoming the first computer to beat a world-champion chess player in a classic match format.
2012– Dark Shadows opens in theaters. It is based on the Gothic television vampire soap opera of the same name and is Directed by Tim Burton and stars Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer.
16. What else do you want people to know about anything?
If you’d like to learn about my books or connect with me online, my author website is Sr. Allison Regina Gliot, FSP | Pauline Books & Media, which includes a contact page and links to my social media (along with fun bonus content for my books!). My latest book The Light They Left is available now on The Light They Left – In Aeternum Book 2 | Pauline Books and Media
Want to Be Interviewed Also?
The Catholic Bard Wants To Interview You! |
Interview Questions For My Catholic Blog
Meet The Catholic Writers |
A Link List To The Catholic Bard’s Meet The Writer Series
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In