harpcolumn

“Ellen the Harpist” Hits the Shelves

July 26, 2016

“It was me and my harp versus a pair of doors.”

So begins the first chapter of Diane Michaels’ debut novel “Ellen the Harpist,” just released in paperback. Michaels draws on her own experience as a professional harpist to bring to life the fictional story of 27-year-old Ellen Blum – a character that harpists surely will be able to relate to. But more than just a detail of daily life as a gigging harpist, “Ellen the Harpist” is a young girl’s search for identity on her journey into adulthood – a theme which strikes a deeper common chord.

Following her book signing at the Somerset Folk Harp Festival, where she had the chance to connect with some of her first readers, Michaels wrote:

My platform is friends I’ve met between my first harp lesson and today. People I support who make me feel strong and supported. My platform is a community. I sent each person home with a book, but it was a book they helped me write because before I was an author, I was a harpist, just like them. And I am grateful for my community of harpists, my author platform.

Find out more about the book at Diane Michael’s website.

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