My name is Michelle Diana Lowe. I was born and grew up in London, England. I started writing books from the age of nine to help me cope with difficult family issues. Writing novels helped me to heal and find happiness in my childhood and adolescence.
In 2005, I graduated from Roehampton University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature with Philosophy.
I had the privilege of appearing on the Chrissy B Show in 2014, where I talked about my difficult childhood for the first time. It felt great to finally let go all the things that were holding me back in life.
In my job as a Children’s Centre Administrator, I support families, including vulnerable women and families, by signposting and referring them to services that can provide help and support.
Having a challenges in childhood, has helped me to have empathy towards others and has also helped me to write books with deep, complex and emotional characters that have important messages to give the world.
UnShatter Me is my debut novel, published by UrbanEdge Publishing. I am the first, and only, UK author to be published by UrbanEdge.
Tell us about your book.
UnShatter Me tells the poignant tale of two troubled teenagers, Alena Pavlis and Phillip Gregson – a pair of college freshmen’s from different backgrounds, who meet and fall in love.
The novel is a Romance. Subcategories, College Romance, Mature Young Adult Fiction. It is a gritty, hard-hitting yet sentimental novel that deals with real issues that can affect teenagers globally. UnShatter Me focuses on how violence in a teenage girl’s past can affect her present and how she overcomes these issues. The book also delves into youth crime, race and racism. These sensitive topics are addressed in a bold yet sensible fashion, and are dealt with in a way that young people can relate to and understand.
What inspired you to write UnShatter Me?
There are vulnerable women that I come into contact with in my line of work and I really wanted to tell the story of people, like these women, who do not have a literary voice or a real voice in society. The book is not based on any person in particular. But rather, it is looking at vulnerable women in general.
Some young women who have experienced violence can find that their stories are marginalised outside the realm of charities and organisations, who are keen to share their viewpoints. It’s sad to say, that there is still a stigma that some women encounter after going through such difficult and sometimes traumatic experiences.
For one, some women, young women in particular, are made to feel shame after suffering violence or can be blamed for what happened. Some can even be shunned by their communities. I wanted to address these issues head-on in UnShatter Me, and give young women who have experienced violence a real and authentic space to share their life’s perspective. In this way, they have a platform to tell their story to the world and hopefully open people’s eyes to what is still going on today.
Only through telling such an important story, can authors like myself raise awareness of sensitive subject matters, and hopefully make change happen.
Furthermore, I felt it important to tackle youth crime, race and racism, which are also important issues that affect teenagers in today’s society.
How much time per week do you spend writing / editing your work?
On average, I spend 8 hours per week writing and editing. But this can increase to 15 hours per week, if I have a deadline to meet and a book to return to my publisher.
What are you working on at the moment?
My next novel is about an inspirational foster child who is healing from a painful past. This is a Young Adult Fiction novel. It is in its very early stages. But I am excited about this project. In time, I will give this book a title.
Title: UnShatter Me
Author: Michelle Diana Lowe
Genre: Romance
Nineteen year old Alena Pavlis moved to Surrey, on the outskirts of London, to escape her past. Now, heading off to college, she hopes that she can finally move on and begin a brand new chapter. During her first day at Capendale University, she meets Phillip Gregson, the cute streetwise guy who introduces her to a whole new world. At first, Phillip seems to be the answer to all of her problems. Yet quickly she finds that her childhood trauma is creeping in, and so are outside influences which begin to drive a wedge between the couple. As the relationship reaches its breaking point, Alena starts to pursue her own dreams and aspirations. Just as she is finding her feet again and preparing to audition for Capendale’s choir – the Coolette Singers, a perilous series of events turns her life upside down. Left with no other choice, Alena must confront the demons of her past head-on, even though it means risking everything.
Michelle Diana Lowe was born, and grew up, in London, England. She has had a deep passion for writing from a very young age. Experiencing domestic violence in her earlier years and being a victim of school bullying, Michelle penned stories to self-heal.
After graduating from the University of Roehampton with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Literature with Philosophy, Michelle began working as a Children’s Centre Administrator. Appearing on British Chatshow, The Chrissy B Show, in October 2014, gave her an opportunity to speak publicly, for the first time, about the difficulties she faced in childhood and the work she now does to help others.
Exploring issues that affect teenagers globally, and finding solutions for those affected, is very important to Michelle. In her spare time, Michelle enjoys being with family, taking walks in and around town, meeting up with friends and watching popular US shows, movies and period dramas. UnShatter Me is her debut novel.
Michelle is the first, and only, UK author to be published by UrbanEdge Publishing.
Links
Michelle’s website:
www.michelledianalowe.com
Facebook Page:
www.facebook.com/MichelleDianaLowe
Twitter Page:
www.twitter.com/Michelle_DLowe
Instagram Page:
www.instagram.com/MichelleDianaLowe
Buy links for UnShatter Me on Amazon:
http://amzn.com/B017AC8T6M
Buy links for UnShatter Me on UrbanEdge Publishing’s website:
http://www.urbanedgepublishing.com/product/unshatter-me/