Student Spotlight
By Megan Roth
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Writer
Grandview Heights junior self-publishes first book of a trilogy
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writing. It just wasn’t realistic for me,” Akers says. “Then, I became really close with one of my friends and he basically pushed me to just do it.” Akers jumped in to the writing and editing process, and soon finished the
manuscript and discovered Kindle Direct Publishing. After her mom, Aja Price, served as proofreader and editor, Akers published her first book. The process didn’t come without a bit of fear, though. “I was definitely nervous,” Akers says. “Part of me was scared that people I knew would start reading it and criticizing me.” Akers later realized there was nothing to be scared of. “It made me feel like I can go for what I want,” she says. “I don’t need to hold myself back if I think something is unrealistic if I know deep down that I have the ability to do it.” Grandview Heights High School praises Akers for exemplifying the mission of the school. “Our mission is to maximize and personalize every student’s learning,” Chief Academic Officer Angie Ullum says. “Our purpose is to provide opportunities for students to explore their passions and help them build the skills needed to initiate their dreams and follow their paths.”
Photos Courtesy of Camille Akers
onceptualizing, writing and editing a book takes plenty of time, determination and energy – Grandview Heights High School junior Camille E. Akers can tell you that herself. However, thanks to modern technology and publishing outlets, becoming a published author has fewer barriers than ever. Akers self-published her first book, The Martyr: First Book of the Oliver Wellington Trilogy in August 2021 using Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing. In The Martyr, an elementary schoolaged boy named Oliver discovers the dead body of a prominent CEO one day during recess. Years later, when Oliver discovers the body of a missing girl in the same place, he embarks on a journey in an attempt to understand the connection between the two cases. Inspired by The Hunger Games trilogy and Kiera Cass’s The Selection series, Akers says she’s had the idea for this book since around eighth grade but hadn’t seriously attempted it until March of 2021. “I was sort of drifting away from the
Grandview Heights junior Camille Akers self-published her first novel in August 2021. 16
January/February 2022 • www.trivillagemagazine.com
