Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: Today we’ll talk to T. Emiller about their fantasy series, starting with In Shadows Lie. T., can you introduce us to your books?  

T.: Living the dream? More like a nightmare! When Liana’s dreams start blending with reality, she isn’t sure what to trust or even who! Ripped from her average life and thrown into the realm of her past, Liana must figure out which way is up or risk losing herself and an entire Kingdom to the darkness unleashed.

Sabitha: That’s an exciting premise! What inspired you to write these books?

T.: I have sleep paralysis. When I first started having episodes, I would keep myself up for days to avoid them. After some time, my mother said that wasn’t good for my health and suggested journaling. My brother read the journal and suggested I turn it into a book. I started the book, but life interrupted numerous times, and I lost countless copies. Later in life, after being baptized and praying for the purpose of my life, I felt led to write again. I was drawn back to this story and finally finished the first book. When my partner learned about it, they were adamant that I publish.

Sabitha: Writing is so important, both for authors and readers. On that note, what book do you tell all your friends to read?

T.: It’s hard to think of just one, but The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis had a huge impact on my mindset when writing this story and in general.

Sabitha: Have you ever killed off a character your readers loved?

T.: I haven’t received feedback from my readers on the characters that have hit the chopping block. Personally, it was quite traumatic killing off at least two of them and one wasn’t human. I don’t want to spoil it so you’ll just have to read for yourself!

Sabitha: How much research did you need to do for your book?

T.: When it came to research that needed to be done for my series, I did quite an extensive amount. The series contains quite a bit of supernatural entities. I spent countless hours researching tales and myths across cultures to find commonalities in the creatures encountered in my stories. I also researched the way these creatures were usually depicted in other stories and tried to give a twist so they weren’t the typical creatures the reader would expect.

Sabitha: Do you have any suggestions to help people in our community become better writers?

T.: I would suggest writing and reading more! Education and practice are key to honing any technique. The writing community is also extremely supportive. Find the group of writers that match your style, then learn and grow! Don’t waste time worrying if you’re good enough.

Sabitha: That’s such good advice. Who did you imagine reading your book as you wrote it?

T.: As I wrote the book, I imagined my target audience would be a young adult, primarily female crowd. I was beyond amazed to find my books have been embraced across gender, age, and geographical demographics. I even have a huge fan that’s in their 90s.

Sabitha: What’s your next writing project?

T.: I am currently working on a poetry collection and hope to release it soon. Don’t worry, I’ll be back to the fantasy books after!

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

T.: All of the links to my socials and each book are listed here.