While some 18 year olds would prefer to hang out at the mall during free time, Katie Arnold, a junior at Achievement House Cyber Charter School, just published her first novel, Floor 17, under the pen name Emily Bryant.

The story, set in present day, revolves around teen track star, Marisa, who bumps into what she thinks is a girl, but runs straight through her the next second while out on a daily jog. It can only mean one thing—that girl was a g-g-g-ghost! That’s right, and the ghost, Annica, died under peculiar circumstances during the 1930s resulting in a terrible case of amnesia. The plot deepens as these two meet a reporter and heiress and the mystery begins to unravel.

Arnold, a native of McAdoo, PA, says she was walking near a cemetery one day and “noticed it was always empty during the day. That led me to think ‘what if someone was there?’ and it just took off from there. The book turned into a creative outlet.”

The first seven chapters were completed one per month, but in July of 2014 she completed 10 chapters and finished the book with roughly 35,000 words. “It was crazy. I spent July pretty much just looking at Microsoft Word,” she says with a laugh.

Considering Floor 17 is her first novel, Arnold is no stranger to delving into character analyses. “My English teacher at Achievement House Cyber Charter School, Mr. Tkach, liked my style of writing and the depth I gave characters. He felt it mattered,” she explains. Arnold uses a detailed personality sheet to give characters complex backgrounds. “It comes from my love of people” she states. Practicing after meeting new people, she’d quickly jot down every element she could recall. It’s a skill that obviously paid off.

Arnold plans a print version of her novel and a sequel too. “Thankfully,” she says her class schedule at Achievement House Cyber Charter School is very conducive to writing. “All of my teachers have been very encouraging toward my writing, and I really love my school” she says sincerely. How many teens say that today?

The professional writer has some words of advice for teens thinking about following the creative path: “Write what you like. Read everything, and just read and write!”

Available atwww.Amazon.com in Kindle version, Floor 17 retails for $6.00 or free to Kindle Unlimited members.