Emily P. W. Murphy has been a member of the Bethlehem Writers Group almost since the beginning. With stories in each of the group’s Sweet, Funny, and Strange® anthologies, among other outlets, Emily is quite a veteran at writing short stories. Plots include a vampire helping Santa to save Christmas, a young woman mourning her mother’s recent passing by trying to replicate her favorite dish—without the benefit of a written recipe, and, in the group’s most recent publication, a non-binary character working to solve the mystery of their barking dog.
In addition to writing, Emily is a professional editor, both for individuals and for anthologies. Most recently, Emily was the editor for Hook, Line, and Sinker, The Seventh Guppy Anthology, which is sponsored by the Guppy Chapter of Sisters In Crime mystery-writer organization.
Beyond working with words, Emily’s creativity extends to being a professional photographer for portraits and events. Having recently relocated to Frederick, MD, Emily and family have found a vibrant and inspiring arts community.
Now for the first time, Emily offers a stand-alone children’s picture book, The Princess of Booray, available in July 2023. It is available through all major book outlets, including amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and Indiebound.com. You can learn more about Emily’s many talents online at: https://emilypwmurphy.com, and https://emilymurphyphotography.com/
Interview by BWG member Carol L. Wright
BETHLEHEM WRITERS GROUP: Congratulations on publishing your first children's picture book, The Princess of Booray which releases July 25 this year. What was your inspiration for writing it?
EMILY P. W. MURPHY: Thank you! Honestly, The Princess of Booray was one of those late-night shower ideas that kind of pop into your brain unprompted. I had to get up early the next day, but I had the beginning and the ending, so I had to write them down. The middle was more of a conventional writing process, but the meter was part of that initial inspiration.
BWG: The story is so engaging, and we love your surprise ending. How did you come up with it?
EM: I want to say something very clever here about disrupting traditional gender roles...and I'm sure that was a part of it, but really it was all part of that initial inspiration. And, I liked it BECAUSE it turns the old trope on its head.
BWG: Your illustrations, by Iwan Dharmawan, are bright and colorful. Did you get input into how the illustrations would look?
EM: Both yes and no. Of course, the text shaped some of the illustrations. "A crying purple dragon of enormous width and height," is fairly specific, after all. I also got to send a list of requests to the illustrator. I really wanted the princess to have a pointy hat—likely because our family used to go to a Ren Faire while on vacation! But Iwan created a whole world around those ideas.
BWG: What was the most fun part of putting out your book?
EM: The most fun part has been sharing this experience with my own children. When they were toddlers, I had a mock-up/concept copy of The Princess of Booray. It was just a homemade, spiral-bound thing, but it was one of their favorite bedtime stories! Now, years later, they're delighted to see their names on the dedication page of the "real" book.
BWG: But this is far from your first foray into writing. When did you first think of yourself as a writer?
EM: Hahaha. Does any writer ever REALLY think of themself as a writer? Honestly, I was multiply published before I would even say "I'm a writer." I remember practicing saying "I'm a writer" out loud with my family just to get comfortable saying those words. So, I probably started CALLING myself a writer about 15 years ago, but when will I think of myself as a writer? I'll let you know!
BWG: How did you learn your craft?
EM: Reading. So much reading. Then writing...most of it very late at night when I should have been asleep. Participating in NaNoWriMo helped me learn how to just get words on paper, which is really a physical discipline that can be entirely separate from story creation. I took a creative writing class from a poet in college, which was an incredibly valuable experience because it taught me how to appreciate individual words in ways beyond just their contribution to a sentence. I also attended writers’ workshops and learned from various published authors.
Then, the experience of working and writing with other members of The Bethlehem Writers Group helped me grow as a writer, both because of the ways in which we inform and educate each other, and because of the opportunity to critically evaluate the works in progress of other authors. You learn different things from reading, for example, Jerome McFadden's explosively hilarious drafts than from Paul Weidknecht's meticulously crafted words. They're both amazing authors who I feel privileged to know and learn with. Then there's the experience of hearing different voices read your writing A. E. Decker and Marianne Donley read my words in different and distinct ways, and their voices (literally) show me my own writing in different ways. I'm deeply grateful to be connected to such a rich, varied cohort of writers.
And, of course, more reading.
BWG: Your short stories have been part of every one of the Bethlehem Writers Group's Sweet, Funny, and Strange® anthologies, most of which have either won or been a finalist for one or more international book awards. Is it fun to write stories on so many diverse themes?
EM: ...yes? Sometimes a theme fits me just right (for example our next anthology!) and sometimes it's much more of a challenge for me to find my story for a given anthology. For example, “Chicken Flautas” (A Readable Feast) was a story that I was feeling in my soul anyway so when it was time to write a food story, I was ready for it, but our most recent anthology, An Element of Mystery was MUCH more challenging for me. I found my story, and I love it, but I definitely had to lean on the "element" part of that theme. Elements are small, right? Ultimately the stories that are my favorites are the ones whose characters spoke to me. When I love the characters, I love the story... but sometimes it takes some convincing to get those characters to agree to a certain genre.
BWG: Do you have a favorite among those anthologies? If so, why?
EM: A Christmas Sampler will always hold a special place in my heart. It was my first publication, and the first book put out by BWG. I was a young writer then, so I got to play with different types of stories. Some were just ridiculous but that's the fun! But I also really love “Chicken Flautas,” as I said before, and that story appears in A Readable Feast, and writing Cam's story (“Ringing the Neighborhood Watchdog” in An Element of Mystery) was honestly a really important experience for me. I have a feeling having written hir story will shape my future writing.
So, do I have one favorite? I guess not!
BWG: What's coming up next? Dare we ask for a sequel to The Princess of Booray?
EM: First of all, let me just say to anyone reading this, if there is something that you want, of course, dare to ask it!
And also, yes! The Dragon of Booray is currently in development, and I'm really loving where it's going!
BWG: Do you have any tips for emerging writers?
EM: Several...but I think the most important tip I can offer anyone aspiring to any kind of creative process is to embrace "bad art." I'm a recovering perfectionist, and I'm only now really understanding that you have to do something badly many, many times before you learn to do it well. So, maybe you're not a polished writer, but you will never improve if you don't sit yourself down and start writing.
Also, find yourself a community of writers who will challenge you and grow with you. Sometimes the best way to learn is to teach. Sometimes it is to listen.
Read. Write. Critique. Revise. Grow.
BWG: Thanks so much for spending some time with us today. And, readers, be sure to pick up your copy of A Princess of Booray from your favorite book retailer!