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	<title>Marketing your work Archives - E.M. Williams - Fantasy Author</title>
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		<title>I&#8217;ve pulled my indie book from Draft2Digital</title>
		<link>https://www.emwilliams.ca/ive-pulled-my-book-from-draft2digital/</link>
					<comments>https://www.emwilliams.ca/ive-pulled-my-book-from-draft2digital/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[E. M. Williams]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:04:10 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing your work]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Writing Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Amazon marketplaces]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Apple Books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[book distributors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bookshop.org]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chaos Calling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chaos Calling: Book I of The Xenthian Cycle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[distributing your writing work]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Draft2Digital]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[E. M. Williams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ebook distribution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[enshittification]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google Books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[indie author marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[indie authors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kobo ebooks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kris Austen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[libraries and indie authors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self-publishing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Smashwords]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Xenthian Cycle]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.emwilliams.ca/?p=4738</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>On April 14, I received a mass email from Draft2Digital&#8217;s CEO Kris Austen. His message informed me that they are: Why would they do that? Well, as the email states, legit indies are being punished because of AI slop: Like many platforms, we’ve seen a significant increase in automated and low-quality account creation in recent [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/ive-pulled-my-book-from-draft2digital/">I&#8217;ve pulled my indie book from Draft2Digital</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca">E.M. Williams - Fantasy Author</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p>On April 14, I received a mass email from Draft2Digital&#8217;s CEO <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kris-austin-1421862/">Kris Austen</a>. </p>



<p>His message informed me that they are:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>&#8220;Introducing account activation and maintenance fees.&#8221; &nbsp;</li>



<li>&#8220;Applying an annual maintenance fee of $12 (USD) to accounts whose earnings from book sales total less than $100 over the preceding 12-month period.&#8221; </li>



<li>&#8220;Offsetting a portion of the steadily rising costs we pay to maintain those accounts, including compliance, security, and infrastructure upkeep.&#8221;&nbsp;</li>
</ul>



<p>Why would they do that? Well, as the email states, legit indies are being punished because of AI slop:</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>Like many platforms, we’ve seen a significant increase in automated and low-quality account creation in recent years. This onslaught from automated content farms threatens reader trust in indie titles and risks indies being associated with low-quality “slop.” A modest activation fee can make a real difference and allow our team to stay focused on supporting genuine authors like you.</p>
</blockquote>



<p>So, <a href="https://craphound.com/category/enshittification/">enshittification</a> has infected both book production (people using AI tools to write very quickly) and book distribution (Draft2Digital being asked to distribute the slop and then finding it produces no money). </p>



<p>Indie authors like me who don&#8217;t produce slop but also haven&#8217;t achieved massive sales are the bystanders caught out by this decision. </p>



<p>Being listed on Draft2Digital gave me access to Bookshop.org, Apple, Smashwords and a swath of other book retail distributors in one place. Yet, for reasons I don&#8217;t understand, I&#8217;ve never sold a single copy of <em><a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/books-by-e-m-williams-the-xenthian-cycle/">Chaos Calling</a> </em>through their platform. My ebook sale landslides have always happened on Amazon and Kobo. </p>



<p>I was looking forward to changing that pattern one day, but Draft2Digital has forced my hand. To make staying with them worth it, I&#8217;d have to sell between 50 and 75 copies every year on their site alone.</p>



<p>The math just doesn&#8217;t make sense. </p>



<p>I&#8217;m sad to leave a place that made my work more accessible to libraries. I closed my account.</p>



<p>I sent my designer a message this morning. We&#8217;ve pulled the relevant buy buttons from my <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/">home </a>and book pages.</p>



<div style="height:100px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Will <em>Chaos Calling </em>be available on Apple &amp; Google Books?</h3>



<p>The short answer is not right now. Apple requires me to have a US tax ID, publicly listed address, and phone number on my website.</p>



<p>Google Books wasn&#8217;t included in Draft2Digital&#8217;s distribution but I found their backend so confusing I gave up.</p>



<p>I have to ask myself: am I in the business of a) optimizing to sell books or b) write them? With a backlist as short as mine currently is, B is the clear winner.</p>



<p>I don&#8217;t write for a living. My attention is always divided between creative work and the work that pays my bills. Thinking about ebook distribution isn&#8217;t my priority right now. Draft2Digital forced my hand.</p>



<p>I&#8217;ll revisit down the road when I have more books available, but <em>Chaos Armor </em>is my focus right now. </p>



<div style="height:100px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Can I buy an ebook directly from you?</h3>



<p>The good news: My ebook files exist in all formats because I use Vellum to make them. Which means, if you want a copy of <em>Chao</em>s <em>Calling </em>in a format other than Kindle or Kobo, you can send me a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/emwilliamscanada/">DM on Instagram</a> and we&#8217;ll work something out. </p>



<p>Creating an online store is something I&#8217;ve avoided since it takes energy away from writing. I&#8217;ll consider it in the future when I have more of a backlist. That&#8217;s why the Draft2Digital decision is so disappointing right now.</p>



<p>Thanks for understanding!</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/ive-pulled-my-book-from-draft2digital/">I&#8217;ve pulled my indie book from Draft2Digital</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca">E.M. Williams - Fantasy Author</a>.</p>
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		<title>November events (2025)</title>
		<link>https://www.emwilliams.ca/november-events-2025/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[E. M. Williams]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 12 Nov 2025 18:56:14 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing your work]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[book events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chaos Calling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chaos Calling: Book I of The Xenthian Cycle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fantasy action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fantasy action books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[indie authors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self-publishing]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.emwilliams.ca/?p=4513</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>The holiday season is a busy one, and I have a couple upcoming November events to tell you about. ESA 26th Annual Holiday Market, Craft Fair, and Silent Auction First up, I will be at the Etobicoke School for the Arts’ Holiday Market this Saturday, November 12, from 10 am to 4 pm. I’ve donated [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/november-events-2025/">November events (2025)</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca">E.M. Williams - Fantasy Author</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p></p>



<p>The holiday season is a busy one, and I have a couple upcoming November events to tell you about.</p>



<p></p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">ESA 26th Annual Holiday Market, Craft Fair, and Silent Auction</h3>



<p>First up, I will be at the Etobicoke School for the Arts’ <a href="https://www.esainfo.ca/community/sesat/esa-craft-fair-silent-auction/">Holiday Market</a> this Saturday, November 12, from 10 am to 4 pm.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="1024" height="941" src="https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-12-at-1.00.03-PM-1024x941.png" alt="" class="wp-image-4515" style="aspect-ratio:1;object-fit:cover" srcset="https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-12-at-1.00.03-PM-1024x941.png 1024w, https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-12-at-1.00.03-PM-300x276.png 300w, https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-12-at-1.00.03-PM-768x706.png 768w, https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-12-at-1.00.03-PM-600x552.png 600w, https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-12-at-1.00.03-PM.png 1188w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image courtesy of the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sesat_esa/">Supporters of ESA Instagram</a> account.</figcaption></figure>



<p>I’ve donated a signed copy of <em>Chaos Calling </em>to the silent auction.&nbsp;</p>



<p>This high school is part of the Toronto District School Board and uses this event to fundraise to support their arts-based programming. According to their most recent updates, over 85 vendors are participating this year with unique, handmade crafts. </p>



<p>I&#8217;m told the bake sale is not to be missed. <br></p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Ontario Author Holiday Meet &amp; Greet</h3>



<p>Some lovely indie SF/F author friends in the Greater Toronto Area put together this <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1560266988294471/?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[%7B%22surface%22%3A%22home%22%7D%2C%7B%22mechanism%22%3A%22attachment%22%2C%22surface%22%3A%22newsfeed%22%7D]%2C%22ref_notif_type%22%3Anull%7D">Ontario Author Holiday Meet &amp; Greet</a> event in Hamilton, ON, at <a href="https://crownandpress.com/">Crown and Press</a> from 1 to 4 pm (it’s also on a Saturday).</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/image-1024x576.png" alt="" class="wp-image-4516" srcset="https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/image-1024x576.png 1024w, https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/image-300x169.png 300w, https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/image-768x432.png 768w, https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/image-1536x864.png 1536w, https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/image-600x338.png 600w, https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/image.png 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image courtesy of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10164261933137139&amp;set=gm.1562077298113440">Indie Author Will Forrest</a></figcaption></figure>



<p>Canadian Indie authors attending: </p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://labartonwrites.com/">Laura A. Barton</a> (fantasy)</li>



<li><a href="https://jendraberri.com/">Jendra Berri</a> (fantasy &amp; SciFi)</li>



<li><a href="https://willforrest.com/">Will Forest</a> (romance with SF/F elements)</li>



<li><a href="https://www.nathanielluscombe.com/">Nathaniel Luscombe</a> (speculative fiction)</li>



<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/authormeganmcspadden">Megan McSpadden</a> (romance)</li>



<li><a href="https://karileywrites.org/">K. A. Riley </a>(SciFi and fantasy)</li>



<li><a href="https://missmyloko.tumblr.com/">Justine Sobocan</a> (non-fiction)</li>



<li><a href="https://sandystuckless.wixsite.com/sandyrstuckless">Sandy R. Stuckless</a> (fantasy)</li>
</ul>



<p>The venue is associated with Hamilton artist <a href="https://juliaveenstra.com/">Julia Veenstra</a>, a talented Canadian painter whose work I love. When lockdowns hit in 2020, I bought several of her prints to brighten up our living space, including one for my office. </p>



<p>So, that&#8217;s a little piece of serendipity around this event that made me smile.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" src="https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Amanda-at-WOTS-2023-1024x768.jpg" alt="Amanda at WOTS" class="wp-image-4517" srcset="https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Amanda-at-WOTS-2023-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Amanda-at-WOTS-2023-300x225.jpg 300w, https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Amanda-at-WOTS-2023-768x576.jpg 768w, https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Amanda-at-WOTS-2023-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Amanda-at-WOTS-2023-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Amanda-at-WOTS-2023-600x450.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Here&#8217;s what my booth normally looks like at summer outdoor events. The woman in the photo is my friend Amanda, who helped me design it.</figcaption></figure>



<p>If you&#8217;re in either the area, I hope to see you there!</p>



<p></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/november-events-2025/">November events (2025)</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca">E.M. Williams - Fantasy Author</a>.</p>
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			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Overturning my Internet bullshit</title>
		<link>https://www.emwilliams.ca/outliving-my-internet-bullshit/</link>
					<comments>https://www.emwilliams.ca/outliving-my-internet-bullshit/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[E. M. Williams]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 14 Sep 2024 23:25:04 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing your work]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Writing Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[An Archive of Our Own (AO3)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AO3]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Magic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chaos Armor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chaos Calling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Death of a fan fiction snob]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[elitism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Elizabeth Gilbert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fan fiction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fire Emblem: Three Houses]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fire Emblem: Three Houses fan fiction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[from the archives]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[i was a young academic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Internet bullshit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Into the Fishpond]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nintendo Switch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[non-binary characters]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[romantasy action novels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[romatasy novels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seteth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seteth fan fiiction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Setleth fan fiction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[what I learned writing fan fiction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[what i learned writing long-form serial fiction on AO3]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[writing process]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.emwilliams.ca/?p=4133</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Once upon a time, I thought fan fiction was terrible. In 2024, I wrote a whole novel based on Fire Emblem: Three Houses</p>
<p>Live long enough, and you may outlive your past self's Internet bullshit.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/outliving-my-internet-bullshit/">Overturning my Internet bullshit</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca">E.M. Williams - Fantasy Author</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<h2 class="wp-block-heading has-large-font-size"><em>That time I wrote romantasy action on AO3</em></h2>



<p>Live long enough, and you may overturn your past self&#8217;s Internet bullshit.</p>



<p>I&#8217;m a case in point. </p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p><strong>Me circa 2015</strong>: &#8220;<em>Fifty Shades of Grey</em> is the hottest thing in publishing and I have formed negative opinions about fan fiction.&#8221;<br><strong>Universe</strong> (grinning): &#8220;Hold my beer?&#8221;</p>
</blockquote>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-left">Unpacking bullshit can be a long process</h2>



<p>I&#8217;ve spent a lot of my middle adulthood digging out of elitism as a life choice. I&#8217;m also old enough that parts of that journey are visible in my Internet long-tail.</p>



<p>I grew up excelling in academics, and liked both school and learning. I won scholarships, awards, and medals. My family valued my achievements. </p>



<p>As I approached the end of my undergraduate degree, I had no idea what would make a viable career. What I wanted to do was write books. I didn&#8217;t believe that career would pay for my life, and neither did my family. At a loss, I leaned into earning a PhD in Science Fiction &amp; Fantasy.</p>



<p>That way, I&#8217;d meet the writers I admired and study the books that I loved. Win-win, right?</p>



<p>Diligently, I earned a Master&#8217;s degree in Literary Theory. At some point on that journey, I realized I was more interested in writing books of my own than in talking about other people&#8217;s work for a living. </p>



<p>I started working, first in communications and then in marketing, and writing on the side.</p>



<p>Like many creatives, my ambitions and opinions about what makes a great book exceeded my ability to execute for a long, long time. It was frustrating. I despaired and felt envy for people I perceived as having what I wanted.</p>



<p>During this time, I wrote some unfortunate, judgemental things about fan fiction. The original essay isn&#8217;t worth your time.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">My karmic turn in the river</h2>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignright size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="674" height="1024" src="https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Big-Magic-cover-vertical-674x1024.jpg" alt="Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert" class="wp-image-4142" style="width:250px;height:auto" srcset="https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Big-Magic-cover-vertical-674x1024.jpg 674w, https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Big-Magic-cover-vertical-197x300.jpg 197w, https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Big-Magic-cover-vertical-768x1167.jpg 768w, https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Big-Magic-cover-vertical-600x912.jpg 600w, https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Big-Magic-cover-vertical.jpg 828w" sizes="(max-width: 674px) 100vw, 674px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear</em> by Elizabeth Gilbert</figcaption></figure>
</div>


<p>In 2016, I read Liz Gilbert&#8217;s&nbsp;<em>Big Magic.&nbsp;</em>In it, she brings a non-elitist approach to creativity&#8217;s importance in our lives, while pointing out the elitism that exists in how we&#8217;re taught to think about how art and how it gets made.</p>



<p>During this period, I was also active on Twitter, which expanded my creative horizons. I listened to a lot of conversations about how widely people read, what participating in a fandom can mean, and why folks like what they like. </p>



<p>Reflecting on both experiences and my first essay after finishing Gilbert&#8217;s book, I realized I was doing nothing more profound than letting my fears about my writing prospects grab the mic while crapping on other people.</p>



<p>So I wrote &#8220;<a href="https://click.convertkit-mail2.com/d0uvz3v5k7f0h4p98g6smhz49g444al/9qhzhnhpmq057oa9/aHR0cHM6Ly9tZWRpdW0uY29tL0BlbXdpbGxpYW1zY2FuYWRhL2RlYXRoLW9mLWEtZmFuLWZpY3Rpb24tc25vYi1kMzM2Nzk2NDAwYTk=" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Death of a Fan Fiction Snob</a>&#8221; to take myself to task.</p>



<p>For years, I thought that was it<em>—</em>lesson learned.</p>



<p>The muse had other plans.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Switch game that changed everything</h2>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignright size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="185" height="300" src="https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Fire-Emblem-Three-Houses-Game-Box-185x300.jpg" alt="Fire Emblem: Three Houses for the Nintendo Switch (game box cover)" class="wp-image-4145" srcset="https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Fire-Emblem-Three-Houses-Game-Box-185x300.jpg 185w, https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Fire-Emblem-Three-Houses-Game-Box-600x971.jpg 600w, https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Fire-Emblem-Three-Houses-Game-Box.jpg 618w" sizes="(max-width: 185px) 100vw, 185px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>Fire Emblem: Three Houses</em> for the Nintendo Switch (game box cover)</figcaption></figure>
</div>


<p>In 2019 and 2021, I played&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_Emblem:_Three_Houses">Fire Emblem: Three Houses</a> (FE3H)&nbsp;for the Nintendo Switch.</p>



<p>It&#8217;s a strategy game set in a fantasy world with great characters, some heartbreaking choices, and a high degree of re-playability. I was quickly hooked. As I played the first of four possible routes, my passion for the game prompted me to read fan fiction for the first time.</p>



<p>Last February, I started rewriting the game as a romantasy action story on an&nbsp;<strong>Archive of Our Own</strong>, one of the biggest non-profit sites for fan fiction. </p>



<p>It&#8217;s called&nbsp;<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/53992603/chapters/136677424" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Into the Fishpond: A Three Houses Alliance</em></a>. And it&#8217;s finished.</p>



<p>While <em>Fishpond</em>&nbsp;has a small yet kind following (~7,000+ hits), I&#8217;ve had some wonderful interactions with its readers (~170+ comments). Since it&#8217;s over 215,000 words, <em>Fishpond</em> is the longest story I&#8217;ve ever written. It taught me lots about writing faster, structuring scenes, and building sexual tension.</p>



<p>Like Lewis Carroll&#8217;s&nbsp;<em>Through the Looking Glass,&nbsp;</em>which loosely inspired the title, <em>Fishpond</em> is a portal story about someone from our world who ends up in the portal world.</p>



<p>It&#8217;s also got: </p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>A romance between two people dealing with grief (if you know FE3H well, <em>Fishpond</em> is loosely a Setleth ship)</li>



<li>Found family</li>



<li>Dragons </li>



<li>Intense battle scenes (surprise!!)</li>



<li>Magical twins (again!?) whose sibling bond low-key powers the whole thing (picturing your shocked face)</li>



<li>My first non-binary character </li>



<li>A lot of non-canon lore that I made up as I went along</li>
</ul>



<p>Want to know more? Here&#8217;s the plot teaser from Fishpond&#8217;s intro on AO3:</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>Zara has just finished playing <em>Fire Emblem: Three Houses </em>for the fourth time when she&#8217;s struck by the injustice of watching her favourite characters die time and again. Why can&#8217;t she save all of them?</p>



<p>Fortunately, the Goddess Sothis agrees that this is a problem worth solving.</p>
<cite><em><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/53992603/chapters/136677424">Into the Fishpond </a>by E. M. Williams</em></cite></blockquote>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Getting over your Internet Bullshit</h2>



<p>My Internet bullshit almost stopped me from writing <em>Fishpond</em>. I was embarrassed to have once held negative opinions about an activity to which I was now devoting so much time. At first, I spent a lot of time minimizing this new novel and what it meant to me.</p>



<p>Some kind friends pointed out how <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/on-chaotic-loss-and-writing/">deeply sad</a> I got writing <em><a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/books/">Chaos Armor</a></em>, and how much joy came into my face when I talked about <em>Fishpond</em>. I&#8217;m glad I listened to them.</p>



<p>Besides great joy, this creative side quest proved I can build an audience entirely separate from my social circles and professional network.</p>



<p>I don&#8217;t expect the crossover audience for&nbsp;<em>Fishpond&nbsp;</em>to be high. Without game context, I&#8217;m not sure how much sense the story makes to&nbsp;<em>Xenthian Cycle</em>&nbsp;readers, although I did get comments from some people who&#8217;ve never played the game and enjoyed it.</p>



<p>Either way, I&#8217;m proud of the work and wanted to share that it exists.</p>



<p>Here&#8217;s to living long enough to set your Internet bullshit on fire.</p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



<p>Other posts in this series:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/what-writing-on-ao3-taught-me-golden-route-powerful-premise/">What Writing on AO3 Taught Me: Golden Route = Powerful Premise</a></li>



<li><a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/my-ao3-stats-model-why-i-built-one-and-how-you-can-get-a-copy/">My AO3 stats model</a></li>
</ul>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/outliving-my-internet-bullshit/">Overturning my Internet bullshit</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca">E.M. Williams - Fantasy Author</a>.</p>
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		<title>Kirkus profile on Canadian fantasy author E. M. Williams</title>
		<link>https://www.emwilliams.ca/kirkus-profile-on-canadian-fantasy-author-e-m-williams/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[E. M. Williams]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 04 Dec 2023 21:21:19 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[About E. M. Williams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing your work]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chaos Calling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chaos Calling: Book I of The Xenthian Cycle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[E. M. Williams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Guy Gavriel Kay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hamilton musical]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kirkus Magazine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kirkus Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lin Manuel Miranda]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[media coverage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[My Little Pony]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self-publishing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Xenthian Cycle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toronto]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wattpad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[writing process]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.emwilliams.ca/?p=4096</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>It&#8217;s official. I&#8217;ve got a Kirkus profile! Their digital site has published a piece on me and the writing of Chaos Calling: Book I of The Xenthian Cycle. It&#8217;s part of a campaign I&#8217;m running to celebrate the novel&#8217;s wider release. You can read the full article, &#8220;E. M. Williams Invests in Herself to Write [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/kirkus-profile-on-canadian-fantasy-author-e-m-williams/">Kirkus profile on Canadian fantasy author E. M. Williams</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca">E.M. Williams - Fantasy Author</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p><br>It&#8217;s official. I&#8217;ve got a Kirkus profile! </p>



<p>Their digital site has published a piece on me and the writing of <em><a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/books/">Chaos Calling: Book I of The Xenthian Cycle</a></em>. It&#8217;s part of a campaign I&#8217;m running to celebrate the novel&#8217;s wider release.  </p>



<p>You can read the full article, &#8220;<a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/williams-invests-in-herself-to-write-first-book/">E. M. Williams Invests in Herself to Write First Book</a>,&#8221; on their site. </p>



<p>As the writer notes, I am a marketer. And I have been in marketing for a long time. </p>



<p>I&#8217;ve pitched hundreds of profiles like this one for employers and clients. I&#8217;ve arranged the interviews, done the follow-up work, and captured the coverage.</p>



<p>It remains surreal now that it&#8217;s my work that&#8217;s in focus.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">What does the Kirkus profile talk about?</h3>



<p>If you&#8217;re a long-time follower of my books and writing, the points that got mentioned won&#8217;t surprise you: </p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>That <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/but-i-did-and-i-have-never-been-so-wrong/">believing my creative dream of writing a book had died</a> was a terrible experience. </li>



<li>My <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovGo-t2PR70">Tedx talk on Women, Superheroes and Power</a>, which contributed to my series. </li>



<li>I wrote a diverse story. Toronto is one of the most <a href="https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20170728-canadas-city-of-140-languages">culturally diverse cities in the world</a>. I embraced the process to get Anna&#8217;s, Jason&#8217;s and Dave&#8217;s characters right, which meant a lot of additional testing and feedback from my beta readers and editorial team, including <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/writing-resources-from-e-m-williams/">sensitivity readers</a>. </li>



<li>My long-standing admiration for<strong> Guy Gavriel Kay</strong>. Reading <em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fionavar_Tapestry">The Fionavar Tapestry</a></em> and seeing that it&#8217;s possible to  write fantasy with Toronto-centric characters had a huge impact on my creative life. </li>



<li>I wrote the first three drafts of Books I and II of <em>The Xenthian Cycle</em> <a href="https://medium.com/p/97c5a80b6e2c">on my phone using Wattpad</a>, but didn&#8217;t publish as I went. </li>
</ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">What&#8217;s most surprising about it? </h3>



<p>Half the fun to doing an interview is remembering to stay on message. You also have to go with the flow and have a good conversation. </p>



<p>Here&#8217;s what I forgot I said:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>I wrote <em>My Little Pony</em> fanfiction as a kid. Writing on a desktop in the 1980s meant I never shared that work. I don&#8217;t even have a copy of it today. </li>



<li>Anne McCaffrey provided my introduction to fantasy (specifically, <em>Dragonsong</em>). There&#8217;s even an homage to her dragon work in Chapter 21 of <em>Chaos Calling</em>.  </li>



<li>I write with an acute sense of my mortality and always have. It&#8217;s one of the things I admire about Lin Manuel Miranda&#8217;s <em>Hamilton</em>.</li>
</ul>



<p>Hope you enjoy it!</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/kirkus-profile-on-canadian-fantasy-author-e-m-williams/">Kirkus profile on Canadian fantasy author E. M. Williams</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca">E.M. Williams - Fantasy Author</a>.</p>
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		<title>I&#8217;m on Learning with Lerner!</title>
		<link>https://www.emwilliams.ca/im-on-learning-with-lerner/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[E. M. Williams]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Oct 2023 21:25:49 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[About E. M. Williams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing your work]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Writing Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[academia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Anna Lin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[artificial intelligence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Magic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Caitlin Moran]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[career advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chaos Calling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chaos Calling: Book I of The Xenthian Cycle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Circle Star Publishing & Consulting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[commuting to make art]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[creative inspiration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[creative productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[creativity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crowdfunding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dave LaRoque Montcalm]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[day in the life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[doing public-facing work]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Don't Stop Believing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Elizabeth Gilbert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Growclass]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[I was a podcast guest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jason Lin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lindsey Lerner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MaRS Discovery District]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mentorship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[overcoming fear as a creative person]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[podcast guest appearance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pseudonyms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self-publishing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[side hustles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wattpad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[why you don&#039;t have to suffer to make art]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[women and work]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[work and writing life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[working in marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[working in tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[writing process]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.emwilliams.ca/?p=4042</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Lindsey Lerner, host of the Learning with Lerner Podcast, invited me on her show to talk about being a self-published author and marketing consultant. Since this show involves both work me and writing me, the interview is attributed to my full name. We will pretend it&#8217;s E. M. Williams as usual. My pseudonym is more [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/im-on-learning-with-lerner/">I&#8217;m on Learning with Lerner!</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca">E.M. Williams - Fantasy Author</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p>Lindsey Lerner, host of the <a href="https://www.lindseylerner.com/">Learning with Lerner Podcast</a>, invited me on her show to talk about being a self-published author and marketing consultant.</p>



<p>Since this show involves both work me and writing me, the interview is attributed to my full name. We will pretend it&#8217;s E. M. Williams as usual. My pseudonym is more about being intentional regarding which part of my life I&#8217;m speaking to than an attempt to conceal my gender or create iron-clad anonymity, but that&#8217;s a whole other discussion. <br><br>The episode originally aired on August 14 and runs for about 40 minutes. Here’s where you can listen:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-writers-edge-in-leadership-and-marketing/id1643514744?i=1000624429410">Apple</a></li>



<li><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/1bH3BAMlHhs0bBlCCfOcsC">Spotify </a></li>



<li><a href="https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/61016386-dc9f-412a-915e-0cd6085d8b6c/episodes/f2ff5685-9e20-42f2-9ccd-877e8701c0b4/learning-with-lerner-the-writer's-edge-in-leadership-and-marketing-elizabeth-monier-williams'-story-learning-with-lerner">Amazon Music</a></li>
</ul>



<p>On Learning with Lerner, Lindsey interviews unconventional leaders who have blazed trails in a variety of ways. Her goal is to challenge norms, explore unique journeys, and ignite personal growth for the show&#8217;s audience.</p>



<p>Lindsey and I connected on email after I heard Johnathan and Melissa <a href="https://www.rawsignal.ca/team">Nightingale</a> on her podcast earlier in the year. I enjoyed Lindsey&#8217;s interviewing style so much that pitching my own story was the next logical step.</p>



<p>We ended up having a great conversation about leadership, mentorship, learning how to do hard things by doing them before you feel ready, crowdfunding, launching a consultancy, cracking my own creative productivity code to write <em><a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/books/">Chaos Calling</a></em>, and why I don&#8217;t think you have to suffer to make art. </p>



<p>Who is this conversation for? </p>



<p>Anyone pursuing an unconventional path who wants to hear more from people with similar ambitions in adjacent fields. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Topics we covered on the Learning with Lerner Podcast</h2>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>1:55 — Living in Toronto and a bit about my family history, along with my childhood desire to write</li>



<li>3:00 — Integrating creativity without bankrupting your existence; the myth of artistic suffering; Big Magic </li>



<li>9:50 — How I cracked the secret to figuring out my creative productivity process; the &#8216;Don&#8217;t Stop Believing&#8217; story; Chaos Calling&#8217;s origins in movement and Wattpad</li>



<li>16:40 — Being a woman in a field dominated by men; working in tech and academia; how those experiences informed Dave Montcalm&#8217;s and Jason Lin&#8217;s storylines; using commuting and consulting to make art</li>



<li>24:00 — What my typical day looks like now</li>



<li>25:20 — Changes in technology and research across my working life </li>



<li>26:50 — Mentorship&#8217;s role in my career and why I believe in giving back; working with Growclass</li>



<li>28:00 — How crowdfunding helped me develop the skills to launch a self-published book  </li>



<li>32:00 — I pitch <em>Chaos Calling</em> to Lindsey&#8217;s listeners </li>



<li>33:35 — My career advice on how to go rogue and work for yourself  </li>



<li>35:45 — Telling people what you do when you have multiple career pursuits; being comfortable with self promotion</li>



<li>37:00 — Best and worst career advice I ever got; inspiration is super weird</li>
</ul>



<p></p>



<p>For more, you can follow Lindsey and the Learning with Lerner podcast: </p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lindseylerner/">@lindseylerner</a></li>



<li>LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/llerner/">Lindsey Lerner</a></li>
</ul>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/im-on-learning-with-lerner/">I&#8217;m on Learning with Lerner!</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca">E.M. Williams - Fantasy Author</a>.</p>
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		<title>I&#8217;ve redesigned emwilliams.ca</title>
		<link>https://www.emwilliams.ca/summer-project-complete-ive-redesigned-emwilliams-ca/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[E. M. Williams]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 Aug 2023 17:27:26 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[About E. M. Williams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing your work]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[book events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Book news]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Book recommendations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chaos Calling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chaos Calling: Book I of The Xenthian Cycle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[E. M. Williams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GoodReads]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Instagram]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Xenthian Cycle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TikTok]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.emwilliams.ca/?p=3982</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Welcome to the redesigned emwilliams.ca webiste! As always, it feels surreal and great to share my work with you. The new site layout is cleaner and more airy. I loved the original look and feel, but this one should be more sustainable. It&#8217;s got better search features and (I hope) a more engaging home page. [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/summer-project-complete-ive-redesigned-emwilliams-ca/">I&#8217;ve redesigned emwilliams.ca</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca">E.M. Williams - Fantasy Author</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p>Welcome to the redesigned <a href="http://emwilliams.ca">emwilliams.ca</a> webiste! As always, it feels surreal and great to share my work with you.</p>



<p>The new site layout is cleaner and more airy. I loved the original look and feel, but this one should be more sustainable. It&#8217;s got better search features and (I hope) a more engaging home page.</p>



<p>If you&#8217;re new, here’s what you’ll find on this site:&nbsp;</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/news-and-events/">News</a> about my books, in-progress work, and events.&nbsp;</li>



<li>Updates on <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/books/">The Xenthian Cycle</a>. </li>



<li><a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/resources/#Reference">Resources</a> I continue to use in my book research.</li>



<li>Links to my social media profiles. I’m most active on <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@emwilliamscanada?">TikTok</a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22364914.E_M_Williamshttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22364914.E_M_Williams">GoodReads</a>, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/emwilliamscanada/">Instagram</a>.&nbsp;I&#8217;ve mothballed my Twitter and Facebook accounts for the most part. My presences remain there to prevent squatting. </li>



<li><a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/resources/#GoodRead">Book recommendations</a> for other authors whose work I’ve read and loved.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>



<p>The best way to stay in touch is to subscribe to my mailing list. I respect your time and inbox: I only reach out when I’ve got news to share.&nbsp;</p>



<p>This site also complies with Canada’s <a href="https://fightspam.gc.ca/eic/site/030.nsf/eng/home">anti-spam legislation</a>. If you subscribe, your email address will not be shared with anyone.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>


<div class="convertkit-form wp-block-convertkit-form" style=""><script async data-uid="f98065709a" src="https://fabulous-knitter-8780.kit.com/f98065709a/index.js" data-jetpack-boost="ignore" data-no-defer="1" data-no-optimize="1" nowprocket></script></div>



<p>While I wish pen names were ironclad, the reality is doing anything image-based in 2022 means my writing life and my professional life must inevitably sit side-by-side. So, if you’re looking for me in my work-life/start-up context, you can <a href="https://elizabethmonierwilliams.com/">find me here</a>. </p>



<p>I&#8217;m proud to have redesigned emwilliams.ca. Web overhauls are a lot of work, and I&#8217;m grateful to the designers who worked with me. </p>



<p>It&#8217;s fantastic to welcome you back after so many months of preparation. Thanks for visiting! </p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/summer-project-complete-ive-redesigned-emwilliams-ca/">I&#8217;ve redesigned emwilliams.ca</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca">E.M. Williams - Fantasy Author</a>.</p>
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		<title>Chaos Calling—GoodReads giveaway</title>
		<link>https://www.emwilliams.ca/goodreads-giveaway-win-a-paperback-copy-of-chaos-calling/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[E. M. Williams]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 13 Mar 2023 19:17:46 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing your work]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[and you get a book and you get a book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chaos Calling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chaos Calling: Book I of The Xenthian Cycle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[contests]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[E. M. Williams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[giveaways]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GoodReads]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[March madness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Xenthian Cycle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[win a paperback copy of Chaos Calling]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.emwilliams.ca/?p=837</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Win 1 of 10 copies of Chaos Calling: Book I of The Xenthian Cycle I&#8217;m running a GoodReads giveaway in March. Lucky readers in the United States or Canada will have ten chances to win a paperback copy of Chaos Calling: Book I of The Xenthian Cycle. I&#8217;ve done a successful GoodReads giveaway once before. [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/goodreads-giveaway-win-a-paperback-copy-of-chaos-calling/">Chaos Calling—GoodReads giveaway</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca">E.M. Williams - Fantasy Author</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Win 1 of 10 copies of <em>Chaos Calling: Book I of The Xenthian Cycle</em> </h2>



<p>I&#8217;m running a GoodReads giveaway in March. Lucky readers in the United States or Canada will have ten chances to win a paperback copy of <em><a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/books/">Chaos Calling: Book I of The Xenthian Cycle</a></em>.</p>



<p>I&#8217;ve done a successful GoodReads giveaway once before. </p>



<p>In June 2022, I gave away 20 copies of <em>Chaos Calling</em>&#8216;s ebook edition. During the week that contest was live, over 700 people entered. Of those, 600 left the book on their &#8220;Want to Read&#8221; list, which helps new releases gain visibility and traction on the platform. </p>



<p>This time, GoodReads was having a sale on their featured option, so I&#8217;ve gone that route. It&#8217;ll be up for about three weeks.</p>



<p></p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">When is your GoodReads giveaway? How do I enter? </h3>



<p>All great questions. Visit the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/enter_choose_address/363150-chaos-calling-book-i-of-the-xenthian-cycle?ref=giv_enter_cta">GoodReads contest page for <em>Chaos Calling</em></a>—you will need to be signed into your account. The contest is open to accept entries from March 11 to March 31, 2023.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="895" height="283" src="https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GoodReads-listing-for-Chaos-Calling.png" alt="Chaos Calling has over 25 ratings and 14 reviews on GoodReads." class="wp-image-3943" srcset="https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GoodReads-listing-for-Chaos-Calling.png 895w, https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GoodReads-listing-for-Chaos-Calling-300x95.png 300w, https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GoodReads-listing-for-Chaos-Calling-768x243.png 768w, https://www.emwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GoodReads-listing-for-Chaos-Calling-600x190.png 600w" sizes="(max-width: 895px) 100vw, 895px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Chaos Calling has over 25 ratings and 14 reviews on GoodReads.</figcaption></figure>



<p>As I mentioned, the contest is open to people living in the U.S. and Canada. </p>



<p>If you live in another market, please accept my sincere apologies. GoodReads only offers these two distribution for print contests. As a Canadian, I know the pain of seeing &#8220;U.S. residents only&#8221; in a contest&#8217;s fine print. I hope they expand the market offerings to include other regions.</p>



<p>So far, the contest is off to a good start. The last time I checked, it already had 2,000+ entries! </p>



<p></p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">If I win, can I get my book signed?</h3>



<p>Absolutely—but I don&#8217;t think they collect that information, so if you win, please drop me a comment on Instagram and let me know. I&#8217;d be more than happy to sign for you.</p>



<p>Good luck!   </p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/goodreads-giveaway-win-a-paperback-copy-of-chaos-calling/">Chaos Calling—GoodReads giveaway</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca">E.M. Williams - Fantasy Author</a>.</p>
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		<title>Chaos Calling gets a Kirkus Review</title>
		<link>https://www.emwilliams.ca/chaos-calling-gets-a-kirkus-review/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[E. M. Williams]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 30 Jan 2023 02:45:40 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Book Updates]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing your work]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Writing Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[action vibe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Book I of The Xenthian Cycle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BookList]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chaos Calling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Crooked Kingdom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fantasy action books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[feedback]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[industry reviews for books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kirkus Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leigh Bardugo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Publisher's Weekly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[strong pacing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[trade publications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[unforgettable monsters]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.emwilliams.ca/?p=777</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>In December 2022, Chaos Calling got a Kirkus Review. It&#8217;s my first review from an industry trade publication as a published author. It&#8217;s a huge milestone for me and the series! You can read the full review on the Kirkus website. What, what is a Kirkus Review? The three trade publications that cover books are [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/chaos-calling-gets-a-kirkus-review/">Chaos Calling gets a Kirkus Review</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca">E.M. Williams - Fantasy Author</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p>In December 2022, <em><a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/books/">Chaos Calling</a></em> got a Kirkus Review. It&#8217;s my first review from an industry trade publication as a published author. </p>



<p>It&#8217;s a huge milestone for me and the series!</p>



<p>You can read the full review on the <a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/em-williams/chaos-calling/">Kirkus website</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What, what is a Kirkus Review?</h2>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignright is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/x0qL3HowVUZcmnavPXJkoHy1-THaGKwI10hZkq4uqTiPE4cNaTAmV5JRwPzxHRScKTt1prNSE0Pm1M-Hk5CvQoO9J9KQOEaM5xv5GPEgZfu58QqWODFsl69bv66Mk40jYy6tgw8ylxJeqS8ZCOmHdi4QxUu1fct3YE8LJ9l4VUJcHjtFY9pUYvkKV7TCqg" alt="A screenshot of the front matter for Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo." width="300" height="400"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">If you skim book blurbs, you&#8217;ll likely see Booklist, Publisher&#8217;s Weekly and Kirkus Reviews often in the mix.</figcaption></figure>
</div>


<p>The three trade publications that cover books are <em>Publisher’s Weekly</em>, <em>Booklist</em> and <em>Kirkus Reviews</em>.&nbsp;</p>



<p>If you take a look at the jackets of popular mainstream books, you’ll likely see one or all three shops mentioned in the blurbs trying to convince you to buy the book.</p>



<p>In marketing land, that kind of endorsement is called social proof. It helps you take a chance on something new because someone else has told you it&#8217;s good.</p>



<p>For example, here on the right is the front matter for Leigh Bardugo’s <em>Crooked Kingdom</em>. As you can see, her book designer has prominently referenced feedback from both <em>Booklist</em> and <em>Kirkus Reviews</em>:&nbsp;</p>



<p>As an indie author, getting the attention of industry players is never a sure thing. </p>



<p>I don’t have a publisher or agent to vouch for me in those circles. &nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">How do you get a Kirkus Review?</h2>



<p>I submitted <em>Chaos Calling</em> for a review back in October. Participation is pay-to-play (and in USD, too, owww), but that only opens the door. </p>



<p>There’s no guarantee the reviewer who receives the .pdf copy you send will like the book.&nbsp;And their submission process is very blunt about that to manage your expectations. You also aren&#8217;t told who the reviewer is and the post is anonymous. </p>



<p>I waited six weeks to hear back. I did my best not to think about it during that time. Having the insanity of the holidays to prepare for made that easy.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What did the <em>Chaos Calling</em> Kirkus Review say?</h2>



<p>When I got the review back on December 27, I was thrilled. They didn’t give it a Kirkus star (the highest blessing), but they did say some damn nice things.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default">
<figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/fvq0Ve9ZSuVk1tZGAk_IKwtszfrZEfPkwlFc7hZ6qRgVgVb30oXHxjsEHp6nzkZTi0-3GFhOKNU8BV5wY9BLdgOCM_VkhX2SeS_GvIv5As55VkyClKeVpAOeVtX-1Iu4xMmmSwg_dbZzn55GoONVvMHdTftzjAu51jVhRwFNSCdyUh8uyX-J1Xr7hFBsqg" alt="An excerpt from the Kirkus Review of Chaos Calling. The closing lines read: &quot;An action-packed tale of valiant heroes and vibrant, unforgettable monsters.&quot; " width="773" height="339"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>I&#8217;ll take it!</em></figcaption></figure>
</div>


<p>I can’t tell you how gratifying it was to see the reviewer comment on the character development and pacing. </p>



<p>I worked so hard with my beta readers and editorial team to get those aspects of the book right. It feels amazing to see them singled out here as strengths of the reading experience. </p>



<p>Read the <a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/em-williams/chaos-calling/">whole review here</a>.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/chaos-calling-gets-a-kirkus-review/">Chaos Calling gets a Kirkus Review</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca">E.M. Williams - Fantasy Author</a>.</p>
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		<title>Final Trailer for Chaos Calling has dropped</title>
		<link>https://www.emwilliams.ca/final-trailer-for-chaos-calling-has-dropped/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[E. M. Williams]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 24 May 2022 21:56:47 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing your work]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Writing Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[action movies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[action vibe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[book trailers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chaos Calling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chaos Calling: Book I of The Xenthian Cycle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Convocation Hall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seed audiences]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seed theories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[superheroes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tech sector]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Fionavar Tapestry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Summer Tree]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Xenthian Cycle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toronto]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[University of Toronto]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[video content is king]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[YouTube]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://emwilliams.ca/?p=584</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>The final trailer for Chaos Calling: Book 1 of The Xenthian Cycle is ready. It&#8217;s posted on my YouTube channel. If you missed the first trailer, you can find that here. The ebook edition of my first novel launches one week from today. I started this project in September 2014. I remember standing in my [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/final-trailer-for-chaos-calling-has-dropped/">Final Trailer for Chaos Calling has dropped</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca">E.M. Williams - Fantasy Author</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p>The final trailer for <em>Chaos Calling: Book 1 of The Xenthian Cycle</em> is ready. It&#8217;s posted on my YouTube channel. If you missed the <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/marketing-your-work/chaos-calling-book-trailer-1-is-live-on-youtube/">first trailer</a>, you can find that here.</p>



<p>The ebook edition of my first novel launches one week from today. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe title="Chaos Calling: Final Book Trailer" width="1170" height="658" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eZTZx_y_HZs?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>It&#8217;s our time, Toronto!</em></figcaption></figure>



<p>I started this project in September 2014. I remember standing in my living room, on fire with excitement about my idea and eager to share it with others. </p>



<p>Publishing early was extremely tempting. Since I wrote three <a href="https://medium.com/the-drone/new-tricks-resurrecting-my-creative-dream-with-wattpad-97c5a80b6e2c">substantial drafts on Wattpad</a> with my phone, I had a direct pathway to readers literally at my fingertips. At times, the temptation to see what people thought was acute. </p>



<p>So, I resisted the impulse. Two of my advisors cautioned that nothing worth doing happens overnight, however much we wish it otherwise. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Good launches run on strong plans</h2>



<p>I&#8217;ve worked in the tech sector for over 10 years. In that time, I&#8217;ve launched a lot of products. Good launches run on strong plans, and writing and launching a book is no different. </p>



<p>My work back plan for this launch has over 300 lines. I&#8217;ve currently completed about 188 of them.</p>



<p>From the beginning, focusing on Toronto has been central to my messaging strategy. Fantasy&#8217;s a competitive genre. I wrote <em>Chaos Calling</em> primarily because it was the story I wanted to read. It just makes sense to emphasize the aspects that make it somewhat unique in the contemporary/urban fantasy landscape.  </p>



<p>As a young reader, I remember my surprise when I opened <em>The Summer Tree</em>, the first volume in<em> The Fionavar Tapestry</em>. It begins inside Convocation Hall at the University of Toronto. I&#8217;d never read a fantasy novel set in my city, though <em>Fionavar</em> is more of a portal story (people from here travel to the magical world where they encounter fantastical elements).</p>



<p><em>The Xenthian Cycle</em> flips the portal dynamic around. Instead of going elsewhere, the fantastical comes to us in all our 2014 glory. The juxtaposition, combined with irrevocable changes for my characters, puts their experience alongside the Marvel or DC films. </p>



<p>I&#8217;m fascinated with how extraordinary circumstances can transform ordinary people. I hope you will be, too.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">My goals for the final trailer for <em>Chaos Calling</em></h2>



<p>My working theory is that the seed audience for this story will come from people who live in Toronto (or Sudbury or Vancouver or elsewhere in Canada). I&#8217;m betting they&#8217;ll feel a similar delight in seeing their world enter the fantastic. My second theory is that urban audiences the world over will find echoes to their stories in the specificities of mine.  </p>



<p>With that in mind, I hope you enjoy the final trailer for <em>Chaos Calling</em>. Next week can&#8217;t come fast enough. </p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/final-trailer-for-chaos-calling-has-dropped/">Final Trailer for Chaos Calling has dropped</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca">E.M. Williams - Fantasy Author</a>.</p>
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		<title>Raptors Victory Parade: Were You There?</title>
		<link>https://www.emwilliams.ca/raptors-victory-parade-were-you-there/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[E. M. Williams]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 May 2022 16:48:33 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing your work]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[2019 NBA Championships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chaos Calling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chaos Calling: Book I of The Xenthian Cycle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[diversity and inclusion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kawaii Leonard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kim&#039;s Convenience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Masai Ujiri]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nathan Phillips Square]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NOW Toronto]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Schitt&#039;s Creek]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Globe & Mail]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The New Yorker]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Xenthian Cycle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toronto]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toronto championships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toronto Maple Leafs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toronto Raptors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Torontoist]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TTC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Union Station]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://emwilliams.ca/?p=547</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Were you at the Raptors&#8217; victory parade in June 2019? I was. That morning, I traveled downtown by TTC with my children and my parents. We decided not to go to Nathan Phillips Square at the end of the route, figuring the crowds would be largest there (and we were correct). Instead, we found a [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/raptors-victory-parade-were-you-there/">Raptors Victory Parade: Were You There?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca">E.M. Williams - Fantasy Author</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p>Were you at the Raptors&#8217; victory parade in June 2019? </p>



<p>I was.</p>



<p>That morning, I traveled downtown by TTC with my children and my parents. We decided not to go to Nathan Phillips Square at the end of the route, figuring the crowds would be largest there (and we were correct).</p>



<p>Instead, we found a spot outside Union Station at the intersection of York Street, Front Street and University Avenue (it&#8217;s a five-way intersection). On the southwest corner, there&#8217;s a restaurant with a concrete retaining wall around its garden. We settled on its flat top and got comfortable.</p>



<p>Good thing, too. It was a looooooooong wait.</p>



<div style="height:100px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">A sports thirst like no other </h2>



<p>Toronto is a sports-mad city. The Maple Leafs haven&#8217;t won a championship since the &#8217;60s. Until 2019, the Raptors, formed in 1995, had never made it past the second round. And, while our other sports teams like the Blue Jays have been blessed with wins over the years, we wanted more. </p>



<p>Badly.</p>



<p>So, when the Raptors triumphed over the Golden State Warriors, the atmosphere was electric. People drove and ran through our neighbourhood honking their horns and cheering. Local <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/raptors-economic-impact-1.5175982" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bars cleaned up</a>.</p>



<p>The crowds that showed up to the parade were so large that the open-topped buses carrying the team had trouble advancing through the packed streets. The police presence wasn&#8217;t adequate enough to keep bystanders back. </p>



<p>Overwhelmed cell towers failed. For several hours, I couldn&#8217;t see my social media feeds send or receive texts. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe title="Aerial view shows massive crowds at Raptors parade" width="1170" height="658" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UzKQdUWR-Tc?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>As this video opens, we&#8217;re somewhere below the tree cluster in the bottom left.</em></figcaption></figure>



<p>By the time we spotted Kawaii and the trophy, we&#8217;d been waiting for five hours. By that point, my family had been pressed against the retaining wall by the sheer crush of people. Those moving through the crowd had to inch past us. It was a literal sea of humanity. </p>



<p>Media estimates <a href="https://www.cp24.com/news/more-than-one-million-attended-raptors-parade-ttc-breaks-record-1.4472009" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">claimed 1 million people</a> attended. That&#8217;s over a third of Toronto&#8217;s population.</p>



<p>Nothing describes what it was like to cheer with a million people that afternoon. And as I stood there, in the presence of what felt like the entire world, I thought: </p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>&#8220;If everyone here is ready to celebrate Toronto in sports, will they be interested in celebrating it in other forms? What if everyone here is a future reader of my book?&#8221;</p>
</blockquote>



<div style="height:100px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Diversity everywhere you look</h2>



<p>If you told me that there was someone in that crowd with familial ties to every country in the world, I&#8217;d believe you.</p>



<p>Basketball is a dynamic, exciting game that attracts a wide international fan base. During the Raptors&#8217; championship run, the players talked about how inspiring it was to know that a whole country, not just the city, was cheering for them.</p>



<p>On that stifling afternoon, people moved around us in a constant flow from all walks of life: young and old, families and groups of friends. After the pandemic and so much social isolation, it&#8217;s the kind of memory that feels like a fever dream. </p>



<p>But standing among everyone celebrating, Toronto&#8217;s future was obvious: It&#8217;s young, passionate and diverse.</p>



<p>Equally obviously: Stories that hope to tell our story on the global stage must reflect that same diversity. </p>



<div style="height:100px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Toronto is ready to be itself</h2>



<p>We have a long history in this city of pretending to be other places. </p>



<p><em>Chicago</em>, <em>Mean Girls</em>, <em>American Psycho</em>, <em>Good Will Hunting</em>, <em>The Virgin Suicides</em>, <em>The Umbrella Academy</em>, <em>Hairspray</em>,<em>The Shape of Water</em>, <em>X-Men</em>, <em>Pacific Rim</em>, <em>Suicide Squad</em>, and <em>The Incredible Hulk</em> are only a few of the many films and TV series filmed in Toronto.</p>



<p>Even on the rare occasions when Toronto plays itself, as the city does in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orphan_Black" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Orphan Black</a>, the reference isn&#8217;t explicit. You have to catch mentions of places like &#8216;Scarborough&#8217; to be sure we&#8217;re not pretending to be New York, Chicago, or literally anywhere else. </p>



<p>For a long time, the outlier was <em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Pilgrim_vs._the_World" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Scott Pilgrim vs. The World</a></em>, which is based on a Toronto graphic novel series of the same name:</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img decoding="async" src="https://i.pinimg.com/736x/8d/1a/c0/8d1ac02d9834b3b7eb9906b714272636--scott-pilgrim-toronto-canada.jpg" alt="Baldwin steps at Casa Loma, Toronto in Scott Pilgrim vs the world #casaloma  #toronto #baldwinsteps | Scott pilgrim vs. the world, Scott pilgrim, Vs the  world" style="width:540px;height:338px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>Toronto&#8217;s Casa Loma steps feature prominently in </em>Scott Pligrim vs. The World</figcaption></figure>
</div>


<p>Recently, however, things have shifted.</p>



<p>CBC shows like Schitt&#8217;s Creek and Kim&#8217;s Convenience, set in small-town Ontario and Toronto, respectively, found global audiences through CBC, Netflix and other streaming services.</p>



<p>Last spring, Pixar scored a critical hit with <em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turning_Red" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Turning Red</a></em>, an animated feature film explicit about its Toronto connection and inspiration. Director Domee Shee is Chinese Canadian and told a story grounded in personal detail about a teenage girl entering puberty, torn at points between her mother and her friends. </p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img decoding="async" src="https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/review-turning-red-is-a-pixar-movie-that-stays-true-to-horny-toronto.jpeg" alt="Review: Turning Red is a Pixar movie that stays true to horny Toronto" style="width:675px;height:450px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>The CN Tower and SkyDome feature prominently in Pixar&#8217;s </em>Turning Red. <em>Photo courtesy </em><a href="https://nowtoronto.com/movies/review-turning-red-is-a-pixar-movie-that-stays-true-to-horny-toronto" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NOW Toronto</a>.</figcaption></figure>
</div>


<p>Despite a few fringe reviews that questioned its relevance, audiences found glorious universality in its specifics. </p>



<div style="height:100px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">A global urban brand in a changing world</h2>



<p>In his victory remarks post-parade, Raptors President and Vice-Chairman Masai Ujiri&nbsp;was vocal about the Raptors and their potential to be a global brand. Here&#8217;s an excerpt from Cathal Kelly&#8217;s Op-Ed that week: </p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>Ujiri spoke of the Raptors franchise in terms reserved for European soccer elites – truly global teams as likely to be followed in Taipei or Kinshasa as they are at home. This is a team that for years struggled to articulate why it should even exist.</p>



<p>Are the Raptors now bigger than the NBA?</p>



<p>“Yes. There’s no doubt about it,” Ujiri said, then referenced Liverpool FC: “We’re the new Reds. We’re going to capture the world.”<br>This is dizzying stuff. Nobody in this country talks this way. Too show-offy. Too treacly. Perhaps we should ask ourselves: Why not? Because it sounds kinda nice.</p>



<p>~ Cathal Kelly&#8217;s column, &#8220;With Churchillian rhetoric, Masai Ujiri envisions the Raptors as one of the world’s great franchises,&#8221; published in <a href="http://With Churchillian rhetoric, Masai Ujiri envisions the Raptors as one of the world’s great franchises" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Globe and Mail</a>, June 25, 2019</p>
</blockquote>



<p>Three years later, Ujiri signed another contract with the Raptors. He&#8217;s still bullish about the city and its prospects: </p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>There is something unique about this place, which is why I took the job here. Even when we’ve won the championship, it’s almost still unknown. It’s a gold mine. Because it’s outside the United States, I don’t think people recognize that as much. There are so many things that can expand the minds of players, partners, workers.</p>
<cite>~ Masai Ujiri in conversation with Louisa Thomas from, &#8220;How Masai Ujiri Builds a Team,&#8221; published in <em><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/how-masai-ujiri-builds-a-team" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The New Yorker</a></em>, November 7, 2021</cite></blockquote>



<p>Ujiri was the first to suggest that the power of that Raptors parade crowd could power a wider global movement. Five years into my own Toronto novel project, I was moved to hear someone of his achievements agree that there&#8217;s something special about this city&#8217;s blend of people and experience.</p>



<p>Could <em><a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/books/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chaos Calling</a></em> be another story that captures the hearts of a global audience? </p>



<p>There&#8217;s only one way to find out.</p>



<p>Two weeks to go until launch!</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca/raptors-victory-parade-were-you-there/">Raptors Victory Parade: Were You There?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.emwilliams.ca">E.M. Williams - Fantasy Author</a>.</p>
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