Author In Progress

1. What is your Author name; use your Pen name if you have one.

E.A. Williams

2.      What is your genre and what drew you to it?

I tend to write in fantasy, mostly urban fantasy, but I have dabbled in a few other genres like scifi and horror. What draws me to urban fantasy is the sense of wonder and mystery. Is that shopkeeper going to be a wizard with an Iphone? Is this next turn a short cut to the grocery store or a portal to the fae? It really puts a veil of familiarity over the strange and wonderful that allows us to imagine how fantastical our own lives might be if only we had a few dragons in the basement.

3.      Which character of yours was the most challenging to write and why?

My current series, The Line of Tepes, has an ensemble of vampire characters who all have long histories. Keeping their threads from getting tangled in my head has been a challenge, but I think the hardest characters to write are my villains. Marcus and Melissa Caldwell are cult leaders, abusers, and generally terrible people, so keeping them grounded and believable has been work. I think it is easy in fantasy to get lost in the big picture story- the magical systems, the monsters, the history- sometimes the villains end up larger than life. Those kinds of villains can be unforgettable, but I have always found something compelling about a villain who feels like you could sit next to on the bus or someone you spoke to once and got a cold chill down your spine. So, I applied all the research I did on cults to these characters who have completely different ideas on how the cult should run, and filled in those little things that make character’s personalities really pop. Marcus and Melissa kind of make my skin crawl. I try to see that as a good thing. If I have a hard time writing them, because they feel like real and terrible people, then hopefully my readers can see them as the villains they are.

4.      How far along are you on your current work-in-progress?

The third book in The Line of Tepes series- The Path of Blood- will be available July 12th. I have a short story anthology coming up at the end of the year, which I am super excited about. It is a cozy fantasy world with some other great indie authors I met on Tiktok- @eawilliamsbook . Not to mention the million projects I have started in my story ideas folder. I’m also a big fan of post-it notes, so there are more than a few stories started on those stuck around my office.

5.      What is the hardest challenge in being a writer?

I think my biggest challenge with writing is back-story, or even background information in general. I love a lived in universe, something that feels real from page one, and as an author there is a ton of information that I have on characters and places that might never make it to the page. It can be a real challenge knowing where to stop. How much backstory is too much? Even now I have two spin off novels plotted out for side characters from The Line of Tepes. They have such cool personal histories, but in the main series all of that background is only hinted at. Finding that balance between a plank white page and grandma’s over-stuffed attic is probably the hardest thing for me. 

6.      What is your favorite way to connect with readers? (Social media, newsletters or something else)

I really love to do in person book events. I was always first in line at the Scholastic Bookfair when I was a kid and now book events give me that same excitement. It is a chance to talk with readers about what connects them to the books they read. I cannot tell you how many times I have gotten caught up in a conversation with someone who stopped at my table because we love the same book. There is nothing better than being able to tell someone about how the obscure book, movie, or TV show you both just gushed over inspired one of your characters. Or answer the burning question a reader has about my magical system. The one on one connection is unparalleled.

7.      Who did you dedicate your first book to and why?

It might be a bit boring, but I dedicated my first book to my family. They were incredible during the whole process, reading drafts, listening to me complain about all the edits I was doing, just incredible. 

8.      What is your favorite character from any book you have ever read?

Picking a favorite is almost impossible, but if pressed I would have to say Jane Eyre. It is one of my favorite books and she is a character that lives in my head rent free. 

9.      What is one book that is currently on your To-Be-Read list?

Another impossible question, my TBR is so long. The name that comes to mind is “If This Book Exists You Are In the Wrong Universe” by Jason Pargin. He also wrote “John Dies At the End” which is another favorite of mine. 

10.   Do you own any interesting ‘bookish’ memorabilia or clothes? If so, what?

I have a little Dracula Christmas ornament that hangs in my office 24/7. 

11.   If you could take one item out of any book that you have ever read, what would it be or why?

I feel like I read a ton of fantasy, so the obvious answer has to be a magic wand from any of the many many magic users I read about, but I am not sure I should be trusted with that kind of power.

12.   In your opinion, can a book series be too long? I do think that a series can get too long.

There is a point where all the information becomes overwhelming for the reader and that spot is different for everyone. That being said, every story has its own course and should take however long it needs. There isn’t a set number that is too many books in a series, it is all about hitting the sweet spot before the readers are overwhelmed.

13.    What is your favorite book turned T.V. show/movie and why?

The Hunger Games franchise is probably top of that list, along with The Lord of The Rings trilogy. When someone in my house puts any of those films on I am stuck to the screen for the foreseeable future. I think they stay pretty true to the spirit of the books and where it does change it makes sense for the new format.

14.   What is the name of your book/series? Tell me a little bit about them.

My book series, The Line of Tepes, is three books right now: The Line of Tepes, The Fall of Kings, and The Path of Blood. Emma King has been running from her mother’s cult in one way or another her whole life. In a moment of desperation she turns to a stranger for help and uncovers a family secret that changes everything. Vampires are real, and they might be the only family she has left. While she struggles to find her place in this new world of magic and monsters, her mother closes in. A war between the vampires and her mother’s coven is inevitable, the only question left to answer is who can Emma trust: the devil she knows or the one she just met.

15.   Do you have a website? If so, what is it?

My website is www.eawilliamsbooks.com .

16.   Where can we find and follow you? (Name your social media platforms.)

You can find me on Tiktok as @eawilliamsbook, Instagram and Threads as @eawilliamsbooks or Facebook as E.A. Williams.

17.   If there anything important that you would want my readers to know about you?

They can probably learn a lot more about me from my books than I would like. I have a habit of getting very attached to my work, I intentionally and unintentionally put a lot of myself into each page, if there is something important to know I think it is hidden in there