E.M. Linden

Fantasy writer, artist. Lover of books, video games, and Dungeons & Dragons.

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Jul 2026 Book Recommendation: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Intro Percy Jackson and the Olympians—which The Lightning Thief is the first book of—is easily one of the most beloved middle-grade series o

The July book recommendation is now live over on the blog. This month, we’re taking a look at a book that I personally think is a great summer read: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan!

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How I Manage Character Power Levels

Intro Power levels are something that not every genre has to deal with but, if you’re writing sci-fi, fantasy, or superhero, it may be one o

Ever wanted to write a story with a super powerful protagonist, only to realize that you couldn’t think of a conflict challenging enough for them? Or had an idea for a story about a “regular” person somehow defeating an eldritch entity, but found yourself unable to figure out how they’re going to accomplish it? Balancing power levels is the bane of many fantasy, sci-fi, and superhero writers’ existence—which is why, in today’s post, I’m going to walk you through how I tackle it in my own work.

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Jun 2026 Book Recommendation: The Crystal Shard by R.A. Salvatore

Intro I’ve read a lot of really great fantasy series—I mean, a lot. Series with meticulous worldbuilding, beautiful writing styles, shocking

The June book recommendation is now live over on the blog. This month, we’re diving into an old favorite of mine: The Crystal Shard by R.A. Salvatore! So, if you’re looking for a fun, action-packed adventure with that classic fantasy charm, visit the link in my profile to check it out.

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How I Create Fictional Languages

Intro If you write fantasy or sci-fi, you’re likely going to find yourself dealing with characters who speak languages that don’t exist in t

As a fantasy writer, I often find myself working with characters who don’t speak English—or any real world language at all, for that matter. So it’s not uncommon for me to decide that I should come up with a language for these characters—though it can be an intimidating task. Which is why, in today’s post, I’m going to walk you through my strategies for doing it.

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May 2026 Book Recommendation: The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

Intro When I was looking through the reading recommendations that I’ve done, I was surprised to realize that I haven’t done this one yet. Th

The May book recommendation post is now live over on the blog. This month, I’m taking a trip down memory lane and talking about one of my old favorites, The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani! If you want fairytales, action, drama, and that special middle-grade hijinks, this book has it all.

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Today's the last day to get The Sea Devil for free on the Kindle store!

To celebrate the release of The Puppet Lord—the 11th book of the Rise of the Oathsworn series—the first book is available for free! So, if you're up for an ongoing fantasy adventure series about a young fey knight vanquishing evil while trying to figure himself out, be sure to take advantage.

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The Puppet Lord, the eleventh book of the Rise of the Oathsworn series—and the beginning of the Grasping Shadows storyline—is now available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited! 

In this 37,000 word fantasy story, Xier will find himself caught up in the middle of a conflict between a town lord and his disgruntled subjects. He’ll face off with a sadistic wizard, and be forced to choose between following orders and doing what he feels is right—a choice that may well bring his time as a knight of the Balanced Scales to a crashing end.

And, to celebrate this release, The Sea Devil—the first book of the series—is free on the Kindle store from now until May 19th! So, if you’re looking to dive into a coming of age fantasy series full of action, drama, and heart, be sure to take advantage.

Visit my website to learn more, or buy it now on Amazon.

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How I Write Mentor Characters

Intro I’ve always had a soft spot for mentor characters—I don’t know why. Maybe I like that experience-born confidence that they so often ha

Mentor characters are always some of my favorites, whether it comes to reading/watching them or writing them. So I always like to include them in my stories—which means I’ve accumulated a good deal of knowledge for writing these sorts of characters. In today’s post, I’m going to share some of that knowledge with you, along with some tips for how to implement it into your own mentor characters.

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Apr 2026 Book Recommendation: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Intro As a life-long lover of mythology, I’m always excited to check out books based on it. So, when I first learned about The Song of Achil

The April book recommendation post is now live over on the blog. This month I’m giving into my inner Greek mythology nerd, and we’re taking a look at The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller! If you’re looking for a dramatic—and tragic—retelling of The Iliad rife with action, angst, and romance, this is the book for you.

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In celebration of spring, I drew this cheerful Xier and Benevolence. I’m proud of how Benevolence turned out, in particular. (Horses are a pain to draw.)

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How I Create Fantasy Magic Systems

Intro I’ll admit that, when it comes to fantasy, I’m more of a warrior type of person than a wizard type of person. (I mean, come on, who’s

If you plan to have wizards or other types of magic-users in your story, creating a magic system for your fantasy setting is a crucial step of the world building process. But it can be an intimidating task, and it isn’t always obvious where to start. So, in today’s post, I’m going to talk about how I do it, and share some tips to help get the ideas flowing.

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Rise of the Oathsworn: Volume Two—a collection of books 6–10 of the Rise of the Oathsworn series, plus an exclusive short story—is now available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited! 

Xieraine Laedrin has come a long way in his journey to achieve his destiny of being the greatest knight of his generation—but he still has a long way left to go. Follow him as he takes on new foes, makes new allies, and continues to discover what sort of knight—and what sort of person—he wants to be.

Visit my website to learn more, or buy it now on Amazon.

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Mar 2026 Book Recommendation: The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland

Intro Tui T. Sutherland’s Wings of Fire series is easily one of the most popular middle grade series of the last decade. And, I mean, what’s

The March book recommendation is now live over on the blog! This month, in honor of the release of Tui T. Sutherland’s 16th Wings of Fire novel, we’re talking about the first addition of the series: The Dragonet Prophecy. So, if you’re looking for dragons, loveable characters, and a dramatic plotline, you’re in the right place.

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How I Come Up with Character Personalities

Intro Nothing is more important to the process of character creation than coming up with the personality. A character’s personality defines

Coming up with a personality is the most crucial step in creating a character. But it can sometimes be hard to figure out where to start. So, in today’s post, I’m going to talk about how I do it, and also share some tips for coming up with personalities for your own characters.

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The Dread Lurker, the tenth book of the Rise of the Oathsworn series, is now available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited! 

In this 35,000 word fantasy story, Xier and Ruthana embark on a quest to defeat the Dread Lurker, a fearsome kraken that’s been threatening the waters around the city of Dunport. But, when their mission takes a turn for the worse, Xier soon finds himself caught up in two battles at once: one against the kraken, and the second against the weight of his failure. Does he have what it takes to overcome both conflicts, or are the people of Dunport doomed to remain at the mercy of the Dread Lurker?

Visit emlinden.com to learn more, or buy it now on Amazon.

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Feb 2026 Book Recommendation: The Fallbacks: Bound for Ruin by Jaleigh Johnson

Intro As anyone who’s been keeping up with the blog has probably figured out by now, I’m a big fan of the Dungeons and Dragons novels. I lik

The February book recommendation is now live over on the blog. This month, we’re taking a dive into an action-packed, humorous Dungeons and Dragons adventure: The Fallbacks: Bound for Ruin by Jaleigh Johnson!

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How I Set Writing Goals

Intro Setting concrete writing goals, I’ve found, is one of the best ways to keep my writing on track. If you have a clearly defined goal fo

Writing goals are a great way to keep your projects moving in the right direction. But it’s not always easy to figure out what goals are right for you. So, in today’s post, I’m going to talk about how I go about picking which goals to pursue, and share some tips for finding writing goals of your own.