Claire Hunt
Kaitlyn Fowler (12) stands proud next to a Ruby Red poster, the first novel of many to come in her series, Contista Chronicles. Initiative to begin the series struck at the end of her sophomore year.
Writing a book is a task that re quires time, creativity, and skill. For many authors, however, publication is only a dream and rarely an accomplishment. But not for Kaitlyn Fowler (12) who, as a high school student, has just published her first book, Ruby Red.
Ruby Red follows the story of Snow White’s younger sister, focusing on the feelings of jealousy and rivalry Ruby feels as she compares herself to her older, much-better-known sister.
“I like the idea of taking a classic story, twisting it around, and making [people] see it from your point of view,” said Kaitlyn.
The idea for this book was born at the end of Kaitlyn’s sophomore year, but didn’t really take off until her junior year in Advanced Creative Writing, where Kaitlyn could devote an hour and a half a day to writing.
“I have such respect for Kaitlyn’s talent, her voice, and her tenacity in getting published,” said Ms. Lisa Sopher, Kaitlyn’s Creative Writing teacher.
Although Kaitlyn has a good relationship with her brother, she did take a lot of inspiration for Ruby from their relationship. “I think any sibling is stressed by the thought of, ‘Oh [my sibling’s] better than me,’” said Kaitlyn.
The publication process was considerably easy for Kaitlyn; “I was fortunate enough that [publishing company Xlibris] found me,” she said. However, Kaitlyn said that the procedure was tedious and required lots of writing, revising, and filling out forms multiple times.
The cover art for Ruby Red was inspired by Kaitlyn and her friend Emily Mignini, a graduate of Hereford’s 2012 class. Kaitlyn took photos of Emily, a Snow White look-a-like, in the woods by Kaitlyn’s house. The photos, according to Kaitlyn, turned out fairly pixilated and were unusable. They are available for viewing on Facebook, however.
Ruby Red is only the first in a series called the Contista Chronicles; Kaitlyn’s next book focuses on the Wicked Witch’s story.
Kaitlyn plans to go to a liberal arts college with a major in either English or Education. “I’m thinking teacher-by-day, writer-by-night,” said Kaitlyn.
“I see great things for [Kaitlyn] in her future,” said Mrs. Sopher.
You can read more about Ruby Red and the Contista Chronicles and where to buy them at the Facebook pages of either “Contista Chronicles” or “Kaitlyn Cumpsy-Fowler,” or visit contistachronicles.com.
