Emily Skinner

NEW 2023 - THE MOVIE QUEEN

The Movie Queen

A loving and humorous coming-of-age tale of being raised by a movie-loving mother, The Movie Queen.

Everly Knight never caught on to the New Math or many other school subjects during her family’s frequent moves. She was, however, up to date on Elizabeth Taylor’s romances, classic horror film monsters, and the lack of realistic women on the big screen. She reasoned her father, Frank Knight, must have been a real knight-in-shining-armor to win her mother Rose’s prudent heart the moment he strolled past her jewelry counter at their mutual retail employer. In time they would marry and be promoted --Frank touring the southeast as part of his regional credit management roadshow, and Rose raising their growing family on faith and film. Well, mostly Hollywood gossip magazines and new theatrical releases, but it was a miracle Everly would attest, that a lady with a cab full of kids and purse full of coins could afford their weekly box office fix.

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2022

MIND HOSTAGE

Inspired by true events.

Scott M. Deitche - Organized Crime Historian

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 3, 2022

Emily Skinner really does an excellent job of drawing the reader into the story, through a mother/daughter relationship paralleled with flashbacks to 1920s-era Tampa. The flashback scenes, in particular, are vivid recollections of the gangster era of Ybor City and Tampa. The story starts off as a slow burn, building in intensity, before a twist that you really don't see coming. A great read and highly recommended.

Cunning Review

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 24, 2021

This is a complex book (in a good way) which I ended up enjoying very much. However, because of the complexity it is difficult to succinctly review. Skinner takes on a challenging task in this novel which left me thinking about the work in multiple layers.

Working from the inside out, the first layer of the book is a medical mystery. Skinner tackles the very real issue of post-operative cognitive disorder (POCD) which happens with many geriatric patients when they are placed under general anesthesia for a surgical procedure. This layer of the book is about raising awareness and to some degree advocacy. I highly encourage you to read the detailed section on this after the conclusion of the book. While this layer is insanely eye opening and incredibly important it is also well blended into the novel and not overwhelming in medical terms and explanations.

The second layer of the book is classic conspiracy/espionage mystery novel. Throughout the book there is suspicion lingering in the air, a sense of being watched, and honestly fear of who or what might happen next. I am a fairly experienced mystery novel reader and typically have the book worked out no less than 3/4 of the way through. However, this novel defied my ability to sort out the plot line and figure out who the mystery. Very impressed that it was unveiling itself to me as I read the final pages.

Third and final layer -- structure, composition, and extraneous details. The weaving in of different characters, the day-to-day activities, the presence of a natural disaster all added to the novel. However, you are looking as a reader for something formulaic and predictable that will not raise your anxiety this book is not that. Rather, the structure, composition, and little details of the book added to a sense of chaos and urgency the main character was experiencing.

Overall, while the complexity of the story through me for a loop at times, I really was impressed with this novel in the end. Excellent writing of a mystery but also very eye opening advocacy. Well worth the read.

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2020 Winner of North Carolina Genealogical Society - Excellence in a Publication Relevant to North Carolina Genealogy

Until We Sleep Our Last Sleep

The Nonfiction Historical diary of her great, great Quaker grandmother Emily Millikan Blair

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About Emily:

Emily had a goal when she was 15, she would have a daughter named Marquel and write a novel titled "Marquel." She accomplished both and more.

A protege of the late master of the pulps or paperback originals, Harry Whittington, Emily interviewed Whittington during her days as a feature writer for the Clearwater Sun daily newspaper and its weekly division. They became friends and he taught her how to plot and gave her approval of the original outline and sample chapter for "Marquel" shortly before he died in 1989.

After Whittington passed away, Emily challenged herself to write as her mentor did and wrote a chapter a day and finished the novel "Marquel" in 52 days. Readers later requested a sequel. "Marquel's Dilemma" was added in 2015. The third and final book in the series was the plot for the sequel. Emily never forces her characters into situations, but allows them to tell her their story. "Marquel's Redemption" released Sept. 27, 2018.

When Emily's second daughter Blair was born, Emily and husband Tom focused on raising their family. Emily took time off from writing to publish others in her zine Bohemian Chronicle, while also working evenings as a graphics supervisor for Valpak.

Fast forward, both daughters are now grown and work in Hollywood. The girls made a book trailer for their mother's novel "Marquel" with Oscar-nominated actor Eric Roberts and Emily's daughter Marquel in the lead roles. Daughter Blair wrote, directed and produced the "Marquel" book trailer.

A devoted Catholic, Emily wrote a three book young adult paranormal series appropriately named after her youngest daughter, "St. Blair: Children of the Night." Her books are not about her daughters, but instead, a way to honor her children. However, she doesn't advise doing this. It adds a lot of pressure to the writing process.

When Emily isn't working as a marketing consultant or writing novels, she enjoys screenwriting and producing short films. She and her daughters' film "DOUGH NUTS And More" was Nominated Best Comedy Short at the 2019 SSFF (for the short film Emily wrote).

Follow Emily's Instagram @Emilyauthor or her Facebook @emilyskinnerbooks

See Emily's website at: www.emilyskinnerbooks.com