Imagine if all of you bookworms and avid readers out there read a book where the author walked down the same halls as you every day? At sixteen years old, junior Regan Schell can proudly call herself a published author. On September 9, her debut novel and the first book in The Pilgrimage Saga, Impetus, was released as an eBook. The story tells of a young telepath, Talia Storm-Cloud, on a revenge mission for the death of her friend. However, her original plan unexpectedly takes her down the path of adventure when she encounters the malicious Blackhawks, a ruthless group of warriors with the intention of killing anyone believed to be a threat to society.

Regan began writing at the age of twelve. Only four years later, her ambitions have become reality. “I’ve never really known what I wanted to do, I changed my mind a lot…but no matter what I was going to do, I knew writing was going to be a part of it.”

The idea for Impetus came around the same time in seventh grade. Schell ended up writing a very rough first copy that resulted in being stored away and forgotten about until recently. “I found it again about a year and a half ago and thought, ‘I can make this so much better’. At the beginning of last school year I started rewriting it.” Schell revealed the published version is barely recognizable in comparison to the original.

Writing the manuscript was only half the battle. Upon making the decision to share her story with the world, Schell began researching publishing companies and came across AuthorHouse, a division of Penguin Books USA that helps authors self-publish. “I just decided I was going to, I said ‘this is good enough to be something I can show to people.’” After requesting free information, she received a call a few days later asking if she was interested in publishing. “I basically paid them to print, design, market, and distribute my work.”

One challenge Schell had to overcome throughout the process was giving her manuscript to complete strangers and hoping they wouldn’t mangle it. She also described her worries about the cover art and the physical appearance of the book. Thankfully, those uncertainties faded upon the big reveal. “They did a great job and I’m really happy with it.”

As of right now, Impetus is available on Amazon as an eBook and paperback. The plans for getting it on physical shelves are still in the process of being worked out, depending on the demand for printing. In terms of marketing, prices for an ad on Google are being negotiated. For the time being, the hype for Impetus is in North Hills. Friend of Regan and fan of the book, Kaylee Wendt, commented, “It’s amazing she’s already written her own book…I’m very proud.” Another friend and fan, Rachel Lasser, gave the insightful review, “Definitely read it.” Looking into the future, readers can look forward to the remaining two books in the trilogy, with the second installment already in the early stages.

Regan Schell has surely come a long way from a simple idea to being a published author in high school. “You’re characters grow with you,” she informed, “and to aspiring authors, don’t be afraid to change everything you’ve written because you’re fed up with it.” Schell is living proof of the accuracy in this statement.