Last year we shared the story about North Bay’s Payton Sproule, who accepted a beach volleyball scholarship at the University of Central Arkansas next fall.
That impressive accomplishment is not the only thing the 17-year-old Widdifield Secondary School student has going for her these days.
See related: Life is a beach for Payton Sproule
In fact Friday, Amazon.ca launched Sproule’s 400-page fantasy novel called “Immortuos.”
Sproule has been working on her novel for two years and got the inspiration for the book literally through her dreams.
“I vividly remember the dream which caused the creation of the novel,” said Sproule.
“One of the 53 chapters is solely based on the dream I had. When I woke up the next morning with the dream still fresh in my mind I knew I wanted to write a novel. The dream was so emotionally powerful and had hidden meaning that only my unconscious brain knew what it meant. I knew I needed to include the dream in a story to share the emotion with my readers (who at the time were merely family members and close friends). At this point, I decided that this was it; this was the story which I would dedicate myself to.”
Sproule admits it takes a lot of patience to write a novel, especially as a teenager. But she believes her passion for writing makes it easier.
“There is always more learning and more experience I can gain by regularly reading and writing, discovering what writing strategies I like and what skills I can learn to write a powerful bestseller like my idol, Stephen King,” she said.
“As I grow older, I believe my writing will become stronger. Being a teenager, writing a book takes a lot of sacrifices. With schoolwork, sports, family and social life filling up my schedule it doesn’t seem like I would have time to write a 400-page novel, but if you enjoy writing then isn't a chore; I habitually write in my spare time, to begin with. It’s really fun to write a book if you are passionate about your story and its characters.”
As for the book Immortuos itself, Sproule says it is about a princess who is heading, involuntarily, to the kingdom of Arlon to become engaged to a random prince within a tradition called the "Choosing Ceremony."
"It was a tradition which kept all of the kingdoms close in an alliance, it was what kept the peace between them. Due to chaotic events, the princess breaks the tradition and runs into the most dangerous place known to man: The Dark Forest which crawled with menacing creatures. She accidentally awakens a demon from its 2,000-year imprisonment and the demon tears the world apart, causing life on Earth to suffer. Consumed with utter guilt, the princess embarks on a quest in an attempt to kill the demon and restore the world to what it once was."
Sproule, who will be taking pre-med in University next year, believes maximizing her free time has allowed her to take on competitive beach volleyball and writing at the same time.
"I was able to make time to write my novel by working on one chapter, or a part of a chapter, per day, and when I had more free time on the weekends or on holidays," she explained.
"When my parents would drive me to beach volleyball practice in Toronto, I would sometimes use that time to write for a couple of hours. If I could, and the ideas were flowing, I would write for hours. I knew the writing process would take over six months so I never, at any point, felt overwhelmed to hurry my story along. Writing is an art, and art takes time."
Sproule is hoping to do a book signing of Immortuos at Widdfifield Secondary School in November.
