Sam here today with a guest post from Emma Michaels book Owlet! We have a story behind Owlet, but first we have a little excerpt to capture your interest!
Iris’ body felt cold and the roaring in her ears started again. For a moment she wondered if her dream had been real and a blizzard had hit, making her sight go white and her breathing stop. She could still be stuck in the snow, freezing or drowning as it slowly melted into an ice-cold ocean. She tried to take a deep breath and couldn’t. Panicking, she tried to sit up but felt a hand against her shoulder, holding her down.
“Iris.”
She continued to panic; the roaring next to her head was constant, almost mechanical, nothing like the wind or the voice from her dreams. Then...she heard her father.
The Stryx Tribes Inspiration
Iris’ mother had been a very literary woman and named Iris after a story that is very famous among the Stryx. There is an island called the ‘Isle of White’ where many Stryx congregate. Five families came together, and realizing that they all had similar traits, they decided to seek out others like them and bring them back to the island.
My inspiration for writing the five tribes was based off of the five slots on a sand dollar. The island was inspired by an island that I visited in real life which I also drew upon for inspiration behind Iris’ Never-Never. Upon going there, I found my first sand dollar. As a young girl, I spent hours scouring the beach near my grandmother’s house for a sand dollar but I never found one until I came to Washington State and now they seem to follow me everywhere.
As I tried to come to understand the history behind the Stryx and more specifically the Eyrie, I realized that their culture had more than just a history, it had a creation point; a single point in time where they (the Stryx) decided to come together and form the ‘Society of Feathers’. The five tribes are the Azure, the Blacks, the Finches, the Falcons and the Artemis. Each of these names was the last names of the five men who came together and founded the ‘Society of Feathers’.
Each family has their own beliefs. The Azure believes all Stryx should follow their hearts. The Blacks believe in loyalty and anyone who lives without it is lost in darkness. The Finches hold strongly to the truth, like the innocent finches that guided them to the River Styx. The Falcons, strong, proud fliers that soar so high out of reach, fly high in goals and dreams. The Artemis believes in science, but much of this family has been obscured in mystery and not even the mighty council of the Stryx know all of their hidden ways.
All of them came together to form the Eyrie, which works as a governing council for all Stryx and adamantly upholds the beliefs of all five houses.
I hope you have enjoyed this behind the scenes look at Owlet’s creation!
Giveaway time!
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Owlet Summary
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.
Emma Michaels' Bio: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.
Kindle buy link - $2.99
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0090MXTVG?tag=tributebooks-20
Nook buy link - $4.95
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/owlet-emma-michaels/1112581278?ean=2940014818537
iBookstore buy link - $4.99
http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id555302112
Smashwords buy link - $4.99
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/217648?ref=tributebooks
PDF buy link - $4.95
https://www.payloadz.com/go/sip?id=1660392
'Owlet' Blog Tour
Read Along Excerpt Schedule
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Sam, thanks a million for helping to spread the word about "Owlet!" We appreciate your support of Emma's upcoming YA release (October 13th).
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for featuring Owlet and a behind the scenes look at the inspiration behind the Stryx history! <3
ReplyDeleteSincerely,
Emma Michaels
I can't wait to read this!
ReplyDeleteLove the cover and looking forward to reading it!
ReplyDeleteBonnie Hilligoss/bonhill@speakeasy.net