JANESVILLE– Jake Magee has always been a writer, and fantasy storytelling has long been a hobby.
For more than a decade, he’s been writing and rewriting the same short story. Now, it’s finally leaving his laptop and making its way into the world for readers to discover.
Jake Magee
His recently published debut fantasy novella, “Embercrown,” is the culmination of years of work, second-guessing, and, ultimately, deciding it was time to put it out there.
Magee, a Janesville native and former reporter for The 69, said the road to publication started with an online writing contest in his college years.
“I just entered it on a whim,” Magee said. “The only rule was that you had to start your story with one of ten prompts. I picked the most generic one, wrote something quick, and somehow I ended up winning.”
The prize was feedback on his piece by a professional editor, an experience that planted the seed for something bigger — but that would stay under the surface for a long time.
Magee tucked the story away while working full-time, raising a family and moving back to Wisconsin.
“I kept saying I wanted to publish it, but I dragged my feet for years,” he said. “It wasn’t until last year that I decided, I just need this thing out of my brain. It’s lived there too long.”
“Embercrown,” a 20,000-word novella, was officially released this week on Amazon as both an ebook and paperback. The book is also available for pre-order through other major online retailers.
The cover of Jake Magee's book "Embercrown," available on Amazon and through major retailers.
Courtesy Jake Magee
It’s the first entry in what Magee hopes will become a series of standalone stories all set in the same fantasy world, that he’s been building for years through writing and Dungeon Mastering elaborate Dungeons & Dragons campaigns.
“World-building is one of my favorite parts of fantasy,” he said. “What’s cool is I can use each short story to reveal different corners of the world. I’ve made up different characters, cultures, ages and challenges.”
The plot
Set in a volcanic landscape, “Embercrown,” follows a young girl who must journey alone to a mountain’s peak, a rite of passage in her culture. Along the way, she encounters a mysterious mountain man. The story explores themes of self-discovery, faith and redemption.
Magee said in making his main character a young girl he aimed to explore cultural backgrounds of her people. But he also enjoys the trope of shows like “The Last of Us,” where an unlikely pair emerges, of a young girl and older man who guides her through a brotherly or fatherly type of role.
As a brother and a father of daughters, Magee said that he has always enjoyed those relationships.
Beliefs color storytelling
Though rooted in fantasy, Magee said his personal beliefs helped to shape the tone of his storytelling.
“I’m a follower of Jesus, and while my book is not at all Christian by any means, I think the greatest story in the world is the Gospel,” he said. He wanted to reflect themes that he had seen in the Bible.
“Themes like redemption, love, forgiveness, and so that’s a goal going forward, as well as to incorporate those things into my work,” he said.
Magee said his decision to self-publish was driven in part by practicality and a desire for creative control.
“Traditional publishing today isn’t what it used to be,” he said. “They still expect you to market yourself, and I figured if I’m going to do all the work anyway, I might as well own the process.”
He also credits his journalism background with helping him polish his work, especially in terms of consistency and detail. And while “Embercrown” is written for a wide audience, Magee says it leans into young adult fantasy with broader appeal.
“I want it to be something anyone can enjoy, regardless of age,” he said.
Magee is already working on his next story, this one twice as long. He said that maybe momentum from “Embercrown” will eventually lead to a full-length novel. But for now, he’s just proud to finally share his work with the world.
“A lot of people write something and never do anything with it,” he said. “I didn’t want to be that guy. Even if no one reads it, I can say I did it.”
