About

Hello there!

My name is Emily Holyoak, and I write Young Adult stories about teenagers on the autism spectrum. I devoured books in my youth, but I never resonated with the main character. Where were the girls that were so afraid of being obnoxious that they hid their personalities behind a mask of socially accepted interests? When my daughters received their diagnosis, it led to my own autism diagnosis. My dream is to see characters who represent autism on bookshelves, so my daughters can see themselves in books as they grow up. I also had epilepsy in childhood and have other disabilities due to SCN1A.

My debut novel Good Morning, Dinah, published December 15, 2022 with INCLUDAS Teen publishing!

When I’m not writing, you’ll find me doing my best at this special needs mom /military wife /full-time copywriter thing. When I have time, I like to play God by means of The Sims or Animal Crossing, live out my design fantasies vicariously through HGTV, or be crushed by my never-ending list of books I want to read before I die. Some of my favorite books are: The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, Well Met by Jen DeLuca, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, and The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune.

My family suffers from a genetic mutation called SCN1A which can manifest in seizures, autism, migraines, and mood disorders. It’s my goal in life to educate others and advocate for awareness of these disorders that accompany SCN1A.

xoxo Emily

GOOD MORNING DINAH

He’s all about change. She’s not.

Senior year—not the biggest deal in the world, right? Except that it is, because everything is changing. Most seniors worry about their dates for school dances, soaking up final memories with friends, and planning life after graduation. Seventeen-year-old Dinah Finaylson has other worries, like students brushing against her and her autism service dog, Higgins; like winning board game matches in the disability classroom; and like opening up to a new student, Maverick Wright.

Maverick asks too many strange questions and Dinah is scared of everything that could go wrong by letting this mysterious guy become part of her routine. That is, until he becomes her first best friend. But the moment Dinah makes Maverick part of her schedule, he disappears, changing everything in Dinah’s life and sending her into a downward spiral. Was the risk of letting change enter her life worth it? Now that senior year is ruined forever, Dinah can’t possibly imagine braving the halls of high school for one more day, let alone finishing senior year-or can she?

ORDER ON AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1949983129?tag=books2read02-20

ORDER ON BARNES & NOBLE: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/good-morning-dinah-emily-holyoak/1142494356?ean=9781949983128&st=AFF&2sid=Draft2Digital_7968444_NA&sourceId=AFFDraft2Digital

LAUNCH Q&A

PROFESSIONAL BIO

Emily is a 36-year-old neurodivergent mom of two autistic girls. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Professional and Creative Writing from Central Washington University, and is in the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program for Writing for Children & Young Adults. She currently works as a Copywriter for a vacation rental company called Vacasa. She’s a member of the International Women’s Writers Guild, The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, The Poetry Society of America, and a 7-time NaNoWriMo participant. She, her two girls, and their two cats Pumpkin and Loki, follow their spouse /dad around the United States Air Force.