When she was young, 13-year-old Medford resident and writer Charlotte Rose Mandy wasn’t the most eager reader.
However, a few years ago, she found fictional novels were intriguing. Some of her favorites included the “Lord of the Rings” and “The Chronicles of Narnia.”
After reading these best-selling series, Mandy decided to create her own fictional world.
Mandy’s 660-page novel “Thunderland: The Quest to Uthnir” is now available for sale as an e-book on Amazon. The book is the first of a planned three-part series named “The Thunderland Chronicles.”
The first book introduces a 12-year-old London girl named Amy Wupero who is swept into a magical world full of exotic creatures, new friends and danger. She heads out on a quest to rescue her parents from danger and simultaneously save the magical world she entered.
The story takes place in an intricate, magical setting harkening to some of her favorite childhood books, which Mandy said helped spur her interest in fiction.
“I started out as a reluctant reader, but when I started reading, I found I really liked fiction,” Mandy said. “I enjoyed reading J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ books and C.S. Lewis.”
The book has many of the same themes as other fictional works. Mandy wanted to establish the good guys and the bad guys. She also used inspiration from her own life to come out in the story.
“I always loved the battle between good and evil in books,” Mandy said. “I did try to show the friendship between people, I always liked how Tolkien did it with ‘Lord of the Rings.’”
Mandy began writing earlier in her childhood. She used to write short stories about dogs and cats. Last year, she decided to dive into a deeper project with “Thunderland.”
The book began as a fictional work, but has now transformed into a multi-part series. Mandy decided to make her story a series in the middle of writing the first book.
“I hadn’t plan to write more than one,” she said. “But I had more to tell than in just one book.”
Mandy is working on the second book in the series. While she is enjoying it, but she isn’t in any rush to finish it.
“It’s sort of a work in progress,” Mandy said. “It may take a bit longer to write this one because of continuity and to make sure the story lines up.”
Mandy finds time to write between attending her eighth-grade classes at Medford Memorial Middle School and piano lessons. She describes herself as very artistic.
With a busy extracurricular schedule, Mandy said it’s difficult to find time to write. A lot of her writing is done at night, during the weekends and days off from school.
“Whenever I had time after home work or practicing for piano, I would sit down and just write,” she said.
“The Thunderland Chronicles” is a self-published work available as an e-book on Amazon. Mandy credits her father, Frank, for helping her publish the book online.
“My dad was kind of my editor-in-chief,” she said. “He gave me tips. He didn’t change the storyline, he just check it for grammar.”
In addition to dedicating the book to her family, Mandy also dedicated it to her teachers in the Medford Township School District. She said she wouldn’t have been able to write a book without their encouragement.
“They had a really big part in helping me write,” Mandy said. “I’ve never had a bad teacher. I’ve always had inspiring teachers telling me how to write.”
Mandy will begin high school in 2015. She is unsure of what she wants to do in the future, but said she would love to be able to write for the rest of her life.
“Thunderland: The Quest to Uthnir” can be purchased as an e-book for $3.99 on Amazon.
