Always Emily by Michaela MacColl - Guest Post and Giveaway

 

I am pleased to kick-off the blog tour for Always Emily, a novel of intrigue and romance, by Michaela MacColl. Always Emily is inspired by the Bronte sisters, Emily and Charlotte. For my stop on the tour, I've asked Michaela to share the books that made her fall in love with reading and writing.

Welcome Michaela!!!

Hi Joli,

Thanks so much for kicking off the blog tour for Always Emily (Chronicle, 2014).

I’m always a little in awe when I first see the book arrive from the publisher.

Did I really do that?  I’ve loved reading since I was in second grade and I don’t take that magic feeling for granted (I hope I never will).

My favorite books when I was a kid were fantasies.  As I grew up, I grew into historical fiction. But one that that never changed was my affinity for strong female characters.  I may write about women who really lived – but I choose ones who remind me of the heroines I loved as a child.  Always Emily is about Emily and Charlotte Bronte. They predate my favorite books – but I’m sure they would enjoy them too.

My absolute favorite was A Wrinkle in Time.  Meg Murry is a mess, but so lovable. She overcomes incredible odds because she knows what’s important to her. And how often were girls the heroines of science fiction novels? (This is the version I grew up with – oddly, Meg doesn’t make the cover!)

And what about Lucy Pevenesie?  She’s so curious and loving – but brave too. It takes real courage to stand up to her older siblings. And she totally gets the lion in the end.  Lucy was a character I was willing to follow through all the Chronicles of Narnia.

 

Finally, my third favorite was the Chronicles of Prydain. Eilowny the talkative princess is one of my all-time heroines. She’s so funny and bossy. And if only Taran the Assistant Pig-Keeper would listen to her, everything would be fine.  (Surely Hermione Granger owes a huge debt to Eilowny).

I have two daughters and I had hoped they would love these books like I did. They liked them – but they chose their own heroines. My oldest fell in love with Katsa from Graceling and her sister is a Catniss fan all the way.  They have so many choices now and that’s great. Someday my kids will realize how much their heroines owe to mine.

Thanks for letting muse out loud!  Please come visit me at www.michaelamaccoll.com or @michaelamaccoll or AuthorMichaelaMacColl on Facebook.

 

 

About the author:

Michaela MacColl studied multi-disciplinary history at Vassar College and Yale University, which turns out to be the perfect degree for writing historical fiction. She lives with her husband, two daughters, and three extremely large cats in Connecticut.

 

 

 

 

 Always Emily

by Michaela MacColl

Publication Date: April 8, 2014

Published by Chronicle Books

282 Pages

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