Most novelists try their entire lives to write a single novel, let alone get one published. That’s not the case for Jessica Erbe, a student at Cypress High who actually finished her first novel while still in middle school.
Most novelists try their entire lives to write a single novel, let alone get one published. That’s not the case for Jessica Erbe, a student at Cypress High who actually finished her first novel while still in middle school.
That’s right. Erbe wrote the science fiction novel Rylath in March of 2010. She was only 13 at the time and still attending Lexington Junior High. She also did it in secret.
“I just started writing it to make my parents proud,” Erbe said. “I didn’t tell anyone I was doing it – I just started writing.”
She described the initial process of starting a novel as frustrating, but once Erbe began to outline her entire story, she began to hit her stride. It took her roughly a year to finish.
“I was very proud of myself for finishing,” Erbe said. “It was a great feeling.”
The novel was eventually published just over a year later by Tri-Net Publishing. It’s currently available on Amazon.com, where the first 10 pages of the novel can be read, as well as a host of other online stores. This year Erbe even gave away copies of the book as Christmas gifts to friends and family.
Erbe, who now attends Cypress High, is much more than a writer. She also participates in music, sports and has committed herself to “exploring new knowledge and ideas that encompass her passions in life.” According to her bio, she lives with a multitude of pets, including two friendly cats, Duke and Daisy. Her bio also stated that “one of her greatest hopes is to see man discover some aliens out in space so that people will learn they are not alone.”
Fellow student Kayla Briet actually did the cover art for the novel as well as the drawings of the different alien races inside the book.
Despite her talent for writing, Erbe remains uncertain whether or not she plans to write a sequel.
“I don’t know, really,” Erbe said. “(My publisher) wants me to, but I don’t know. There’s a lot of other stuff I would like to do.”
She’s got plenty of time to make up her mind.
