Emma Heffernan Burkhardt, a 16 year old from Kilkenny, has recently published her first novel entitled Disabilities More Like Abilities.
Emma has always loved to write and last summer began focusing on her first novel. Having recently received her own diagnosis, Emma realised that often people with disabilities have hidden talents or abilities. This became a central theme in her book, which is based on teenagers who are struggling with their own obstacles and trying to fit in.
The main character – Rachel – has just started at a new school and is struggling to find her place and some real friends. Each day is exhausting, pretending to be what she is not. Until she realises that the people who are right for her are those that she can be honest and her true self with. Each of them has their own secret, their own struggle, but together they discover hidden talents and abilities. When Rachel stumbles upon some information about a recent crime in the town, she knows she will need help to bring the perpetrator to justice. Can she convince her new friends to use their hidden abilities to solve the crime?
The book is for people that have gone through obstacles in life and sometimes feel alone in them. Whether it is family issues like Jeremy, trying to fit in like Rachel, trying to make others feel welcome like Susy, trying to turn negatives into positives like Frank, or trying to to prove assumptions are false like Sky. Obstacles and difficulties in teenagers’ lives can often be labelled as disabilities. But can these teenagers prove assumptions are just false information?
Emma’s book is available in Khan’s book shop Kilkenny, Dubray book shop Waterford and online at Amazon.co.uk. This is only the beginning for this talented new writer.
