1. For readers who are just discovering you, can you introduce yourself and tell us a little about your journey into writing?

I’m E.R. Munley, and I’m a fantasy author. By day, I’m a high school English teacher who is just trying to instill the love of books into (mostly) unwilling teenagers. I live in West Virginia (USA) with my husband and menagerie of animals.

I have 2 complete series out that lean urban fantasy: The Statera Cycle and the New Ancients Duet. Both are very different vibes! I’ve been writing since I was little, but didn’t really begin this journey of authorship until 2015. My Statera co-author, Ruth Sanger, was living in China at the time, and we decided to write something together for fun. One book quickly turned into a trilogy and a short story collection. The rest is history!

2. Your books Mark of the Witch and Rise of the Wicked make up the New Ancients Duet. What is the series about?

The duology takes place in the dystopian world of Briganta. The empire is ruled by a zealot king named Georg VII who has ordered all witches to be hunted down and executed. There’s also another layer of history in there with Briganta having conquered their rebellious neighbors, Myrridia and Woad–at the time of the book Woad had been able to rebel and free itself from Brigantan rule, but Myrridia is still living under the oppression of the Dread King.

Kate Morgan, our FMC, is a witch who is living under the radar. He mom was a witch who had been arrested when she was young, so she very much is trying to stay out of sight. She is, however, working with the resistance movement in Myrridia AND living with her government official boyfriend. Playing with fire much?

After a magical explosion at her job, Kate falls in with the local coven of witches and finally tries to understand and unlock her true magical potential. It's a journey of really finding out who she is and protecting the people she cares about.

Tropes include a love triangle, a morally gray man, found family, fighting against oppression, chosen one energy, and more.

3. What originally sparked the idea for this duet?

The New Ancients Duet was born out of a hyperfixation with witch history. The idea of people way in the future stumbling across the Malleus Maleficarum (the super controversial and condemned medieval witch hunting guide) and then building an entire religion around it really piqued my creative interest. So that was the base of its inception. 

I also teach a mythology elective, so I knew I wanted a magic system based around world mythology. The world was much denser in their area when I started and really had to narrow the mythological focus for time and clarity.

4. You mentioned having a hyper-fixation on witch history. What elements of real historical witchcraft inspired the story?

Oh, I have a whole document of the easter eggs. I’ll share just a few:

• Malleus Maleficarum, or The Hammer of Witches, is a controversial medieval book by Heinrich Kramer. After receiving the full approval from Pope Innocent VIII, it was widely used to prosecute witches during the Inquisition. It was actively condemned by many theologians of the time.

• While historically, most witches were subject to hanging, it was common practice in the Holy Roman Empire to burn them to death, and this extended to the European witch trials of the Inquisition. According to History.com, “historians estimate that around 50,000 people were executed for witchcraft in Europe during the 15th–18th centuries.”

• A witch’s mark was a bodily mark that witch hunters would use to identify witches. It was believed that these marks sealed the devotion of the marked to the devil. The appearance and identification of these marks varied widely.

• All of the true witches in the New Ancients Duet are left-handed. This is an attribute that has been commonly associated with witchcraft and the devil. People of the middle ages were often accused of witchcraft simply for favoring their left hand.

• King Georg VII is two references in one! Georg Scherer was a Catholic orator in Vienna, Austria, who was major reason for the city’s only witch-burning. He claimed the woman was hexing her grandmother, who he believed to be possessed with 12,652 demons. Driven by the Malleus Maleficarum, his “inflammatory speeches” would lead to the torture, and later death, of Elsa Plainacher. The number comes from King Ferdinand VII of Spain who tried to reinstate the Spanish Inquisition after he regained his throne in 1812. The French Government stopped him from doing so. Additionally, the Dread King’s father, King Pendle the Conqueror, is a direct reference to the famous Pendle Witches of England (1612). 10 people were found guilty of witchcraft and executed by hanging.

There are a lot of other small references peppered in, but these are the bigger ones.

5. Were there any real myths, legends, or historical events that influenced the world or magic system in your books?

The entire magic system is based upon mythology. Mark of the Witch focuses on the Greek pantheon–it is the origin story of many a mythology nerd and likely the most recognizable for most readers. Rise of the Wicked brings in the Celtic pantheon. True witches are incarnations of these “ancient” deities and they merge their essence with their chosen witch through ritual. You also have Practitioners, which are the non-god version–very neopagan coded–who recognize the “old ways” and practices, keeping the living element of the magic alive when a deity isn’t around. It was important to me that both elements of magic existed hand-in-hand in this world. Not everyone can be a god, but anyone can have faith.

6. As an English teacher with a mythology background, how does that influence the stories you tell?

Mythology is one of my favorite things to teach, so I had a lot of fun deep-diving into the various pantheons and stories to mine out the pieces I needed for my world. I always found the underworld gods the most interesting, so you’ll see the largest number of those! I couldn’t ignore the Persephone and Hades of it all, obviously.

7. Do you ever find pieces of your classroom discussions or lessons sneaking into your writing?

It’s definitely obvious which myths are my favorites to teach because they have a bit more of the spotlight in my books. I’m sure that things my kids have brought up or said have worked their way into the pages too.

8. What makes urban fantasy such a fun genre for you to write?

The whole idea that a magical world coexists beside our own normal, bland existence has always had me in a bit of a chokehold. Setting magical moments in a very real, recognizable world helps to ground the otherwise fantastical story. I also think it makes those fantastical elements more approachable to someone who wouldn’t normally think to pick up a fantasy book. Opening up a whole new reading world for someone is at the heart of my work, be it teaching or writing.

9. Your stories blend the modern world with magical elements. What’s your favorite part of building that type of world?

There’s something comforting and easy about just making the very common world around us just a little MORE than we thought it was. I had a lot of fun figuring out how these witches and magic wielders (in both series) manage to keep their extraordinary existence under wraps about out of the public eye. How do these exceptional people convince people that they aren’t? It feels like a secret that you’re telling through the telephone game almost. Who gets to be in on it and how do you keep other people out?

10. What was the most challenging part of writing the New Ancients Duet?

Mark of the Witch was my first solo venture after almost a decade of writing alongside my dear friend, Ruth. The lonely work of writing was tough, but my characters were so clear and the direction of the story so solid, the only truly tough thing about that book was the toil of it all.

Rise of the Wicked, on the other hand, fought its way out of me with claws and teeth. I had the hardest time getting that book onto the page. My MMC, Roan, was a tough nut to crack, and caused me a lot of problems as I tried to get him right. Everyone else in the book came to me easily, but jeez to Roan fight me! There were a lot of surprising turns and twists that developed along the way too that I wasn’t expecting as I grappled with the story. Things that were supposed to be important kind of dropped away and other things were like “Here I am!” and demanded to be included. I missed THREE separate deadlines with my poor editor, but she was wonderful and so accommodating. We got it there, but it was a whole battle.

11. Do you have a favorite character from the series? What makes them special to you?

I really wish I could have given more page time to Cera Belmont in Mark of the Witch. I have an entire backstory (including some intense heartbreak) in my head that I would love to share on the page at some point, but its not ready to come out of me yet.

I also lived Bailey Murdoch in Rise of the Wicked. Her origins have so much depth and I would have loved to explore that more. Her backstory really breaks my heart and the way she claws her way out of the abyss of it is just so empowering. I don’t want to spoil it, so just read the book.

12. Was there a particular scene in the duet that you loved writing the most?

Oh, yes. The confession scene in Rise of the Wicked. It literally came to me while I was driving alone in my car. I was merging from one highway to another and it just slammed into my brain. I couldn’t get to my voice memos at the time to record it for myself, so I had to just repeat it over and over like a crazy person for 30 minutes until I could park my car and type it out. That was the clearest Roan and ever come through to me and it really set the tone for a lot of his character in the rest of the book.

13. You currently have six publications and two completed series. How has your writing evolved since your first book?

The Price of Broken Magic was just something that Ruth Sanger and I wrote back and forth for fun. We didn’t have much of a plan going into it beyond the very basic premise of 2 women from different cultural magic saving the world of magic by questing to find a magic item. We just traded narration back and forth and wrote each other into corners until we realized the story was too big for one book. We did a little more outlining and planning after that.

A lot more outlining and researching has been added into the mix since that first book. New Ancients has a lot more historical and thematic depth. I’ve been able to explore darker topics too. 

14. What have you learned about the indie publishing journey since releasing your first novel?

As an indie author, you’re basically wearing every hat. I had to learn how to write the thing, then how to format, how to seek out services for covers and what software works best for me. I’ve had to learn how to use multiple platform and build a website. I have to fight with the various algorithms and sign up for different events. I’m very lucky that I’ve always been a “Fine! I’ll do it myself!” kind of woman, so I haven’t had to put out nearly as much money as some authors, but it comes with A LOT of time and skill learning that I probably wouldn’t have even imagined. As an indie, especially self-published, you really have to become an extremely personable, jack-of-all-trades!

15. What does your writing routine look like while balancing teaching and writing?

I really have to carve out bits of time to write. I’m lucky in that I’m child free—I have no idea how people with kids do it!—so I don’t have many other beings at home relying on my attention to exist and survive. I try to make at least a bit of time each day to sit at my desk (at work or at home) and get something out on the page. I usually have a beverage of some kind (mostly water) and a Pomodoro method video on in the background.

16. When you’re starting a new book, are you more of a plotter, pantser, or a mix of both?

I’m definitely a mix. Once I have the world built out enough that I feel comfortable putting people into it, I make a loose outline for the main arch of the story. I only truly flesh out the chapters a few at a time to allow the manuscript to breathe and shift where needed. I also tend to do extensive character profiles for all the key players, including a visual and fancasting so that I have a visual when I get stuck.

17. What do you hope readers take away from Mark of the Witch and Rise of the Wicked?

Oppression should always be fought against. No one should be persecuted for the extraordinary person that they are.

18. If your series were adapted for TV or film, what would you be most excited to see brought to life?

Wow. I would love to see the training in the astral plane that Kate does. It’s the most trad-fantasy element of the series.

19. You mentioned branching into epic fantasy soon. What inspired that shift?

I’ve always been a fantasy reader. I like the idea of the challenge that comes with a world fully outside of ours. It's been fun to remind myself that I can just do whatever I want when I get stuck because I’m not confined to a specific city map or the physics of our world. 

20. Without giving too much away, can you share anything about your next project?

It’s a retelling of The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, one of my childhood favorites. It’s going the Romantasy route so far! Angels and Demons. Dual narrators. Court Intrigue. I’m just starting the drafting of it, so I think it’s going to be a fun time.

21. What advice would you give to aspiring authors who want to write fantasy or urban fantasy?

Read widely! There’s so many great mentor texts out there! You can learn and pull from any genre and make it fantasy. The heart is the most important thing.

22. What has been the most rewarding moment of your author career so far?

One of my very first readers was one of my students and they drew me fanart for The Statera Cycle. I love it so much!

23. How do you celebrate finishing a book or series?

Is it wrong to say cry? I think I’ve had a good cry when the finally words were finished on both series. I finished Rise of the Wicked at like 1am, so I also went to bed. 

24. What books or authors have influenced your writing the most?

J.K Rowling and Lynn Ewing were the basis of my fantasy nerd heart in middle and high school. Since then, I’ve found myself in the worlds of Sabaa Tahir, Sarah J Maas, Cassandra Clare, Gregory Macguire, Rick Riordan, Ruby Dixon, Rachel Alexander, Deborah Harkness, and Leigh Bardugo. They all write such rich, vibrant worlds.

25. Where can readers find you online and keep up with your books?

Website and newsletter: ermunleybooks.com

Facebook and instagram (@ermunleybooks). I have TikTok but have been off of it for a bit now because of some of the more societally icky policy choices.

My books are available wherever books are sold, but you can by direct from me (signed copies, y’all!) through the bookshop linked on my website.

 

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Rapid Fire Fun 🔥

26. Coffee or tea while writing? Coffee or water. I do love tea though!
27. Morning writer or night writer? Used to be morning, now more evening.
28. Favorite mythological creature? Dullahan
29. Favorite fantasy book or series? Right now, I’m deep in the ACOTAR world
30. One word to describe your books? Empowered
31. Favorite writing snack? pretzels
32. Plot twist or slow burn tension? Oooo i love slow burn (but not too slow)
33. If you could live in any fantasy world, which would it be? A Discovery of Witches
34. Paperback, hardcover, or ebook? Audiobook lol
35. One thing readers might be surprised to learn about you? I’ve been to 11 countries and counting!