Guest Post: Emma Michaels (The Thirteenth Chime)

Everyone please welcome Emma Michaels, author of The Thirteenth Chime. Thank you to Harmony from Harmony's Radiant Reads for including me in this magnificent tour. I cannot wait to read Emma's book, she is a young, vibrant author who I'm sure will have great success! Her book comes out on August 13th, everyone go out and support her. :P

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Emma Michaels 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 every moment. With her Debut novel, The Thirteenth Chime being released August 13th 2010 and future releases planned Emma Michaels aspires to one day make it to the top ten of the New York Times Best Sellers List. With her fiancé at her side and her small white Chihuahua, Hope, she writes, reads, reviews and tries to live everyday to its fullest, whether in the pages of a good book or reaching out to others.

For more info on Emma, visit her site(s):
-Website
-Blog
-Twitter
-Shelfari
-Facebook
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The Thirteenth Chime by Emma Michaels
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Genre: August 13, 2010
Publisher: Bokheim Publishing

Summary: No one knew of its existence until it was removed from the attic upstairs. In a beautiful house that overlooks the sea, an antique clock has the power to change the course of their lives. The power the clock resonates will not only force Destiny and ex-boyfriend David on a journey into the depths of one man's mind long dead, but into the mind of a man filled with hatred and bent on revenge. With the only clues to the nature of the clock having disappeared into the sea, Destiny and David must retrace the steps the man had taken into the darkness, before they fall prey to the trap he had set in motion over half a century ago. Hatred never dies.

Book Trailer:

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Guest Post:

1) Firstly, I want to welcome you, Emma Michaels to my blog. It's an honor to feature a new and refreshing soon to be author. Since The Thirteenth Chime is your first novel, can you tell us what inspired you to write it?

EM: A number of inspirations actually came together for "The Thirteenth Chime". There was an antique clock that inspired the clock within the story, and the relationship between David and Destiny is something that I think many people will be able to relate to. Everything around me is a source of inspiration, and I feel you can find a story in something as simple as the way a leaf floats down from a tree on the wind to the sounds the waves make as the surf breaks. There are so many wonderful things around us everyday that can inspires us if we take the time to listen, hear and see.

2) I am sure your journey to publication was interesting. What did the process feel like? Was it an easy road or a grueling one filled with rejection and stress?

EM: A grueling one, without a doubt. I received over one hundred rejections to my queries from agents, almost all without even asking for a partial, let alone the full manuscript. I was beginning to doubt my dream of being published was even possible but then after a dear friend pointed out that the agents were not even basing their judgments off of my actual writing, and I wasn't even sure that they were reading the synopsis, I took his suggestion and queried publishers who would accept unsolicited manuscripts directly. The responses I received were overwhelming and very positive! I finally decided on Bokheim Publishing and they have been wonderful and extremely supportive.

3) In your novel, The Thirteenth Chime, an antique clock plays a huge role in the plot. What made you decide to use this object in your story?

EM: I live on an island out in Washington State that sometimes loses power during bad storms. One night, I was at a neighbors and we lost the power. It was late in the evening when this happened and after we had retrieved a few candles and lit them, the storm was going full force outside. Then the grandfather clock in the house began to chime. It made me jump, it was so eerie the way the sound echoed through the house and made my heart beat faster. It was as if the clock came alive during the storm. When I faced this clock echoing throughout the house as the storm flashed outside, I just 'knew' there was a story within that moment that needed writing.

4) Out of all the characters you wrote, which one was your favorite and why?

EM: Oh my... this is a good question! I would probably say Destiny's friend, Stephanie, because she is very level-headed, and yet such a fun and honest character. She has a good heart and makes no apology for how she is, yet you can't help but feel this glow coming out of her.

5) Last but not least, do you have anything you want to say to your current and future readers?

EM: Please buy my book!! *laughs* Actually, yes there is something I would love to say to current and future readers. For years, I've been on a journey with authors and other readers to all kinds of magical lands, to meet incredible people and experiencing so many wonderful emotions and ideas in other books. As it is now my turn, take this journey with me and I promise that I'll never stop writing books that will make you laugh, cry, feel joy and make you jump in surprise. Let me share with you the wonderful stories that I have been fortunate enough to get to write! Thank you so much for your time and for having me here on La Femme Readers and Thank you to everyone for reading and your support. It means the world to me!