ASHLAND — Emily Gruber grew up loving “everything magical.” Her favorite books included the Harry Potter series and the Chronicles of Narnia.
Gruber was inspired by the story of Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, who wrote most of the series out in longhand and sent the first three chapters to several literary agents before one was interested.
Early on, Gruber knew she wanted to write a book someday. That dream stuck throughout her time in Ashland City Schools and propelled her to an English/creative writing degree at Baldwin Wallace University.
Now, Gruber works as a campus recruiter.
Eventually, her desire to write a book also pushed her to self-publish her first book, “A Dance of Darkness and Light.”
Book details
The book follows main character Eleanora Hawkins, a future healer with a rare elemental power. Her home planet is invaded by dangerous enemies, and she’s transported to a different planet, where she meets two princes who are meant to help her get home.
That plan changes when Eleanora finds a forbidden map of the universe, and she embarks on a hunt for treasure.
Gruber said the book falls into the fantasy genre, and includes characters like elves, gnomes and dwarves. It also includes popular tropes, like a love triangle, an enemies-to-lovers arc and the power of female friendship.
For now, a paperback version of Gruber’s book is available for purchase on Amazon. She hopes to release an audiobook and hardback version soon.
Gruber has already begun work on the second book, and intends for it to become a series.
But her path to writing it wasn’t easy.
“A lot of editing, a lot of love and time and care went into it,” Gruber said. “Three and a half years later, we have my novel.”
Overcoming challenges
Even though Gruber wanted to write a book, she first had to overcome her own doubts. When she graduated from college, she didn’t write for a long time.
“I almost had imposter syndrome, and this fear that this was something I really wanted to do, but what if it goes bad?” Gruber said.
But in 2021, she finally sat down and began writing.
After more than 10 drafts, Gruber sent the book to a professional editor, who worked with her on the story’s pacing and world-building to make sure the audience would understand the novel.
She also chose to self-publish after reaching out to publishing agents. With social media and the proliferation of spaces like BookTok, a hashtag used by creators to share book recommendations, Gruber said publishers told her the market was over-saturated.
That means Gruber has marketed the book on her own, mainly via her Instagram and TikTok accounts.
But, at the process’s end, Gruber has found herself far more confident as she tackles writing her next book.
Beyond her own confidence, she said she’s been shocked by the support the book has received.
“This is a very deeply personal thing,” Gruber said. “I was very, very afraid to talk about it and post about it, but everyone has just been so supportive — so excited to read it, pre-ordering it.”
