Young Author Realizes First Project

Feb. 13, 2012 - PRLog -- Lauren DW Luchsinger Fox, a 7th grade student of Twindly Bridge Charter School in Wasilla, Alaska, recently published her first chapter book, entitled Chaderick: Not a Vampire. Not a Zombie. Not a Superhero.
 
The 90-page book fulfills an annual requirement for students of Twindly Bridge Charter School to complete a year-long project.  Inspiration for the story came during a fiction writing workshop offered through her school last year, when Luchsinger Fox penned the first scene of the book.  She came up with the idea of a boy with no powers who dreamed of being a superhero in an exercise designed to elicit unusual characters.  The character, named Chaderick, struck Luchsinger Fox as both funny and sympathetic, so she decided to continue writing the story as her school project for the year.  “For the first six months or so, it was really fun to write,” she says.  “Since Chaderick doesn’t have any powers, he keeps having to come up with unusual ways to save the day.”  

Only after finishing the story, which took just over a year to complete, did Luchsinger Fox realize that the book’s theme reflects insights she’s gained as the sister of a severely disabled older brother.  “For a while, I wasn’t happy about my family.  We’d go out in public, and my brother would draw attention.  I didn’t want people to know I was with him, and I felt terrible for feeling that way.”  After a while, she realized that it didn’t matter.  She stopped feeling conscientious and even started greeting other cognitively disabled individuals as she went about in her community.  She found she really enjoyed seeing them smile.  “After I finished writing Chaderick, I realized that I’m like Chaderick in a lot of ways,” Luchsinger Fox says.  “Chaderick learns that it’s okay to be different.  He wants to fit in, but he’s not happy and he never really belongs in his community until he learns to be comfortable with who he really is.”  

Positive feedback from family and friends, who described the story as “way funny” and “weird,” led Luchsinger Fox to decide to publish and market her book as her school project this year.  So far, she has done that by pricing the book to be competitive with similar titles ($4.99 for the print version and $2.50 for e-book versions), distributing the book on sites such as Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble, arranging book signings, setting up a website (ChaderickTheBook.weebly.com), and requesting reviews from friends and professional reviewers.  “My friends at school and my family have been really supportive, but I think the best feedback I’ve gotten so far is the two thumbs up I got from a girl in Arizona who I’ve never heard of before,” Luchsinger Fox says.  “As far as I know, we’re not even related.”

Besides reading and writing, Lauren DW Luchsinger Fox enjoys running, hiking, ice skating, doing gymnastics, and spending time outdoors off Alaska’s road system, where she and her father are building a cabin.  She lives with her family in Alaska.

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About Crecer Publications

Crecer Publications is a small publishing company with a primary mission of supporting individuals called to Christian ministry and encouraging families dedicated to educating their children at home.