Ask the Author: E.M. Anderson
Answered Questions (3)
E.M. Anderson
My top book recommendations are: Sangu Mandanna's The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches (cozy contemporary fantasy), Emily Tesh's Silver in the Wood (fantasy novella), Alexis Henderson's The Year of the Witching (dark fantasy/horror), and Talia Hibbert's Brown Sisters trilogy (contemporary romance).
E.M. Anderson
Thanks so much for your question, and for reading, and for your kind words!
Currently, I have another adult contemporary fantasy out on sub with my agent, so cross your fingers and toes for that. It's about an old man cursed with immortality who hunts ghosts to avoid making mortal friends who will die one day, but when a small Ohio town adopts him in the middle of a ghost-hunt, he must choose: leave to protect his heart, or stay to save their lives? It has the cozy vibes and found family of Sangu Mandanna's The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches and the endearing grump of Fredrik Backman's A Man Called Ove (but queer, of course).
I'm also working on some other projects right now, but I'm not far along enough with any of them to share here at this time. I do sometimes talk about current WIPs on social media (mostly Facebook, Tumblr, and BlueSky these days), so catch up with me at elizmanderson anywhere I'm at for more!
In the meantime, I do have several short stories published (although they tend to skew a little darker than my novels for some odd reason):
- "Something Witchy This Way Comes" in SJ Whitby's Awakenings: A Cute Mutants Anthology, about a young girl from an abusive home who finds unexpectedly family in the grumpy old witch in the woods. (Proceeds benefit Rainbow Railroad.)
- "The Raising of Hester Macrae" in Dark Horses: The Magazine of Weird Fiction (no. 4), about a secret necromancer whose plant-witch wife is blamed for the raising of a young boy.
- "Sea-Change" in Wyldblood Press's From the Depths: A Fantasy Anthology, about an ex-sea captain, the young sailor who simps for her, and the sea-goddess she never got over.
All these publications are listed here on my author page, and buy links can be found at my linktree: https://linktr.ee/elizmanderson
You may also be able to request the anthologies through your local library (although you might have to make a purchase request first).
Currently, I have another adult contemporary fantasy out on sub with my agent, so cross your fingers and toes for that. It's about an old man cursed with immortality who hunts ghosts to avoid making mortal friends who will die one day, but when a small Ohio town adopts him in the middle of a ghost-hunt, he must choose: leave to protect his heart, or stay to save their lives? It has the cozy vibes and found family of Sangu Mandanna's The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches and the endearing grump of Fredrik Backman's A Man Called Ove (but queer, of course).
I'm also working on some other projects right now, but I'm not far along enough with any of them to share here at this time. I do sometimes talk about current WIPs on social media (mostly Facebook, Tumblr, and BlueSky these days), so catch up with me at elizmanderson anywhere I'm at for more!
In the meantime, I do have several short stories published (although they tend to skew a little darker than my novels for some odd reason):
- "Something Witchy This Way Comes" in SJ Whitby's Awakenings: A Cute Mutants Anthology, about a young girl from an abusive home who finds unexpectedly family in the grumpy old witch in the woods. (Proceeds benefit Rainbow Railroad.)
- "The Raising of Hester Macrae" in Dark Horses: The Magazine of Weird Fiction (no. 4), about a secret necromancer whose plant-witch wife is blamed for the raising of a young boy.
- "Sea-Change" in Wyldblood Press's From the Depths: A Fantasy Anthology, about an ex-sea captain, the young sailor who simps for her, and the sea-goddess she never got over.
All these publications are listed here on my author page, and buy links can be found at my linktree: https://linktr.ee/elizmanderson
You may also be able to request the anthologies through your local library (although you might have to make a purchase request first).
E.M. Anderson
Find your community! Writing can feel solitary, but it's a much more communal effort than you might think. You need beta readers and critique partners who can help make your story the best it can be before you put it out there. You need cheerleaders who can help you beat back impostor syndrome and deal with rejections. You need friends you can bounce ideas off of. And being a CP, cheerleader, and friend to others is a reward of its own. Find your people!
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more