INTERVIEW: Grace Fox's Writing is Often Inspired by Her Past Lives

Welcome to the Tuesday Author Interview with Christina Boyd for the Who, What, When, Where, and Why.

CHRISTINA: I met author Grace Fox when I donated a line edit for the Masana Library Project in South Africa by Bianca Marais (the raffle raised $6800 CAN in 2025.) Grace won my auction item, and we ended up working together on her debut novel, THE VIRGO PROPHECY. It's a fascinating paranormal thriller with romantic elements set in the American Southwest. Grace is currently querying agent representation.

When did you first think you had a book to write, and how did you start?

GRACE: I never actually wanted to be a writer, despite writing several song lyrics and poems when I was younger. I thought that was normal. But when my dad passed away, words just started pouring out of me, and I couldn’t stop. About a year later, I had a dream about these ancient gods fighting. The woman god sacrificed herself to be captured by the male god in order to save the people of Earth. Later in the same dream, a young woman set out to rescue the captured goddess. After a month, I couldn’t get it out of my head and knew it was a special dream. So, I decided to take all the words I had written about myself, my dad, and the way I grew up traveling, and turn them into a story that could help others. I’ve always loved Greek mythology, and I wanted to tie my dream—and my relationship with my father—to a god and a goddess that people could connect with. I didn’t choose Astraea because she was like me, but because her story was unfinished. As the last god on Earth, daughter of Zeus, and the prophecy of her return, she seemed like a perfect fit.

CHRISTINA: Your story immediately pulled me in—the emotional origin and mythological thread felt both intimate and expansive. As an editor, I’m fascinated by how you wove personal grief with the unfinished story of Astraea, and I’m genuinely excited to see how this journey unfolds for you.

Tell us more about The Virgo Prophecy?

The Virgo Prophecy by Grace Fox

GRACE: The Virgo Prophecy is the story that came from that dream. My book follows Eleni Bishop, a psychic drifter just trying to get by in the final days of 1999. She survives on roadside tarot readings and this strange ability she has to sense energy in stone. When she’s hired to help investigate a 1,200-year-old Aztec ruin, she stumbles onto something no one expects—the remains of a Roman soldier and a carved symbol that triggers visions she can’t explain.

Things really unravel when she finds an old photograph from her past that shows the same symbol. From there, she starts following a trail of clues that leads to an ancient prophecy about a forgotten Greek goddess. As she’s pursued by ghostly figures and this ominous crimson dust, the search sends her into Arizona’s Superstition Mountains toward the Lost Dutchman gold mine and something the goddess left behind that can change the fate of humanity.

Grace Fox with the real Tucson Artifacts kept at the Arizona Historical Society. They include crosses, swords, and ceremonial objects dug up in the 1920’s on Silver Bell Road in Tucson. They refer to a group of Hebrew Romans that came to the Tucson area in 800 A.D. and started a town called Calalus. They have been widely discussed for their authenticity, and most historians believe they are a hoax. 

Betrayal and forgiveness are major themes that I felt were the engine that drove the story and brought it to life. All other aspects of the story fell from the heavens, really. What I mean is, I felt very guided at every turn. All the details of this story just sort of fell into my lap like they already existed, and I was just picking them up one by one, like a thread that I had already written.

CHRISTINA: This premise is incredibly compelling—the blend of psychic mystery, ancient prophecy, and layered history is rich with tension and meaning. It would translate well to film.

Do you hide any secrets in your novels that only a select few might know?

GRACE: Yes, there are several aspects to my novel that only a few people might know. First, on a Greek mythology level, there are hints throughout the book that only someone who knows it well would pick up on. Including the ending, which mirrors the death-and-rebirth initiation of the Eleusinian Mysteries, an ancient Greek cult centered on transformation and return. And second, I’m fascinated by reincarnation, and it’s one of my major beliefs. One of the ghosts in the book who haunts Eleni, my main character, was inspired by one of my past lives. Only a few people know which ghost it is. He had a very tragic ending.

CHRISTINA: That adds such a fascinating layer—the subtle mythology and personal connection to reincarnation make the story feel even more meaningful. I love that there are deeper elements waiting for readers to uncover.

Have you gone on an author pilgrimage or research trip? Where and what was the most

memorable moment?

Superstition Mountains. Photo compliments of Grace Fox

GRACE: I have lived on and off in Arizona, about an hour away from the Superstition Mountains. My dad used to talk about going hunting for the Lost Dutchman gold mine. That was the first time I had ever heard about it, from him. While drafting, my husband and I took a trip out there and visited the saloon, the museum, and the little town of Goldfield. The museum even has on display the Peralta stone maps that are mentioned in my story. People have followed those very same maps in the wilderness, hoping to find gold for decades. It served as a great inspiration for my story, and I loved being there in the shadow of the mountain. The whole place really does feel different, electrically charged in some way. Sacred maybe.

CHRISTINA: That personal connection really brings the setting to life—it’s incredible how your experiences there shaped the story. The way you describe the Superstition Mountains makes it feel mystical.

Dreamcast your most recent book:

GRACE: My dream cast for The Virgo Prophecy would be:

Eleni Bishop – Mia Goth

Tom Dunam – Gerard Butler

Rafael Cavallaro – Oscar Isaac

Jacey Nez – Julia Jones

Rick Stockhorn – Forrie J. Smith

Tray Gavers – Walton Goggins

Astraea – Rebecca Ferguson

CHRISTINA: That’s a fantastic dream cast. Mia Goth and Oscar Isaac especially feel like they’d bring a lot of depth and intensity to those roles.

It’s been such a pleasure hearing the story behind your work—wishing you all the best with your search for a literary agent and the release of The Virgo Prophecy, and I can’t wait for readers to experience it.

Grace Fox, author

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Grace Fox grew up traveling the back roads of America, collecting stories the way some people collect postcards. The places she’s seen, the people she’s met, and the dreams she’s carried have always found their way into her writing.

Before turning to writing, she spent years designing and producing large-scale events for Fortune 500 companies and global brands. That work taught her how to translate vision into experience, with a deep focus on detail, atmosphere, and emotional impact—storytelling by another name.

Now, she writes full-time, chasing myths through deserts, ruins, and the lives of her characters. She is a member of San Diego Writers, Ink., has published short fiction in San Diego Woman Magazine, and is currently seeking representation for her debut novel, The Virgo Prophecy.

Connect with Grace via her website and social media @grace.fox.author