Tonight kicks off something I've been looking forward to sharing for a long time — over the next several weeks, I'll be introducing you to the cast of The Secret of Bramble Hollow, one character at a time, right here and on Instagram. First up, fittingly, is the girl the whole story belongs to.
Emalynn Byrne is ten years old, lives on a quiet farm in County Wexford, Ireland, and is small for her age — she has achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism. She's brave, endlessly curious, and stubborn in the particular way of kids who've had to work a little harder to be taken seriously. She notices things. She asks "why" until she gets a real answer. And she is never, ever far from her dog.
That dog — a scruffy, black-and-white shichon named Clover — is about as ordinary-looking as a dog can be. Emalynn doesn't know yet just how much more there is to her. Readers will find out soon enough, past the old stone wall at the edge of the farm, in a wood that isn't quite what it seems.
Emalynn was the character I knew I had to introduce first, because everything in this book — the wonder, the secrets, the family history that's been quietly waiting to come out — happens through her eyes. She's the heart of the story, and I hope she finds her way into yours the way she found her way into mine.
The Secret of Bramble Hollow, Book 1 of the Bramble Hollow series, arrives November 16. Follow along on Instagram as I introduce the rest of the cast over the coming weeks — there are a few more surprises in store before we're through.
More soon,
Kayla