A 14-year-old girl has gone from loving creative writing at school to having her own book published and launched today.
Avid reader Tina Pace, author of the teenage novel Make Me Famous UK, never thought that what started out as “just a fun thing to do” would materialise into a book when she got the idea for it while watching TV.
She is, therefore, excited about today’s launch at the Auberge D’Aragon in Valletta by Justice Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici, a family friend. And she knows she will be supported by own her pals, who have been waiting to buy the book on the day and even get it signed by the author.
Her female peers – girls from 11 to 19 – are expected to form her readership, the book focusing on “what they wear and how they act. It offers an insight into 14-year-olds today – reflected in their clothes, behaviour and the music they listen to”.
Judging from its title and subject, Make Me Famous UK would appear to have been inspired by the many talent shows that are the trend on TV these days and that many viewers are glued to.
But it was not the case, Miss Pace said. She does not watch much TV and, even though she was doing so when she got the idea for the novel, it was a programme that had “nothing to do with it”.
Neither is she into drama, singing or dancing. Her pastime is reading, and her favourite is The Princess Diaries series and its chick-lit genre, which is the style she has opted for in her novel.
Make Me Famous UK tells the story of Taryn, a girl competing with other teenagers in a contest that has different categories, from dancing to acting, singing and modelling. It goes through the highs and lows of their lives as they undergo a nerve-wracking struggle for the ultimate dream: fame!
The novel is a family affair in that only Miss Pace and her sister edited it and her father also gave it a read to spot any mistakes.
A Form IV student at St Monica School in Gżira, she admits to getting carried away in her compositions and glad she has a word count to follow. In the case of her own novel, she could let her imagination run wild and free, dedicating a couple of hours a day for about three months to writing it when she did not have to study for tests.
Although it is the 14-year-old’s first book, it may not be her last. She is not planning a sequel to this but is already toying with another idea, which is completely different. However, it is not set in stone and she has no clue how it is going to evolve – if it does at all.
Neither does she know for sure she will be a writer when she grows up, despite having started out so young. Wherever her career takes her, however, writing will definitely be a hobby.
The book has been published by BDL Book Distributors Ltd and is available in most major book stores.
Miss Pace may not know what to expect from today’s launch but she is not afraid of feedback, having already received positive comments from those who read it. “I know what it is like not to like a book. I generally finish it but I never return to the author.”