Hey there!
Now that I’ve sent off sample chapters of my forthcoming dark fantasy novella Fall, Sacred Apple into the great wide world, I figured this might be a good time to introduce myself a bit more fully.
So. Hi! My name is Emory. I'm an author, artist, and worldbuilder, though not necessarily in that order if we're looking at things chronologically. My creative life started with visual art, not writing. I was the kid at school that carried around more sketchpads than textbooks and turned in practically everything my teachers gave me with bespoke doodles and illustrations. Even when I turned in the writing portion of my ACT test toward the end of high school, I drew the proctor a little headshot of a character from whatever television program captured my interest at that time.
But I was also the kid at school that was always done with their work in ten minutes so I could firmly reaffix my nose in whatever book I happened to be reading. One of my earliest memories of my love for books was an attempt to check out The Prisoner of Azkaban from my public library when I was in the second grade. To my chagrin, the librarian refused to let me do so until my mother signed off on it because, and I kid you not, it was "too hard" for me to read at that age. My mom came to pick it up and I scurried off with it, happy as a clam.
Anyway, though I loved reading and drawing, it never quite occurred to me that I could write a book until I was around 12 years old. It wasn't a good book, but it was an attempt! The best way I can describe it is a mishmash of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Deltora Quest, and Legend of the Seeker. If your eyebrow raised or head tilted at the last title I listed, I agree with you!
But, I quickly grew annoyed with myself over the mishmash. I mean, the book was even titled CHOSEN (yes, in all caps). I don't think I could've gotten much more on the nose. Growing up, I loved loved loved all things fantasy: anything Middle Earth, of course, and Harry Potter, which was extremely popular at the time; but I also found myself increasingly entranced by gloomier tales, such as The Black Cauldron, The Dark Crystal, and The Last Unicorn along with stories in which things weren't as clear-cut or happy as one might hope a children's book would be.
When I was in high school, a friend told me about something called National Novel Writing Month. I still hadn't fully come out of Chosen, but I saw it as an opportunity to try something new that was more original. So, as my bio says, I "resolved to create a lush world of magic and excitement brimming with vivid characters, byzantine plots, inexhaustible lore, and shocking story twists."
This is what became The Chroma Books. I completed NaNo that year with a 70,000-word novel that now and forever shall rest in my archive flashdrive never to see the light of day. But, that kickstarted a fire within me that hasn't yet gone out. After completing that book, I set a goal to have a published novel sometime during my 18th year, which I somehow managed to achieve.
Now, eight years later, I've finally started a mailing list, and you subscribed. What a wonderful world!
Anyway, it's nice to meet you! I do hope you'll stick around. I appreciate you being here in the first place. Whether you're reading Thirty-Three Tales of War or Fall, Sacred Apple, thank you! There's plenty more on the docket, so stay tuned.
Until later,
~ Emory