Step aside, Christopher Paolini ““ there’s a new young author in town. Second-year undeclared student Dan Elconin has recently published his creation, “Never After,” a young-adult fantasy novel that provides a dark twist to the traditional story of Peter Pan. Defying the odds with its recent publishing success, his book is a sign that young authors looking to make a name for themselves can now realize that publication is, in fact, possible.
“I started writing the book when I was 14. … I finished when I was 15 and a half,” Elconin said, though he admitted that multiple revisions were needed before he could submit the work to publishers and receive positive feedback.
Monday, Nov. 9, a book signing will take place on the second floor rotunda of the College Library in Powell, where Elconin will be present to talk and sign copies of “Never After.”
“(“˜Never After’ is) good reading, … definitely a page-turner. It portrays teenagers the way teenagers really are,” second-Âyear world arts and cultures student Nick Vogel said.
Elconin said that he felt the realism of his characters was what truly set “Never After” apart.
“The teenagers are really authentic,” Elconin said. “Even Harry Potter is just not quite perfect. I found myself saying, “˜A real teen would never say that.'”
Elconin manifested realistic characters using personal experiences from his past.
“Every character in the novel is a mishmash of people I know and myself. The characters were definitely based on my experience with real people,” Elconin said.
Despite glowing reviews from multiple Web sites and blogs, convincing a publisher to look at endorsing a young author was no easy task. Rejections came hard and fast in the beginning, and even after he managed to get an agent in his junior year of high school, the going was no less harsh.