I love digging into new worlds. Books have the power to take us to faraway galaxies and fantastical kingdoms, and honestly… they should! There’s nothing that quite compares to exploring a world that exists beyond our own, and Emerson couldn’t agree more.
Emerson is truly a future-facing author, utilizing a virtual persona to interact with readers. Armed with a Madonna-esque first-name-only-approach and a mysterious internet presence, this Virginia-based sci-fi author truly allows the characters in All is Quiet in the Cosmos to take center stage.
Nikki: Thanks for joining me, Emerson! I’m a sucker for science fiction, and obviously, I love traveling to faraway worlds in books like yours. If you could travel to any fictional world, which would you choose?
Emerson: Listen, I don’t agree with who J.K. Rowling is and what she stands for, but I would love to live in the world of Harry Potter. The sheer number of things I could get done with that particular brand of magic would be astounding.
Ha, I can only imagine! Now, you share something in common with the Harry Potter series, right? You’re traditionally published?
I am trad-published with a small indie press. I’ve written for over ten years but didn’t start seriously considering publishing until Cosmos.
Which is about to be a series! Its sequel, All the Secrets in the Stars, is coming out this summer! We’d love to hear more about your writing. Tell me about your books and the genres you like to write in.
My debut novel, All is Quiet in the Cosmos, is the first of my debut trilogy and has both queer and disabled representation in it. I typically write science fiction-blend fantasy or just fantasy. Those are my two favorite genres to read, but I really enjoy an eclectic mix of things. I really try to read a lot of indie authors since my press is an indie press and I’m friends with lots of indie authors.
I love indie authors, too. Who are some of your favorites right now?
I have many! A lot are friends, though. (laughs) Nikki M. Griggs, Kate Jenkins & Morgan Moreau, and Aiden Thomas.
Amazing, we’ll have to check out their works! What about music, Emerson? Are there any genres there that you gravitate toward?
Oh gosh, I’m eclectic. I like to say that I’m polyjamorous because my playlist is all over the place. But I suppose soft rock to hard rock is generally the territory I stay in, especially for playlists for my books.
Polyjamorous! That’s hilarious, and so relatable. I also love to make playlists to capture the vibe of whatever I’m writing. Of course, on the other stretch of the book spectrum is reading. What’s your favorite book?
Currently, my favorite book is Legends & Lattes. It’s a cozy fantasy read about orcs and coffee. It was well written and just nice to sit down with.
Oh, that sounds fascinating! I love coffee, but since I’m allergic to milk — I consume great quantities of cheese anyway, for the record — I always like to ask… what’s your preferred milk additive? Oat, coconut, legit milk-milk?
Oat for coffee. Milk-milk for normal everyday use.
I love it, especially since it takes so much coffee to bring a book to completion. I know All the Secrets in the Stars is coming soon. What else do you have in the works?
I have many planned releases — the third book of my series, All is Grim in the Galaxies, as well as an unnamed prequel for the series as well. I have a cozy, queer vampire urban fantasy planned named Gender Affirming Scare in the works, a queer high fantasy called The Dawn and it’s Breaking, and a Lucifer retelling called The State of Color all planned as well. I have a possible mafia romance that is turning around in my head, too.
Oh my gosh, that’s an incredible and eclectic mix! Did you always know you wanted to be an author one day?
I loved reading from a very early age and have a very active imagination. I wanted to be able to bring worlds to life for other people the way that authors have for me. I also had a high school creative writing teacher who told me he expected to see my work in bookstores one day.
I keep hearing that tidbit about high school teachers inspiring us future writers. I hope they know what a world of difference they’ve made! Let me ask you, Emerson… how did you feel about required reading?
Oh, I hated required reading! I do it because I know its important, but I hated it. I’m currently getting my second degree and I still hate it.
Congrats on your second degree, that’s a huge accomplishment! Since you’re in school, I have to ask at least one question that’s almost politically polarizing for writers. So… Oxford comma?
One hundred percent necessary. Please use the Oxford comma.
Whew! Agreed. Now, let me ask, what does your writing schedule look like? And do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
I sit when I have time to breathe and write. (laughs) My advice is just write. Don’t worry about the semantics. Don’t freak over whether it’s creative enough or if someone has done it before. Don’t overthink it. So many new authors get caught in the cycle of overthinking and never finish a first draft because of it.
That’s great advice. Now, be honest… how many unfinished drafts do you have floating around?
…Rude. (laughs) I think I have about five.
It’s okay! I have a few works-in-progress myself. So, when you’re working on a story, do you typically like your characters? Do they ever get under your skin?
I typically like them. They do get under my skin at times when they want to change a whole lot of what I’m planning but usually we get along.
Honestly, those characters sometimes have minds of their own. It’s like… I just spent all this time plotting for you to do this?! They really feel like living, breathing beings sometimes. Now, what’s one thing nobody has asked about your books that you wish they would?
I would love for someone to ask me about names! No one asks me how I came up with the names for my characters or books and I love telling those stories since a lot of thought and foreshadowing goes into them.
Ooh, I love that! I won’t ask here and now… I’ll leave that up to our readers to ask you, because I know I personally love having that level of interaction with my audience. I just have a few more questions for you and we’ll call it a day. Are you a morning or night person?
Night. Which does not mix well with being a parent!
Ha, I get that! And when it comes to actually sleeping at night… socks or no socks? Fan or no fan?
No socks and yes a fan, but only when I’m not sick. I do not have a white noise machine. I need things very dark and very quiet.
I’m a white noise machine gal myself, though I can sleep during the day, full sun and everything. I always joke that I’m meant to be a vampire, though I do love the light. On that note, I’ll leave our readers with just one quote from your book to get them started: “I wish for more days of light.”
Emerson is a talented writer, and I’ve loved digging into All is Quiet in the Cosmos. If you want to see more and keep this series on your radar, connect with Emerson on Goodreads or Instagram.
Want to learn more about other indie authors to know? Keep an eye on my Indie Author Spotlight Series for more.