THUNDER BAY - Everyone has a story to tell. Sometimes learning the skills and gathering the courage to share that story with others takes years of practice and determination.
But Alexandra Kisselgoff, Thunder Bay’s newest author, didn’t want to wait, she wanted to tell her story now at just 11-years-old.
“It was really rewarding,” she said. “It’s not every single day you hear: Oh, an 11-year-old published a book.”
Alexandra’s first novel, Fallen Tree, was published last month by Xlibris Publishing. The novel tells the story of Jessie, a young girl travelling to Hawaii to see a concert and visit her family. However, during the flight over the ocean, the plane crashes onto a deserted island where she is cared for by a tribe of people.
If that was not trying enough, Jessie soon comes into contact with a company owned by the government that arrives on the island and begins cutting down all the trees. It is up to Jessie to help the tribe protect the island and their land.
Written for readers of all ages, Alexandra said she wanted to write a story about some of the things happening in today’s world.
“The book is about action and it’s about problems in the world that are happening at the moment,” she said. “People are cutting down trees and it’s ruining habitats and disasters that happen.”
As impressive as it is for an 11-year-old to write and publish a novel, the story actually started to take shape several years ago as just an idea in Alexandra’s mind. But it wasn’t until an English teacher inspired and encouraged her to pursue her passion for writing.
“It really started in Grade 4 when I first made up the story idea,” she said. “It was very different from what it is now. Now I’m in Grade 6 and I basically learned more about how the world works and it’s not perfect. I just wanted to let people know that the world is not perfect and there are problems in the world that have to be taken care of.”
Aside from overcoming the challenges of the craft of writing and telling an engaging and entertaining story, Alexandra also experienced what can cripple even the most experienced of writers.
“I get anxiety when people read my book to see how it is,” she said. “One of the things that was a little bit difficult for me was letting my parents read it before I gave it to the editor. It gave me anxiety when I got the edits back because I didn’t want her to judge me, but the editor was really kind and supportive.”
So far the reviews from family and friends have been very positive, which Alexandra said makes her feel very proud. And she has a lot to be proud of already. Alexandra plays piano and violin, has competed in the Lakehead Festival of Arts, and has won a speech competition at Ecole Gron Morgan School.
“It’s one of the biggest accomplishments that I’ve had in my life,” she said. “It’s really good for me and I can tell people about it and they will see me differently.”
With one novel already published, Alexandra said she has ideas for a second and she is hoping to get started on it soon. Because she has many more stories to tell, and for anyone else out there who has something to share, Alexandra said there is no point in waiting, no matter how old or young you are.
“Advice I could give is start now if you really want to,” she said. “If you think you’re too young or you’re too old, it’s not too late or too early unless you say it is.”
Fallen Tree is available online at Amazon, Indigo-Chapters, and the Xlibris Publishing Website.
