My Origin Story…
I was raised from the dead by a fire alarm. This is not the most pleasant experience, especially on a ship in the middle of the Bering Sea. Expecting to be deposited on a life-raft amongst 40 foot swells, I grabbed my 3 essentials (wallet, passport and journal) and went to my emergency station, where I was lined up alongside fierce wind and fellow crew.
The sea was calm. I’d soon discover the fire to be negligible, spawned by an errant laptop, but it could have been worse. Thoughts of death plagued me. I then realized what humans have always known: life is fleeting, and I had better do what I wanted while I could.
What I wanted to do was write. That, I realized, was why I had brought my journal. I resolved to write a novel based on the contents, finished my hellish stint at sea, and wrote the first draft, inspired by my months abroad, on the Oregon coast that summer.
My origin story? I’m unpublished, so still living it. But I am on the path.
A Short Bio
Hi, I’m Kylan Emms. I’ve traveled through 26 countries and counting and live in the Pacific Northwest, still one of my favorite places on earth. I’ve walked the Camino de Santiago, trekked in Nepal, and written a novel with another on the way.
To support myself, I’ve worked as a line cook, a seafood processor, a teppanyaki chef and, now, as a bartender. I love good coffee, better books and fresh fruit. I really love fresh fruit. Almost as much as books.
On my site, I’ll post my future work and blog about the craft of writing.
GALLERY
In the freezer of the S.S Ocean Phoenix
Trekking in Nepal
On Mt. Olympus
