Mastering Both Worlds: Insights from a Fantasy Author & Ghostwriter

Erika Taylor is a fantasy writer who also works as a ghostwriter. She discusses her fantasy novel series and career as a ghost writer in this interview.

To start, could you tell us a bit about yourself and your journey into fantasy writing? 

My journey into fantasy began by accident. In 2018, I signed up for some creative writing courses thinking I’d write short stories, as that was all I really had time for back then. I discovered that I wasn’t content with just telling stories—I wanted to build worlds and complex characters.

I hadn’t anticipated that fantasy writing would be so intoxicating. While it lets you explore the human condition, you can also examine it in a completely different way.

My real breakthrough came during 2020. I was at home during lockdown with my two children and husband, juggling a full-time job while dealing with daily life. Suddenly, though, I had these pockets of time I’d never had before—no commute and no office small talk.

I started getting ideas for various colorful characters that lived in worlds that functioned on a blend of magic and technology. I started writing down some of my ideas for my creative writing class, and there have been many rewrites since then.

Has your South African heritage influenced your storytelling in subtle, or perhaps not so subtle, ways?

I would say elements of the landscape have found their way into my fantasy worlds. Many of the landscapes are based on places in and around the Western Cape in South Africa. You also find elements of the Karoo, where we’ve camped frequently. The sorcerers in the world of Aridora have their headquarters in caves, which I have imagined as something like the Cango Caves in Oudtshoorn, the Western Cape.

Could you give us a brief overview of The War in the West series and how it came about?

When eighteen-year-old Eitan wanders away from his family’s camping trip, the last thing he expects is to stumble through a mysterious portal into another world. But that’s exactly what happens when he finds himself stranded in Aridora—a harsh desert realm where magic flows like water and danger lurks around every corner.

Rescued from a sinister witch by Tomasz, a powerful sorcerer marked with glowing blue tattoos, Eitan discovers he’s landed in the middle of a desperate war for the survival of civilization in this desolate world. A tyrannical goddess, once beautiful but now corrupted by power and madness, is expanding her chaotic empire across multiple worlds. With her army of witches, monstrous spiders, and shadow creatures, she subjugates men, corrupts magic, and destroys knowledge wherever she goes. Now, she also has her sights set on Eitan’s home world of Verdonia.

In this realm where magic and technology collide in unexpected ways, Eitan must rely on Tomasz and his allies to navigate hostile territory in an attempt to find his way home. But as the war in the west of Aridora intensifies and the Goddess’s power grows stronger by the day, their quest becomes a desperate race against time to uncover ancient secrets about portal magic.

When Eitan is captured by enemy forces and separated from his companions, he faces the Goddess’s most sinister threat: twisted experiments that transform men into monstrous servants of her will. Meanwhile, Tomasz must confront the shadows of his own past to save his friend, discovering that ancient prophecies may hold the key to stopping a war that threatens all existence.

As the barriers between worlds begin to crumble and dark forces close in from all sides, both Eitan and Tomasz will discover that their fates, and the survival of multiple worlds, are more intertwined than they initially thought.

The series is an epic fantasy adventure that explores the bonds of friendship, the corruption of power, and the courage required to fight for what matters the most.

Beyond the fantasy and world-building elements, are there any underlying themes you explore in your books, and what do you hope readers ultimately take away from your stories?

The books have underlying themes of the importance of family and friendship, as well as helping others during times of need, and ultimately fighting for what is right.

How do you approach world-building in your fantasy novels? 

I have huge sets of project files with outlines, character profiles, previous versions of the novels, and general notes on the settings in the different worlds. I have a good memory, but I’ve also recently discovered the Projects functionality on Anthropic’s Claude, which helps a great deal when you quickly need to access information you may have forgotten in your own writings. For example, if I want a character to act in a certain way, I could ask Claude to quickly read through the files and then advise me based on what it found.

You’ve discussed mastering ensemble writing in your guest post, so what would be one piece of general advice you’d give to new writers starting out?

I almost want to say: write character outlines before you write an outline for your story. Interesting characters can help you build your storyline. Begin your story by dropping a character right in the middle of a challenging situation. Writing three chapters about the morning routine of your characters before starting the action will just lose you readers.

Guest Post: Mastering Ensemble Writing

What’s next for your fantasy writing? Are there new series or standalone novels on the horizon that you’d like to share with readers?

I have started working on the fourth novel in this series, which I hope to publish by October. The current series is for young adults, but I also want to do a series that explores the lives of the characters when they are older, in the same universe. I can also foresee standalone novels, as I want to expand my world-building and make it a really immersive experience.

How did you first get into ghostwriting, and what was the learning curve like?

I first started ghostwriting for a company that produces SEO web content and blog articles in 2020. Since then I have worked for several other companies and private clients. Even though I had worked in corporate and government in South Africa years before that, it was still a steep learning curve. It’s challenging to work with many different clients, as some can have impossible expectations. However, I probably learned the most about writing by completing various ghostwriting gigs.

What kind of projects do you typically ghostwrite? Do you specialize in specific genres outside of fantasy, or even non-fiction?

Most ghostwriting requests are for non-fiction work. However, I have written several fiction books, some of which sold quite well and got good reviews on Amazon. I’ve written fantasy, horror, romance/erotica, and educational YA books.

What are some of the biggest differences you’ve experienced between writing your own stories and ghostwriting for someone else?

You have a lot more creative freedom when writing your own stories. When you’re ghostwriting, you have to follow their outline, and the story has to be in their chosen voice and tone. I’ve gained quite a bit of experience as a ghostwriter, so it’s getting easier all the time.

How do you go about capturing the unique voice and vision of the author you’re ghostwriting for? 

For the ebooks I’ve written so far, I have received detailed briefs, outlines, and character outlines. Where this wasn’t the case, I had to liaise with my clients to develop the voice and vision for the book.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of your ghostwriting career? And on the flip side, what are some of the challenges you’ve encountered?

The rewarding aspect is that I have had the opportunity to work with many talented editors, from whom I have learned a lot, especially when it comes to fiction writing. I had to write a 90,000-word fantasy novel with multiple third-person viewpoints when I was just starting out, and it was quite a battle.

However, I got to work with a seasoned development editor, and she quickly taught me how this process works. My creative writing significantly improved after that.

For aspiring writers who might consider ghostwriting, what advice would you offer them?

It’s important to understand that fiction writing is very different from non-fiction writing. I once read that fiction writing is the most difficult form of writing, and I would say that’s the truth. It’s not simply about putting beautiful words down on the page.

There are so many technical things you need to understand about fiction writing, such as how to create a plot that works, successful characterization, pacing, and so on. I know some writers won’t agree with me on this, but if you’re considering writing fiction, take some creative writing courses. It has helped me a great deal.

You should also be aware that if you want to be a ghostwriter, you also need to be able to work with people. In a sense, you also have to be good at client services and always communicate in a polite and professional way, even if you have to deal with difficult clients—and I’ve come across a few of those.

Don’t take it personally if someone insults you or your writing. You usually get fifty decent clients, and then suddenly there’s one impossible person.

How do you balance your own creative projects with the demands of ghostwriting?

Ghostwriting can be time-consuming. During busy periods, you just don’t have a lot of energy for your own projects. I try to compensate by setting specific times aside for my own work, but the reality is that you also have to work according to the deadlines of your “paying” projects. There’s no point in losing customers that help you pay your bills while you focus on your own writing that might not bring in enough money.

Finally, looking ahead, do you see yourself continuing both your fantasy writing and ghostwriting careers in parallel, or do you anticipate one taking precedence in the future?

For the moment, I will continue to focus on both, but I will also have to see where future career prospects lead me. The demand for non-fiction ghostwriters has dropped severely over the past few months, so I’m trying to see if I can pivot in other directions. I would like to complete my MA in English and see if I can also become more involved in academic environments, even if it’s only online.

Author Bio:

Erika Taylor is a fantasy writer who also works as a ghostwriter. Learn more about her work at: http://www.affordableghostwriter.com