Guest Post with Emma Michaels ~ JeanBookNerd

Photo Content from Emma Michaels

Emma Michaels is the author of the ‘A Sense of Truth’ and ‘Society of Feathers’ series. Her goal with her latest YA novel 'Owlet' is to give others what she did not have growing up; a strong female protagonist with asthma. While her previous aspiration was to be a lady knight she realized that not being able to run more than a few feet might become a hindrance so turned to writing instead. Her day jobs include being a cover artist, marketing consultant and silk screen designer.

As the founder of The Writers Voice blog (http://OurBooksOurVoice.Blogspot.com) she loves to connect authors and readers. As a book blogger turned author, she was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, until she moved at eighteen to Washington State. Suddenly, the world was a new place filled with tall green trees that reached further for the sky with every moment, making her want to do the same. Ever since, she has tried to make her life something new and different from what it was before, pursuing her future career, setting high goals and reaching for them. With the support of her fiancé, Chihuahua, and her amazing blog followers and fellow bloggers, she wants to prove to the world that anything is possible and help inspire fellow literary lovers to reach for their dreams.

WHY I WRITE BY EMMA MICHAELS

Why do I write? Why does a bird fly? What does a dog bark? Why does a turtle… errr… wait, what do turtles do? See? This is why I write. Because I am a rambling creative individual who needs an outlet. I need to share these thoughts, dreams and emotions with my readers. Fortunately, being an author allows me to do just that.

I want to draw each of you into the worlds that I have been blessed to be a part of. I want to introduce you to Iris and her hardships, to meet Falcon and the Eyrie. I want to write about a beautiful young woman, who is suffering from asthma, and to experience with her the sensation of falling through a dream while feathers are falling down all around us. I write because I want to share this with you, and for you to feel as I feel; the way Iris feels the first time her eyes meet Falcon’s.

I write because I’m a writer. I don’t think I could ever be anything else. It’s as natural to me as it is to breathe (which given I have asthma might not be the best comparison :-p). But I also write because I want to take each of you with me into worlds like Iris’ and for us to take that journey together. Let me introduce you to Iris and to hopefully, if I am blessed enough, allow others who went through what I did when I was little with asthma to reach for their own dream too. Writing completes who I am, and it became a joy in my life that I didn’t know was possible to experience.

So why do I write? Because I have to. It is a part of who I am and if I didn’t let the words come out they would force their way out. They are simply a part of me and I can’t imagine any other career making me truly happy in the long run. So hopefully you enjoy Owlet as much as I have enjoyed writing it. <3

OWLET BY EMMA MICHAELS EXCERPT

“Why aren’t you talking to me?” he asked her, stopping again and watching her. She tried to stay silent for a moment but seeing how upset he looked she decided to go ahead and tell him.

“I don’t think I have much of a filter left between my mind and my mouth when I am around you.” She looked at the ground as she heard his soft laugh.

He brings out the best in you. He brings out the truth.

“At least that hasn’t changed.”

“What hasn’t? I feel so far behind. Everyone around me seems to remember a past I can’t even imagine. What is wrong with me?” Iris asked, hearing the anger in her words.

“I am still not sure. Once I am, however, I promise I will tell you.” He started walking again and Iris double-checked that she still had her inhaler while she followed along behind.

“I am being led into the woods by a stranger and somehow...I don’t mind,” she mumbled.

Falcon burst out laughing. “That’s because I am not a stranger.”

Iris stopped and tried to clear her mind. The voice inside of her was speaking far too fast for her to understand, and it was making her head spin. “I can’t stand this. I can’t stand not knowing...”

“Izzy...” Falcon put down the bird feeder and came to her side. He stared into her eyes until the voice in her mind went quiet. “All you had to do was ask,” he said softly, still keeping eye contact.

A new wave of emotion passed through her and for a moment all Iris wanted to do was lean forward and steal a kiss. She kept still and so did he, both of them simply staring into each other’s eyes.

Somewhere between falling and flying… there is a girl.

Iris has a secret. She lost her memory eight years ago and never told a living soul. After an asthma attack one night she finds out that her dreams of a strange house on a snowy island may be a memory resurfacing but the more she learns about the past the more she realizes the life she has been living is a lie. As the façade her father has built starts to crumble around her she will have to decide which means more to her; the truth or her life.

You can purchase Owlet at the following Retailers: