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E.M. Williams

Goodreads Author


Born
in Northern ON, Canada
Website

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Influences
Tolkien, Octavia Butler, Thomas King, Ursula LeGuin, Guy Gavriel Kay, ...more

Member Since
March 2022


Born in Northern Ontario, E. M. Williams has written all her life. Chaos Calling: Book I of The Xenthian Cycle is her first published novel.

In 2012, she gave a TedxTalk on women, superheroes and power. Originally intended to make her past scholarship work more accessible to a wider audience, it inadvertently supercharged her writing.

Chaos Calling, her first novel in The Xenthian Cycle, won the 2025 Canadian Book Club Award in SCI-FI/Fantasy (Feb 11, 2026).

E. M. Williams is a member of the Writer’s Union of Canada and the Canadian Science Fiction & Fantasy Association. She currently lives with her family in Toronto, where she works in the technology sector.

How my book ratings work
5 star:
This book's quality & my subjective reality perfectly
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To ask E.M. Williams questions, please sign up.

Popular Answered Questions

E.M. Williams I don't control what happens when I sit down to write, but I do control the discipline of having a regular time to work, even when it's only a few min…moreI don't control what happens when I sit down to write, but I do control the discipline of having a regular time to work, even when it's only a few minutes each day.

I wrote the first three drafts of Chaos Calling on my phone using Wattpad while riding the TTC (Toronto's subway system) during my commute. It's amazing what you can accomplish in 20 minutes at regular intervals. I loved those moments of retreat and escape.

If you're determined to write, making space for the work allows creativity to show up in your practice. (less)
E.M. Williams Research is an important part of the process, but the big level-up answers reveal themselves from inside your creativity like a flower opening to the …moreResearch is an important part of the process, but the big level-up answers reveal themselves from inside your creativity like a flower opening to the sun. It's always a surprise and I love those moments of revelation.(less)
Average rating: 4.47 · 68 ratings · 27 reviews · 2 distinct worksSimilar authors
Chaos Calling (The Xenthian...

4.46 avg rating — 67 ratings2 editions
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Chaos Armor: Book II of The...

it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating
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* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

Chaos Calling is a 2025 Canadian Book Club Awards finalist in Sci-fi/Fantasy

The Canadian Book Club Awards (CBCA), the country’s largest readers’ choice award, has announced the finalists for its 2025 awards.

Eighteen books competed in the fantasy category this year.

Chaos Calling: Book I of The Xenthian Cycle, by E. M. Williams, is among the three fantasy finalists advancing to the final voting round.

Winners will be announced in February 2026.

You can read the full story on Read more of this blog post »
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Published on November 20, 2025 13:50 Tags: awards, chaos-calling, indie-authors, xenthian-cycle
Chaos Calling
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4.46 avg rating — 67 ratings

Persepolis: The S...
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The Woman in White
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E.M.’s Recent Updates

E.M. Williams started reading
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
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Enshittification by Cory Doctorow
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If you don't work in tech, a lot of what Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It by Cory Doctorow may land as a surprise.

I have worked in tech for 15 years. I was not surprised.

Doctorow is a bit like the the
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Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum
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Bookish people often like stories about books and I liked Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum.

Originally published in Korean, it's the story of Yeongju, a burned out corporate drone who decides she can't keep going and blows up
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E.M. Williams is currently reading
Rites of the Starling by Devney Perry
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The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
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Heart the Lover by Lily King
Heart the Lover
by Lily King (Goodreads Author)
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I adored Heart the Lover and devoured it in 24 hours. It's the kind of five-star book that lands for me both because of the quality of the premise and line-level execution, and because of where it met me in my life.

Heart is narrated by a young wo
...more
The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez
" Karen wrote: "I couldn't agree with you more about this book and the author. I love her writing. Thank you for this wonderful review, EM. I am glad yo ...more "
Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum
" Karen wrote: "I hope you enjoy this one, too EM. ☺️"

I am so far, yes! I think most book people are suckers for stories set in bookshops, and I am no
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E.M. Williams wants to read
The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
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Heart the Lover by Lily King
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More of E.M.'s books…
Jane Austen
“There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature.”
Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

Christopher Marlowe
“Come live with me and be my Love,
And we will all the pleasures prove”
Christopher Marlowe, The Complete Plays and Poems

J.R.R. Tolkien
“Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.”
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Christopher Marlowe
“You must be proud, bold, pleasant, resolute,
And now and then stab, when occasion serves.”
Christopher Marlowe

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