LAGRANGE, Ga. (AP) — Michelle Jones appears to be a typical ninth-grader. She is dressed in blue jeans, a T-shirt with an artistic design printed on the front and an array of bracelets on her arms.
But when the 15-year-old daughter of Stuart and Susie Jones opens her mouth to talk, the stereotypical view of a teenager from Troup High School flies out the window.
Described by her mother as "a mini-adult," she is articulate and well versed as she describes without much prodding her latest project — the digital publication on Amazon of her novel, "Twilight's Moon."
"Twilight's Moon" is an adventure-suspense story which takes the characters on a journey. It involves a forest and the reader's imagination.
The book, which was completed this summer, is not Jones' first, although it is the first to be published.
"Writing has been my passion since I was in the first grade, and in fifth grade, I wrote my first short story," she said.
Her mother said her daughter won the Georgia Young Author of the Year award not once, but twice.
"When she was in first grade, the teacher would write a sentence on the board for the students to finish, and Michelle, would write pages and pages. In fact, one of her teachers told us that we had a writer on our hands," Susie Jones said.
Her daughter just shook her head.
"I have always loved to read. In fact, I am starting my own library in my room... but writing, well, that has just been a hobby for me," she said.
For "Twilight's Moon," Michelle Jones said, "I just started writing, and I would write all the time, even at school, when I would get bored. My best friend would encourage me to write. I just couldn't stop. Writing it was addicting for me."
She decided to look into publishing while vacationing on a fall break in Mexico Beach, Fla.
"We were at this place where a bunch of authors were signing books, and I got to talking to one of them, and told her that I had written a book," Jones said. "She seemed interested, and I asked her about publishing. She told me I should check out Amazon because of their self-publishing... so I did."
Through Amazon, Jones was able to publish her book digitally — to be downloaded by buyers on certain electronic devices.
Her electronic book costs $7 to download, and she said proudly, "I have sold two thus far."
The Jones family is looking for a publisher to print the book, but according to her mother, they are having a hard time, "Because of Michelle's age and the length of the book, no one has really expressed an interest."
Meanwhile, Michelle Jones is working on rewriting her first book, and editing it for publication.
"I have kind of hit a writer's block, I guess. This one" — she points to the large binder sitting on the table in front of me — "did me in, I guess."
But she is not giving up.
"I already have ideas for a third book," she said.
State News
November 24, 2009
LaGrange girl publishes book
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