A Review of Emma Chapman’s ‘Windmills and Ladders’

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Emma Chapman is a writer and illustrator who live in Western Australia. She was born in 1985 in the United Kingdom and grew up in Manchester, England. She studied English Literature at University College, Edinburgh, then a Masters in Creative Writing in Royal Holloway, University of London, before going on to a Masters in Children’s Illustration at the same college.

Emma has written her first novel, tentatively titled The Heavensgate Chronicles: Gods of Heaven and Earth, set in the western Australia. I have read the first three chapters and so far it is really promising. Her talent as a writer is demonstrated in her first novel, which I enjoyed immensely. The novel has been described as an “anthology” of sorts following the path of Anna, a monarch who reigns over a kingdom. Anna is assisted by her maid, Flora, in many of her duties, but Anna finds herself yearning for more, especially for a blade of gold and a job on a ship to seek her fortune. As you would expect, Anna is not contented with her position as monarch, she wants more and eventually finds what she is looking for in Cairns, where her maid, Flora, helps her sail there on the famous ocean ferry known as the Swan.

Emma has worked hard since her first novel to polish her writing skills, and I am sure that her next novel will show off all of her hard work. If Emma has lived her dream, and if she continues to work hard in order to make a living, then we can only expect good things from her. Her previous two novels were bestsellers, which only proves that if you want your book to be successful, you need to be creative. Emma Chapman seems to be a dedicated writer, and this can only bode well for future writers like her.

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