An 18-year-old novelist whose first book went on sale today hopes a deal with an international publisher can help progress her writing career.
When Lauren Vinn of Whittlesey first penned her novel ‘He Was The Sun’, she was hoping to showcase her work to a wider audience.
But after this newspaper reported on Lauren’s book in March, coupled with an interview on local radio, she caught the attention of publisher Leschenault Press who tuned into the programme.
“Writing is her passion so to see her succeed is brilliant and will give her a good start at university. I’m mega proud,” Tina Vinn, Lauren’s mother, said.
Following the interview, the A-Level student signed a deal with the Australia-based publisher, which assists and trains authors around the world, to publish her work.
Lauren has seen a positive response to her book so far, and has also attracted interest from the United States.
“The publisher has been so professional, encouraging and supportive; it has been a relaxing experience and has got a good response so far,” she said.
“It’s not necessarily massive, but we’ve had positive feedback and getting to number one was a really big thing for me.
“It has been very surreal.”
‘He Was the Sun’ is a short story of a boy who learns to view life through an extraordinary lens from a girl who desires ‘normal’.
The story follows the path of a boy and girl meeting weeks before their 18th birthday, made more important by a decision that could change their lives, while exploring the themes of love, friendship and grief.
The novel also topped Amazon’s ‘hot new releases’ rankings and is planning to release a trilogy later this year.
Lauren, who said she was scared of letting others read her work, is studying an English and writing course at university and hopes this will increase her confidence in time to come.
“When I first wrote, I shared my work with some friends and my mum gave me some good feedback,” she said.
“It was actually scary letting people read my work but now, I’m used to it.
“The support has been really important as I think it gives you confidence to keep writing.
“I think now I’ve had a lot of encouragement, it’s a lot easier to release the second book.”
To purchase Lauren’s book, search for ‘He Was The Sun (The Myst Saga Book 1)’ on Amazon.
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