Earthly Worlds, an exciting fantasy book, is a collaboration between Billy Wright and Mark Graham Communications.
Last month, we talked about worldbuilding and how a ghostwriter can assist with this process. Now, let’s take it one step further: what if your world is so vast, it doesn’t fit within the confines of a single book?
This isn’t unusual. Particularly in the fantasy genre, writing a sequel or going on to create a series is common. All we have to do is look at an epic series like Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter to know that readers tend to get immersed in such worlds. After reading one novel set in a fantasy world, readers want more.
For the would-be author with BIG ideas like this (but not necessarily the time and/or skillset to bring them to life), a ghostwriter can be instrumental to the process. Using a ghostwriter, authors can take their story from dreams and notes to full-fledged books – one right after another.
To learn more about creating a ghostwritten fantasy series, we turned to Mark Graham Communications’ client Billy Wright. His first fantasy adventure novel, Earthly Worlds, written in collaboration with a Mark Graham Communications ghostwriter, was published in 2020. Last year, Billy followed up with Dark Vengeance.
Mark Graham Communications: Please tell us about your books.
Billy Wright: The concept for Earthly Worlds is derived from some very realistic dreams I’ve had. It’s a fantasy adventure story filled with light and dark magical worlds and creatures. These magical aspects are intermingled with the “earthly worlds” of a young Arizona family, Stewart and Liz Riley and their kids. The story twists and turns, going up and down and around, ensuring readers see and feel every moment.
MGC: What inspired you to write Earthly Worlds?
BW: My inspiration is my love of a good adventure story, mixed with my dreams. I’ve always devoured fantasy adventure stories, and when the idea for one of my own came to me via my dreams, it gripped me and wouldn’t let go. Add in the encouragement of my family, and I decided to go for it. I started making notes and journal entries about my dreams and thoughts, and over time, the concept for Earthly Worlds emerged.
MGC: What made you decide to seek the assistance of a professional ghostwriter?
BW: Although the dreams, ideas, and thoughts that encompass my story are very real to me, I knew that bringing them to life in a proper format required the help of experts in this field. Having the assistance of a ghostwriter gave the project focus and ensured its professional style, full story arc, and presentation.
MGC: Did you always know your story would be told via a series?
BW: Writing a sequel to Earthly Worlds was an obvious choice. From the start, I knew the story was too big for one book – and it continues to grow. Creating a sequel was the only possible way to continue telling the story.
MGC: What are the advantages to having a series available to readers?
BW: To me, having an Earthly Worlds series is the only way to bring readers on a journey of this magnitude. The series will eventually be put in screenplay form, which I believe will bring an already extremely visual story to life in theatres and homes.
MGC: Will you work with a Mark Graham Communications ghostwriter for the screenplay and additional books in the series?
BW: I already am, for the third book in the series. The teamwork that’s gone into this project is like the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child.” In much the same way, it takes a great team to bring a project like Earthly Worlds to life. I’m grateful to the Mark Graham Communications team that I have on board for this project.
Is a world coming to you in your dreams? Do you need help bringing that world to life on the page? If so, please contact us – we’re here to help!
