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M.L. Rio
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M.L. Rio

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sureasmel

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Fiction, Literary, Upmarket

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December 2011

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M. L. Rio is an author, but before she was an author she was an actor, and before she was an actor she was just a word nerd whose best friends were books. She holds a master's degree in Shakespeare Studies from King's College London and Shakespeare's Globe and a PhD in English from the University of Maryland, College Park. ...more

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Where did you get your inspiration for all the characters? Did you start with an archetype and go from there, or did you start with the character and modified them to fit with the archetype as you went? :)
M.L. Rio I wish it were that simple! The characters, in their earliest iterations, were the result of my asking myself, "If you were to walk into a room where …moreI wish it were that simple! The characters, in their earliest iterations, were the result of my asking myself, "If you were to walk into a room where a small Shakespearean troupe was rehearsing, what personalities would you inevitably encounter?" And the fourth-years are what, after about six months of outlining and character development, I had to work with. I didn't at any point stop and say, "No, this person can't have that trait or say that thing because it doesn't conform to their archetype," or "This is what this character must do or say to conform to their archetype" because real people don't have archetypes. They're much more complex than that; thus also to good fictional characters. (In IWWV there's actually quite a bit of conversation about the students being consistently typecast and why that's often problematic. The short answer is that expecting real human beings to fit neatly in character categories established by drama or literature doesn't work.)(less)
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Combine Editions

Average rating: 3.95 · 509,634 ratings · 96,498 reviews · 6 distinct works • Similar authors
If We Were Villains
4.07 avg rating — 444,038 ratings — published 2017 — 82 editions
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Graveyard Shift
3.08 avg rating — 56,609 ratings — published 2024 — 25 editions
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Hot Wax
3.34 avg rating — 5,191 ratings — published 2025 — 24 editions
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In These Hallowed Halls: A ...
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3.33 avg rating — 3,830 ratings — published 2023 — 13 editions
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The Elements of Dark Academia
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it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2026 — 2 editions
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Hot Wax: un viaje ida y vue...
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More books by M.L. Rio…

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M.L. Rio's Blog

HOT WAX in paperback (plus tour dates)

It’s a been a long time with no news — but I’m finally back with a quick update on the publishing cycle. Hot Wax comes out in paperback today, with fresh new cover art. If you haven’t had a chance to snag the hardback (or even if you did) I hope you’ll consider picking up one of these rad new editions. We love the cover art — based on old Eighties wheat paste gig posters — and we hope you do, too.

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M.L. is Currently Reading

Confessions of a ...
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Dec 23, 2024 10:05AM
The Catholic School
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Oct 09, 2022 03:05PM

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M.L.’s Recent Updates

M.L. Rio wrote a new blog post

HOT WAX in paperback (plus tour dates)

It’s a been a long time with no news — but I’m finally back with a quick update on the publishing cycle. Hot Wax comes out in paperback today, with fr Read more of this blog post »
Sep 16, 2026 04:22AM  · 3 likes · 
M.L. Rio has read
Hot Wax by M.L. Rio
Hot Wax
by M.L. Rio (Goodreads Author)
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Mar 28, 2025 11:36AM  · 21 likes ·   ·  preview book
M.L. Rio has read
In These Hallowed Halls by Marie O'Regan
In These Hallowed Halls: A Dark Academia Anthology
by Marie O'Regan
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Mar 28, 2025 11:35AM  · 1 like ·   ·  preview book
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Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio
Graveyard Shift
by M.L. Rio (Goodreads Author)
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Mar 28, 2025 11:14AM  · 1 like ·   ·  preview book
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Death Comes Too Late by Charles Ardai
Death Comes Too Late
by Charles Ardai
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Mar 03, 2025 01:18PM  · 4 likes ·   ·  preview book
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Death Valley by Melissa Broder
Death Valley
by Melissa Broder (Goodreads Author)
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Jan 19, 2025 03:25PM  ·   ·  preview book
M.L. Rio is currently reading
Death Comes Too Late by Charles Ardai
Death Comes Too Late
by Charles Ardai
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Jan 19, 2025 08:32AM  · 5 likes ·   ·  preview book
M.L. Rio rated a book it was amazing
Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett
Red Harvest (The Continental Op #1)
by Dashiell Hammett
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Jan 18, 2025 04:13PM  · 40 likes ·   ·  preview book
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Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata
Vanishing World
by Sayaka Murata
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Jan 16, 2025 12:34PM  · 1 like ·   ·  preview book
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The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
The Postman Always Rings Twice
by James M. Cain
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Jan 03, 2025 01:48PM  · 47 likes ·   ·  preview book
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Quotes by M.L. Rio  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“For someone who loved words as much as I did, it was amazing how often they failed me.”
― M.L. Rio, If We Were Villains
tags: words
1938 likes
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“You can justify anything if you do it poetically enough.”
― M.L. Rio, If We Were Villains
1897 likes
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“Were you in love with him?'
'Yes,' I say, simply. James and I put each other through the kind of reckless passions Gwendolyn once talked about, joy and anger and desire and despair. After all that, was it really so strange? I am no longer baffled or amazed or embarrassed by it. 'Yes, I was.' It's not the whole truth. The whole truth is, I'm in love with him still.”
― M.L. Rio, If We Were Villains
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September 2026 - Scholars, Sins & Secrets

 
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Topics Mentioning This Author

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M.L.’s Quotes

“I switched to thoughts of the play. It was by far the healthiest item to concentrate on. Rehearsals were only days away; there is something wildly exciting about a company assembling for the first time on stage. There is also something strangely sexy about it. I can't pin it down, there just is.”
― James Kirkwood, P.S. Your Cat Is Dead
tags: theatre
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“Hope is a desperate man's currency.”
― Paul Tremblay, The Little Sleep
tags: poignant
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“People are islands,' she said. 'They don't really touch. However close they are, they're really quite separate. Even if they've been married for fifty years.”
― Ian Fleming, Casino Royale
tags: relationships
243 likes
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“Surround yourself with human beings, my dear James. They are easier to fight for than principles.”
― Ian Fleming, Casino Royale
tags: james-bond, principles
197 likes
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“In his mind he fingered the necklace of the days to come.”
― Ian Fleming, Casino Royale
tags: clever, poignant
8 likes
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