Life Update + All About Shards of Sky

As you may have noticed, I’ve been on a week-long hiatus. Not intentionally, though—I totally had a blog post idea ready—but it just didn’t happen. *sighs*

But I guess that’s not what matters, right? After all, in life—you have to roll with the punches. And hope to do better in the future.

So with that said, I’m going to be giving a quick update and sharing all about the book I’m publishing, Shards of Sky!

Wait.

Did Em just say. . . publishing?

Yes, I know.

Scrolling through my blog, I’ve noticed that I’ve barely mentioned my own writing, which is possibly a mistake. But as if now, today this post is going to be all about my star of the show—Shards of Sky.

But first. Just a couple things that happened while I was away:

• I’m re-evaluating why I blog. That means I’ll have a mission statement up soon, not only for you all to read, but also for myself to refer back to (because I’m by no means perfect, even in blogging! No surprise there).

• I’ve been finishing up the final edits for Shards of Sky.

• I read some really good books: Do Hard Things, Start Here, This Changes Everything, Orphan Island, and Water Sky. That means loads more book reviews are soon to come!

• I went through some life stuff, but am finding peace in Christ alone. <3

• I left Instagram. Yes, I know. *winces* Basically, it had to do with the new policy change, plus some personal convictions about my use of it. But that means I’ll miss taking those pretty pictures—but I’m still working on finding an alternative. :P

• I re-evaluated all the leadership positions I’ve been taking on, and dropped out of a few.

So yes. A lot has happened in a week, but I’m grateful for God’s blessings and I want to serve Him with everything I do.

With that said, I’m going to be moving on to the gem of this post—all about Shards of Sky!

Blurb

Will hope prove itself worth fighting for?

Nestled within the mountains of Colorado, life is anything but perfect for two children and their negligent aunt. Yet it becomes even more of a disaster when a mysterious accident leaves Aryon mute and Jenn terrified for their futures. Battling her own sorrow, bitterness, and distant memories, Jenn journeys through the mountains of Colorado in search of their father, who may only be as real as a wisp of mist. The biggest things standing in her way are the miles of seemingly endless forest, her shattered memories, and a mysterious woman trailing her.

As she journeys on, Jenn is forced to confront her past. Has time changed her memories? What will it take to be strong and unhindered by the darkness around her? And does this woman hold the key to her past—her real past?

But no matter where Jenn goes, a shard of sky shines bright overhead as a distant reminder of the hope she’s fighting to hold onto—and the person she could become.

Heart-wrenching and emotionally moving, this story delivers a powerful message of courage and the wonder of hope.

Personal Notes

Shards of Sky, with all its emotional twists and—well, character torture—was actually relatively easy to write in itself. But that’s because I’m a naturally cold-hearted person, so I had no remorse for Jenn or Aryon (don't worry, I do pay for my character torture).

On a more serious note, in some ways, I took an extreme of myself and twisted it into Jenn. In some ways, she’s like me—silent, trying not to appear shaken by life—but inside, she’s breaking like shards of glass, and it really shows. During her journey in this story, she reaches out to the one thing that never falters in her life—the sky.

Yes, Jenn keeps falling again and again, but she keeps fighting. This story is a pointer to the people out there that are struggling but yet refuse to give in because they know there is something more to life, something to keep fighting for. They just need little glimmers of hope now and then—like the shards of sky in Jenn’s story—to propel them to move forward.

I wrote Shards of Sky because I wanted to display the brokenness of the world—what I observed and what I was experiencing. I wanted my character, Jenn, to hurt. To break. To fall under the cruelty of life. But I wanted her to keep going. Because that was what mattered most—not the falling, not the breaking, not the hurting—but the standing up. The refusing to give in.

Because in the end, there is always something worth fighting for.

Favorite Snippet from Shards of Sky

Those words hit her as soon as she shook herself out of the fog of sleepiness. She saw the overarching sky through the trees like a smooth shell, blue and cloudless.

Jenn sat up.

Around her, a blaze of color ignited with the spark of life. A bluebird fluttered by, wings a flashing pinwheel of blue that reflected the sky. The shrill song of a warbler made its way through the maze in her mind.

Her hands were scarred by brambles—scars from her journey. Her soul felt heavy enough that she could barely resist the imagined downward pull of the earth, the weight of each tear that had fallen on the blanket that night.

She couldn’t laugh anymore. She felt as though a butterfly often does when it emerges from a cocoon—different and odd, as though she wasn’t the same person anymore. She almost felt as though she had been transformed—but in a way that was no longer remarkable, no longer beautiful, no longer whole.

Progress Report

I’m happy to say I’m nearly done with the final edits for Shards of Sky, and I’ll be opening launch teams very soon! Heads up though, my mailing list will get first dibs, so if you haven’t joined already, please go to the home page and sign up. :)

Cover Snippet

And yes, my favorite part is right here. My amazing cover, made by the very talented Megan McCullough. Here’s a piece of it!

If you're intrigued by the story premise of Shards of Sky, join my launch team! You'll get free access to an e-copy of the book and the full gorgeous cover. If you're interested, please take a look at the details here and sign up! The link to the application form is on the detail page. :)

How have you been doing? Have you been reading anything new? Let me know in the comments!