by Elise Abram and Elliott Penn
The WCYR held its Annual General Meeting on 26 April 2026. Before the meeting got underway, members were joined by Toronto-based romance author and professional editor Emily Ohanjanians. After years working in-house at a major publisher, Emily left to establish her own freelance editorial business and pursue her lifelong love of joyful, escapist romance fiction through her own writing.
Her debut novel, The Book Tour—a snappy, sexy, tension-filled romp across America—was the focus of our discussion. The Book Tour follows Ana, a recently published influencer and podcaster; Maral, Ana’s cousin and lifelong friend; Shanthi, their hardworking social media manager; and Ryan, the grumpy yet undeniably handsome publicist who Ana feels doesn’t understand or respect her work.
Emily began by talking about the writing, editing, and revision process. She said that, as an editor, you make suggestions and diagnose other people’s work, both of which she had to for her own work. Her advice is to move forward as you write your first draft, and don’t interrupt the flow by looking back, but that doesn’t mean revision shouldn’t occur throughout the writing process. By the time she completed the manuscript, she found revision to be one of the most rewarding parts of the experience.
She also spoke about working with her own editors, noting that her familiarity with the editorial process made collaboration easier and more productive. She credited much of that positive experience to having communicative and supportive editors.
Members enjoyed hearing Emily discuss her characters, particularly how she created Anna to be super high-energy and high-achieving, and Ryan as her foil. Her affection for her characters was evident throughout the conversation. Emily also discussed why she chose many of the settings and themes in her book. She chose to write a romance because she loves the layers of theme, structure, and the ability to blur genre boundaries.
Other great advice Emily gave is to
- write as though your mother is never going to read your work (particularly helpful when writing “spicy” romance), or it will limit the amount of truth you put on the page
- make the central message of your book your “north star” as you write
- read other works analytically, paying attention to what works in execution; go back to previous reads to study how authors “pulled things off” and/or map the story according to the principles of storytelling
- the advice to write every day is not helpful—it is stressful and unproductive; write when you “feel it,” don’t force it
The WCYR thanks Emily Ohanjanians for taking time out of her Sunday afternoon to speak with our members. Her enthusiasm for both the craft of writing and her novel was infectious and inspiring.
Also, a much-deserved shout-out to Elliott Penn, who led the interview with warmth, wit, and careful preparation, making for an entertaining and smoothly run event.
To see “Author Q & A with Emily Ohanjanians,” please go to https://youtu.be/9TXIiA_mCp4?si=vtF98SOMlec5RgaY.
About the Authors
ELISE ABRAM is an author, editor, and founder of EMSA Publishing. Since 2015, she has helped authors through the publishing process, offering services such as editing, interior formatting, cover design, and distribution. She has published over 100 books, including 29 of her own, and edited more than 300 manuscripts, fiction and non-fiction, in a variety of genres. She is also an award-winning YA science fiction author. A former archaeologist and retired English teacher with over 25 years of experience, Elise holds an MEd in Curriculum Studies. She now channels her passion for teaching into supporting writers, working closely with authors on the craft of writing, editing, and publishing, offering practical, experience-based advice.
ELLIOTT PENN is a lifelong bookworm and dreamer who has spent a lot of time living in other worlds. He is bursting with ideas for books and is (very slowly) building a writing practice that he hopes will lead to publishing. Elliott enjoys any and all genres, though he habitually gravitates toward fantasy, sci-fi, supernatural, mystery, and classics, and is learning to appreciate more contemporary and non-fiction work, as well as horror. Romance is a happy addition to any genre, especially when queer characters have happy endings. Elliott dabbles in poetry, fanfiction, and journal writing, and has a YouTube channel where he discusses reading, writing, visual arts, and the general life shenanigans of a millennial emo-hobbit. Elliott has a hard time deciding on and sticking to a pseudonym, but he currently writes under the names Elliott Penn and Elliott Wilde.