Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman
Maddie Lawrence, a junior at IMPACT Early College High School, is following up her first novel with a sequel.
IMPACT Student Publishes Fiction Novel
By Beth Dombrowa
As an elementary and junior school student, Maddie Lawrence checked out as many books from the library at a time that she was allowed. As a high school student, she’s written a book of her own.
“The Magic Discovery,” Maddie’s first book, is available on Amazon ($16 for a paperback and $12 for the Kindle edition). The IMPACT Early College High School junior finished her book last year and it became available for sale last summer.
Her almost 400-page story is about a high school student, Marina Umpei, a fairly typical high school student whose life changes with the arrival of a new student she befriends. The book’s protagonist discovers a hidden, magical world in which she becomes immersed. Ultimately, it is up to Marina to save this new world.
“I started writing it when I was in sixth grade and didn’t pick it up again until I was a sophomore,” she said. “It became a radically different book with a completely different ending.”
Weaved throughout the story are Japanese elements; in fact, the page numbers are in Japanese and there are multiple kanji, characters used in modern Japanese writing where the character has an entire meaning versus just a sound, throughout the story. The cover of the book features a kanji that means magic and art. Maddie has included a glossary of the back of the book to explain the meaning of the kanji and other Japanese phrases.
Her interest in the Japanese culture begin in fourth grade when she took a jujitsu class. As she got older and began reading manga, a style of Japanese comic books, and watching anime, Maddie fell more in love with everything Japanese. So much so, in fact, that she plans to move to Japan as soon as it’s feasible.
“I spend most of my spare time studying Japanese,” said Maddie, who is at the top of her graduating class, and who is determined to become fluent in the language. “It’s really interesting to learn about another language that writes completely different from English.”
The sequel to “The Magic Discovery” could be available very soon. Tentatively titled “The Fall of Magic,” it’s already written and in the editing phase. Maddie has incorporated even more Japanese into her second novel.
Although she’ll be a twice-published author by the time she graduates from high school, Maddie actually plans to get a degree in computer science and become a game designer.
“Unless I become the next JK Rowling, I want writing to be a secondary career,” she said.