Emily Sowell is a practicing attorney who lives and works in a small city in Florida.
How long have you been writing and what got you started?
I have been writing since I can remember. My parents read to me a lot as a child, starting with fairy tales and leading to The Lord of the Rings. Soon I came up with my own ideas and had to try writing myself. My early pieces weren’t particularly good (although many thanks to my friends and family who dutifully read them anyway!), but they helped me practice until my writing got to a place where it could actually be published.
What is the best piece of advice you have for new writers?
Read a lot! Read books and stories in a variety of genres, by authors with different backgrounds and different writing styles. This will give you a strong foundation for your own work as well as inspire your creativity.
What is your favorite type of fiction and who are your favorite authors?
I have always loved reading fantasy. Imagination is such a big part of what makes us human, and fantasy is a perfect venue for this aspect of storytelling. The older I get, the more I have grown to love horror, as well. Bad things are inevitably going to happen in life, and the horror genre lets us confront and process that fear safely.
A much-abridged list of my favorite authors includes J.R.R. Tolkien (of course), Ursula K. Le Guin, Terry Pratchett, Stephen King, Guy Gavriel Kay, Tamsyn Muir, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
How do you measure success when it comes to your writing?
This is my first time being published. I consider this moment a fantastic success! I’m a practicing attorney, so writing fantasy and horror stories lets me give rein to my imagination. Continuing to share my stories with readers would be my dream come true.
What book are you reading right now?
I’m currently rereading Gideon the Ninth and Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. I’m in awe of how Muir plays with language and dares to make huge innovative leaps in her storytelling, trusting that she can bring her readers with her. I also recently adored the Scholomance Series by Naomi Novik for building upon established fantasy tropes with immense intelligence, wit, and empathy.
