"Local Author Releases Debut Novel"
By Jason Willis
Step One: Listen to your big sister about dating her coworker. Step Two: When your new girlfriend offers you a chance to read the manuscript, say yes. Step Three: Upon reading the manuscript, make a digital copy of the story. Caution: Do not let her see you do this. Step Four: During awkward small talk, ask her hypothetical questions about a possible dedication page and pertinent biographical information that could be used in an Amazon author profile page. Step Five: Print a single copy of the book with her “married” pen name, and purchase a ring.
That, folks, is how you make a proper book proposal.
For Maple River alumnus Ethan FitzSimmons, he followed these steps with his girlfriend Kirsten T. Worlds for a successful proposal. Now, he’s got a fiance, she’s got a debut novel, and together, they’ve got two good stories to share.
Long before meeting FItzSimmons, Kiersten had another love–writing. The Truman graduate has been an avid writer since the age of ten, but her professional plans involved childcare rather than becoming a published author. “Usually when I write,” Worlds explained, “it doesn’t take much for me, and I get so excited. I also have to remember that I just can’t jump to it. There are times where I’ve written for hours and I have to stop because I hurt my hand.” With her debut novel, The Rebellion, the writing process began in 2015. “I had it finished in 2017, but then the storyline got super complicated so I stopped. During that time, I had friends read it. I only had a couple of people I trusted.” Ultimately, thanks to Ethan’s matchmaker sister Christie, he became one of those people she trusted to read it.
That’s when Ethan began Operation Book Proposal. When he first read it, it was scattered in several Google documents. “So once we had it proofed, I stole it from her without letting her know,” FItzSimmons explained. “Over the course of a couple of months, I learned how to properly format a book.” He also had to design the cover without her knowledge. “Actually, I’ll give credit to Amazon’s KDP. I was looking for pictures of trees, and while it (the cover) might be shattered glass, it was green and related to the story because of the cutting down of trees.”
With the book uploaded to Amazon, Ethan then had to wait for the right moment, which Kirsten describes: “We like to do spray paint art, and we started cleaning up, and he was about to shut the window, and he was ‘Could you hold onto this?’ I looked at it (the book) and thought, “Oh, that’s my title.’ At first, I thought ‘who else took it?’” Then Kirsten spotted the FITZSIMMONS after her name.
“It was a trap,” Ethan added. “She couldn’t have the book unless she said yes.”
“I think I’m surprised by how it all turned out in the end,” Kirsten stated. World describes the book as a Young Adult novel that incorporates her love of historical fiction. Yet it is set in an alternate timeline of history that is relatable for modern readers. Here is their jointly crafted blurb found on Amazon: “A young man deals with discrimination and resistance in an alternate US history. Follow the story of Jack Schmall, a headstrong young man from the slums of New Colony. A place of prejudice and class discrimination, New Colony is controlled with an iron fist by Byron Knight and a rich upper class. Tasked with clear cutting a large section of woods, for Knight's new "Project", Jack and his friends are worked to the bone. Until, a chance encounter and the suffering of an innocent pushes Jack to his limit…”
“This is the first book I’ve ever finished,” Kirsten added. “It took a lot of patience. I’m the type of writer where if it didn’t work or I got stuck, I was DONE. As a teenager, I’d destroy it. Looking back on it now, I really wish I didn’t because my mom would say ‘you have to save it. It might not work for you now, but it could later.’ I think that is one of the things that I constantly remembered. Instead of just being done, I’d ask: what can I do differently?”
When asked about the theme of the novel, KIrsten said it was about “starting from the bottom and wanting something more. And realizing when you want something more you have to fight for it” As it turns out, The Rebellion was also something worth fighting for, and with the help of friends and a fiance, Worlds ended up with something that filled her with pride. “When I finished it, it was like the biggest accomplishment I ever had.” For Ethan, all of the hard work in learning publishing basics paid off with plans for a November 9th wedding.
“Honestly, I didn’t think this would happen,” Kirsten T. Worlds said regarding her surprise publication of her debut novel, The Rebellion.
The Rebellion can be found in print and eBook forms on Amazon. Just remember to search for “FItzSimmons” instead of “Worlds.”
(Originally Published With the Maple River Messenger).
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