Monday, October 15, 2012

Tour Stop - Readalong, Interview, Giveaway - Owlet by Emma Michaels

On Tour with Tribute Tours

Owlet (Society of Feathers, #1)Owlet

by Emma Michaels
ebook
Published October 13th 2012 by Tribute Books

Premise:

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.


I am happy to welcome Emma Michaels to Colorimetry!!  I love the cover to her book... I love the name... I love the idea. And after this interview, I can't wait to read it!

Make sure to catch the snippet of excerpt before the giveaway below. This is a special Tour by Tribute where each stop has an excerpt. In order. I got the best one. (That might be my opinion.)


What inspired you to write this story?

What inspired the story and what inspired me to actually write it are a bit different. I had a dream that expanded into an idea. From there it grew, but what inspired me to actually write Owlet and have it published was a moment when I was much younger than I am now where I realized that because of my asthma I couldn’t do what the main characters in my favorite novels could. I couldn’t run to the rescue to swoop in and save the day. I searched for a main character who was asthmatic and for the most part I could only find reality based novels, not fantasy or urban fantasy which have always been my favorites. So when I had the idea that sparked Owlet I wasn’t sure I was going to pursue it until I remembered that moment and realized I had an opportunity to give something to someone that I had not had. I had a chance to maybe spare a person that moment of resentment when you favorite character manages to run for hours straight to save the man she loves and you realize you would have died on the way there if you tried. It was harsh to learn that my health could affect my life in that way if a situation were to arise. I wanted to write a strong asthmatic female who had those limitations but managed to work with what she had and still do the extraordinary.

I know about that resentment. I don't have to deal with asthma, but it's not as if I have personal experience with how it would feel to run for hours straight. I've read some books where I felt, like, geez... another opposite of me!

Do you have a favorite scene?

In Owlet there is a scene where Iris has a dream about Falcon. In the dream it mirrors something they saw birds do earlier in the novel which is a courtship dance. I really love this scene because it was unexpected. I didn’t have it in any of my outlines or previous drafts but when it came time to end the scene before it I just kept writing and this scene came from that moment of inspiration. I have never been much of a romantic but suddenly I was and I could feel Iris’ doubts and fears and the way that in her dreams her underlying nature took over and she let herself fall for him for just a moment. I loved getting to write that unexpected moment and being so in tune with the character.

How fun! I love the idea of the story surprising you... especially with a courtship dance. I get a sense of Iris' character, too, that she "let herself fall for him for just a moment." She sounds strong. I like her already.

Please share something personal about YOU! Favorite color? animal? vacation spot?

I have actually never been on a vacation before. I love monkeys and otters. I love the color pink but only certain shades and I am a huge Doctor Who fan!

Oh, my... I feel like we need to give you some vacation ideas!!  Staycations count if you pitch a tent in the backyard or living room. Sometimes books count. Pinterest definitely counts. :-)  We will find you some vacations, I think... maybe with monkeys and otters!!  Pink ones!

Oh... and Yay for Doctor Who!!   




About the Author:

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.

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Get Your Copy:


Kindle ($2.99)
Nook ($4.95)
iBookstore ($4.99)
Smashwords ($4.99)
Google ($3.79)
PDF ($4.95)

Readalong:

Special sneak preview to Owlet. See below the Giveaway for the entire Tour... catch all the excerpts IN ORDER!!

***

“Is this what the doorknob looked like?” He returned to her side and opened his hand; his eyes looked into hers again, as if pleading with her to say ‘yes.’

Iris looked down and could barely breathe; resting on his palm was the golden feather, curved to look like a door handle. It was a necklace—an exact replica of the feather from her dreams.

“Yes,” her voice came out like a whisper.

She watched her father as his eyes changed, filling with what Iris could have sworn was excitement. He watched her for a moment, waiting for something. When she didn’t move he smiled and opened the door to the hallway. Walking out quickly, with the necklace still in his hand, her father disappeared from sight, leaving the door open behind him.

He knows now. You will get to go home. You will see HIM again.
“But this is my home...” she whispered to the voice inside her.

***


Giveaway:

International eBook giveaway. See my rules under the About tab. Tribute Tour rules are on the Rafflecopter.



a Rafflecopter giveaway