Author set to publish second book

A year after publishing her first children's book, Kippens author Nadine Simon is excited to soon have a second book in print.

Flickers of a True Destiny is a chapter book targeted at youth aged nine to 12-years-old. While the lead character's name was inspired by her daughter, Genee Gabrielle, Ms. Simon says the story itself is a fantasy.

"It's about a little girl named GG. She's a little investigator and there's a tree house in the town," says Ms. Simon. "GG and her friends spend all their time playing there and eventually, their tree house starts getting ransacked and they try to figure out who's doing it."

Ms. Simon says GG meets a fairy named Freela, who helps the little girl discover the importance of the tree.

"There are a few parts where you have to guess what's going on, and you don't figure it out until the end," she says. "There is some suspense and a couple of surprises."

Ms. Simon says it was a fun book to write, taking less than a year to complete.

"That's one thing about writing - when you start something, you can't put it away," she says. "If you do put it away and you go back at it, everything comes back."

The book's illustrations were created by her cousin, Abraham's Cove resident Kevin Kendall.

"I gave him my story and he read it - you can't make characters unless you know the story," said Ms. Simon. "When I saw the characters that he drew, they were just what I [imagined], so I was really pleased."

Reaching her audience

Ms. Simon's first book, The Treasured Dream, was published last February. She says it's been hard work getting her book to a wide audience.

"I've been getting myself out there," says the author, noting she recently visited a few schools in the Bay St. George area for readings.

Ms. Simon says she's also been invited to do readings at a few schools on the island's east coast, and is hoping to make the trip into a province-wide tour.

And while she deals with life as an up-and-coming author, Ms. Simon hasn't forgotten her original passion.

"I have another [book] almost finished," she says. "It's a little more mature - for a little older, not for so young an audience."

The Treasured Dream is currently available at Arlim's in Stephenville, and Ms. Simon hopes to have Flickers of a True Destiny available at the store in the near future. For more information, email the author directly at n_a_simon@hotmail.com.