A local artist and author recently published her first graphic novel, marking a strong start for a 15-year-old creative.

Ella Valentine of Valmeyer, along with her father Tim, spoke about Ella’s new book “Dreams” and her experience as a young author.

As they described, Ella has had a strong interest in the arts for some time, enjoying both writing and painting.

Tim recalled that, when Ella was around 11 or 12 years old, she approached her parents for help in trying to put together a book, eager to make it look like a proper, published work.

A trip to a craft store provided Ella with a blank hardcover she could fill in as she pleased, and she managed to complete her project in a little under a year.

Not satisfied having her writing and illustrations simply look like a finished book, Ella urged her parents to help get her work published. They were encouraging, though not as optimistic as she was, and her aspirations stewed for a few months.

Further urging from Ella prompted Tim to look into what actually goes into the publishing process, and the family wound up pursuing a hybrid publishing method, somewhere between self-publishing and traditional publishing.

Though they anticipated some difficulty in getting published, the first hybrid publisher they reached out to, Newman Springs, wound up approving the book after just a week’s wait.

Per Tim, the biggest hitch in the process for the family was for Ella as she wound up having to redo the book altogether on an iPad as it needed to be sent to the publisher in a digital format.

After a year and a half of waiting, the 120-page graphic novel “Dreams” is currently available for purchase through Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Ella offered a brief synopsis of the book, also commenting on where her inspiration came from.

“The book’s about a girl who gets trapped in her dreams and has to save her dreams from an evil witch,” Ella said. “I started thinking about writing stories and all that when I was really little, and I found that I really liked my dreams. I liked the idea of stories being told to you every night.”

Speaking further on the subject of dreams, Ella said the book is for a fairly wide audience, and she simply hopes to convey her own interest in dreams.

“Dreams are more neat than some people think of them as,” Ella said. “I feel like dreams are more of a storytelling in a way, more than what people think of.”

Ella also discussed her feelings on being a published author at only 15. Getting published can be a challenge for any new writer, and she’s still fairly surprised she’s now able to see her name on a novel.

“I probably still haven’t really comprehended that,” Ella said. “I’m still kind of confused by the fact that I’ve actually published something, because I’ve always thought of it my whole life, being an author and publishing stuff… I’m still so surprised.”

Her father expressed a similar surprise, though he is, of course, primarily proud of her talent and hard work.

Tim noted she was really able to “take the reins” when it came to seeing her vision for the book through during the publishing process.

“Her mom and me, we’re just really proud of all the work she’s put into it to get to this point,” Tim said.

With one book under her belt, Ella said she’s interested in further pursuing writing and illustrating.

“Writing this book, especially when I was younger, I’ve learned more about it,” Ella said. “I’ve learned more drawing skills. I’ve learned ways to write more complex stories. I’ve got planned some other stories I can write that are a little more complex and kind of more dramatic.”

Additional digital distribution currently planned for “Dreams.”

A promotional video for the graphic novel can also be found on the Newman Springs YouTube channel.