New Growth Show: Topics covered

• • 00:00 — Navigating the weird world of marketing in 2025

• • 02:59 — The Journey of EMW: From Marketing to Fantasy Writing

• • 06:03 — Building a Community: The Importance of Beta Readers

• • 09:03 — The Role of Subject Matter Experts in Storytelling

• • 11:50 — The Power of Feedback and Sensitivity Reading

• • 14:57 — Marketing Strategies for Indie Authors

• • 17:52 — The Impact of Online Communities on Writing

• • 21:01 — Fan Fiction and the Evolution of Writing Perspectives

• • 23:50 — The Role of AI in Creative Work

• • 26:56 — Future Projects and Marketing Innovations

• • 29:56 — Closing Thoughts and Community Engagement

• • LinkedIn: Jess Joyce, Tiffany Da Silva

• • Jess’ website, Tiffany’s website

• • Youtube: New Growth Show

• • Instagram: New Growth Show

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We recorded the episode back in November 2022, but it aired February 7, 2023. Here’s where you can listen:

• Apple podcasts
• Spotify podcasts
• Other podcast places –> Here’s a a list of other podcast sites where Kirsti’s work is distributed.

Kirsti and I met in 2021 through Growclass, Sarah Stockdale’s online growth marketing community. I’ve been a big fan of Kirsti’s podcast work since she launched her show in March 2022.

On the Thinking About Podcast, Kirsti talks with thoughtful, interesting people. Many are also entrepreneurs sharing lessons and insights they’ve picked up on their journeys.

I spoke about writing Chaos Calling and my journey through self-publishing. We also talk about balancing career commitments with creative work, having a life, and finding the motivation to persevere when chasing a long-term dream.

Who is this conversation for? Anyone thinking about writing a book, wanting to publish a book, or pursuing a long-term creative project.

It’s a tough world. Motivation can be hard to come by. We talk about that, too.

Part I: Writing Topics on the Thinking About Podcast

• 0:00 – 4:00 — Kirsti’s intro, which made me tear up, I won’t lie
• 4:00 – 6:00 — Why I chose E. M. Williams as my pen name, segmenting a professional life, thinking about privacy, and whether a pen name might be a good choice for you.
• 6:00 – 8:00 — Should you couple your business divisions? Why grouping consulting and publishing under one company works for me (so far).
• 8:00 – 13:00 — ‘Don’t Stop Believing‘: I believed at one point that my writing dreams were dead. We talk about the Medium essay I wrote, and why you can’t give up when life pivots around you.
• 13:00 – 17:00 — My wild experience writing Chaos Calling. Being open to a fresh inspiration download helped me to level-up my writing work. And, I also talk about how pivoting my approach to writing with Wattpad.
• 17:00 – 23:00 — Where did these characters and the Chaos Calling story come from? I tell Kirsti how I built the series in onion layers, and give an overview of the plot. Do I see the book in my head as I’m writing? Yes, I do. And people reading say it feels like watching a movie.
• 23:00 – 26:00 — Tricking your brain into being productive: I wrote the first three drafts on my phone while riding the TTC.
• 26:00 – 28:30 — Writing a story set in Toronto, why I wanted to write fantasy set in the city where I live, and taking inspo from the Raptors’ victory parade in 2019.
• 28:30 – 35:00 — Book production and feedback: How I took the manuscript through the editing process. We also talk about finding beta readers and editors. Is it scary to share your work? Yes, but you get over it.

Part II: Book Production Topics on the Thinking About Podcast

• 35:00 – 38:00 — What would I say to that younger version of me stuck in that car? We talk about how you don’t get to stay in the high place of inspiration, or the low place of despair.
• 39:00 – 50:00 — Book production and launch: We cover my process and decisions I made, and how to make space for the things you don’t know. Weirdly, Frozen 2 comes up a lot. I suggest places to look for resources and people to help with your creative project.
• 50:00 – 58:30 — What’s the most rewarding part of chasing your dream? I talk about the beautiful conversations I’ve had with people post launch, and why Growclass is the best. We also discuss the importance of focusing on the process and enjoying the ride.
• 58:30 – 1:04:00 — Books I recommend and how early Twitter (pre 2017) taught me how to be a better creative person on the Internet.

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TORONTO (June 27, 2022) — E. M. Williams has published Chaos Calling: Book I of The Xenthian Cycle on Amazon as a paperback.

Set in contemporary Toronto, the series juxtaposes modern-day careers and parenthood demands with the dynamic action of a superhero film. In keeping with that choice, Chaos Calling‘s diverse cast also features adults in their mid-30s with superhero-like powers.

“I’m a long-time fan of superhero stories,” says Williams. “Toronto is a popular place to film all kinds of movies and TV shows. But, few fantasy and science fiction stories are set here. I was excited to tell a story where Toronto could be itself.”

Chaos Calling features many recognizable Toronto locations, including the SkyDome, Queen’s Park, the Stockyards, MaRS Discovery District, and Montecito Restaurant.

“My characters’ careers reflect my experiences working in healthcare and startups,” says Williams. “I’ve lived in Toronto all of my adult life, and it was important to me to create a cast of characters who reflect the wonderful people I’ve met here.”

Chaos Calling‘s paperback edition named a #1 Hot New Release

Like the Chaos Calling ebook edition, the paperback edition also charted on Amazon’s Hot New Release list. It held the #1 position in Contemporary Fantasy on June 29 and 30, 2022. The book continues to rank strongly in the category.

Chaos Calling’s paperback edition also climbed the bestseller list in contemporary fantasy, achieving a #12 ranking alongside genre classics such as Harry Potter and newer releases, such as Holly Black’s Book of Night, Naomi Novik’s Scholomance Series, and Olivie Blake’s The Atlas Six.

“I’ve been reading authors like Naomi Novik, N. K. Jemisin and Margaret Atwood for years,” says Williams. “It’s a thrill to see my book listed alongside work of theirs and other peers in this genre every time it happens.”

Read more about the novel’s early sales success.

Balancing work and writing life

Beginning in 2014, Williams wrote three drafts of Chaos Calling using the Wattpad app while riding the TTC. She finished the novel during the Covid-19 pandemic. Across the project, she worked with 26 beta readers, two sensitivity readers, an editor, a copywriter, and a proofreader.

Williams also collaborated with several Toronto designers to create a strong reading experience. For example, she worked with illustrator Helen He to visualize the series villains. Designer Wesley Lyn used He’s sketches to create the book cover for Chaos Calling and design the series brand.

“So many people encouraged me along this journey,” says Williams. “I’m excited to share this novel and help it find readers while I work on the sequels.”

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What’s Vocal? Here’s the backstory

Based in New Jersey, Vocal is a competitor to Wattpad in the digital publishing space. Both companies share a similar goal: to build a digital hub where writers attract an audience and get paid.

Ten days ago, I’d never heard of Vocal. You probably haven’t either. But they partnered with Ayman, a breakout BookTok star, to promote their newest contest.

Like many #BookTok people (the hashtag for book people on TikTok), I’ve watched a lot of Ayman’s content. She’s entertaining, well read, and extremely connected to other popular BookTokers.

For example, when the New York Times did a story about how #BookTok is changing the publishing industry in March 2021, she was one of the people they featured. She also happens to read fantasy.

You’ve got to hand it to the Vocal marketing team. Their ads were EVERYWHERE in my feed. I instantly recognized Ayman’s face and was happy to see her getting some sponsorship money. So, I watched her video explainer.

It’s a simple premise. Write the prologue or first chapter to a fantasy story and win anywhere from $10,000 (grand prize) to $50 (25 runners up) for your work. Stories were due by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, June 6.

And, the catch? The story has to start with the sentence, “There weren’t always dragons in the valley.”

Picking a premise for my $10k fantasy prologue

Sometimes when I see a contest premise, I draw an immediate blank. My experience was similar with the $10k fantasy prologue. After I’d read the rules and requirements, no inspiration jumped to mind. So, I had a look at many of the existing entrants.

Unsurprisingly, I saw lots of Dungeons & Dragon-style photos and premises. They looked cool, but didn’t spark an immediate idea for me. Annoyed with myself, I went for a walk with Jerry, my husband and long-suffering soundboard.

“I’m not feeling the D&D stuff,” I told him. “It’s not my bag. And I don’t think going there will help me standout. What else could I do?”

“Yeah,” he agreed. “You write action. How about a heist story? I don’t come across so many of those in fantasy.”

It’s true. Scott Lynch pioneered the sub-genre of fantasy heists when he published The Lies of Locke Lamora in 2006. There are other books, but that’s the big series.

And, like the Ocean’s 11 franchise was until Sandra, Cate and Rhianna got in on the action in Ocean’s 8, it’s very male.

We shot some ideas around. I kept coming back to the one D&D character I’d ever made, a dwarf named Kevl. Interesting name, I thought. I’ll start there.

All the fun and no novel-length plot headaches

Only, when I sat down to write, Kevl the dwarf showed up as Kivel. She had a welding torch in hand and a penchant for surfing with her best friend, Jayne.

Cool, I thought. Let’s roll with it.

I had a lot of fun building their friendship and giving you a glimpse of their world, while adding some fun-times complications. Writing something other than The Xenthian Cycle was also a nice break in my writing routine. Particularly when I didn’t actually have to diagram the actual heist plot (yet).

I solicited feedback from my regular beta reading pool and hit the deadline. Thanks to Diana, Jen, Mary, Tanya and Jerry for the quick turnaround.

You can read “The Adamantine Heist” here. Wish me luck!

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TORONTO (May 31, 2022) — Today, E. M. Williams publishes Chaos Calling: Book I of The Xenthian Cycle on Amazon as an ebook.

Set in contemporary Toronto, the series juxtaposes modern-day careers and parenthood demands with the dynamic action of a superhero film. 

Consequently, Chaos Calling‘s diverse cast also features adults in their mid-30s with superhero-like powers.

“I’m a long-time fan of superhero stories,” says Williams. “Toronto is a popular place to film all kinds of movies and TV shows. But, few fantasy and science fiction stories are set here. I was excited to tell a story where Toronto could be itself.”

Chaos Calling features many recognizable Toronto locations, including the SkyDome, Queen’s Park, the Stockyards, MaRS Discovery District, and Montecito Restaurant.

“My characters’ careers reflect my experiences working in healthcare and startups,” says Williams. “I’ve lived in Toronto all of my adult life, and it was important to me to create a cast of characters who reflect the wonderful people I’ve met here.”

Chaos Calling named a Hot New Release in contemporary fantasy

In April 2022, preorders for the Chaos Calling ebook launched on Amazon. It was named a Hot New Release in contemporary fantasy, and remained in the Top 80 until launch.

Readers can also experience the ebook through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Program. It allows subscribers to read an unlimited number of books for a set fee. The trade paperback edition is forthcoming in June.  

Beginning in 2014, Williams wrote three drafts of Chaos Calling using the Wattpad app while riding the TTC. She finished the novel during the Covid-19 pandemic. Across the project, she worked with 26 beta readers, two sensitivity readers, an editor, a copywriter, and a proofreader.

Williams collaborated with several Toronto designers to create a strong reading experience. For example, she worked with illustrator Helen He to visualize the series villains. Designer Wesley Lyn used He’s sketches to create the book cover for Chaos Calling and design the series brand.

“So many people encouraged me along this journey,” says Williams. “I’m excited to share this novel and help it find readers.”

The post E. M. Williams publishes Chaos Calling ebook appeared first on E.M. Williams - Fantasy Author.