York grad releasing first book on Amazon
Emma Radcliff wrapped up her career at York High School in May as a member of the centennial graduating Class of 2019.
Now she's releasing her first young adult novel, "The Hidden King," on Amazon. The book features illustrations by current York student Elena Martinez.
"The Hidden King" is the story of a young man who endures the unimaginable to unite his family and a kingdom. The fantasy tale is the first in a trilogy called the "Coming of Áed, " and aims to appeal to readers who love what Radcliff describes as the "gritty" and "mythical."
While writing has always been a gift, the young author says the story came to her in a dream. But moving past her first draft was a challenge.
"That very earliest draft clocked in at a whopping 150,000 words - pretty much, I'd just written whatever came to mind, and the plot was stringy and bizarrely-paced," she says.
"The hardest part was changing that … I hit wall after wall of writer's block … It was satisfying, and I got a fair bit of enjoyment out of it, but it certainly challenged my endurance."
Radcliff credits the York High School Learning Commons staff as part of her community of support.
"I must give a huge thank-you to the Learning Commons staff, notably Ms. (Michelle) Haller and Ms. (Erica) Drumm, for being relentlessly encouraging and for agreeing to provide feedback when I asked," she says. "I'm really going to miss their constant support in future projects.
"Also, Ms. (Grace) Phillips, the creative writing teacher, agreed to read the first few chapters and she helped me with some detail work that I'd have likely overlooked without her advice."
Moving forward, Radcliff will turn her focus to completing the trilogy over the next couple of years.
She now has a bit of advice for emerging writers:
"Try to take criticism in stride because, from experience, it's the best way to learn. I've improved massively by absorbing some very ego-crushing advice and, in hindsight, I wouldn't trade the experience for anything."
Look for "The Hidden King" on Amazon and learn more about Radcliff on social media at @egradcliff and egradcliff.com.