{"id":55594,"date":"2024-02-09T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-09T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=55594"},"modified":"2024-02-09T16:24:58","modified_gmt":"2024-02-09T21:24:58","slug":"debut-novel-from-emu-senior-captures-high-school-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2024\/debut-novel-from-emu-senior-captures-high-school-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"Debut novel from EMU senior captures high school experience"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As part of a writing exercise in her eighth grade English class, Ashley Mellinger<\/strong> penned a letter to her future self.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In it, the 14-year-old girl from Harleysville, Pennsylvania, asked whether her writing project would ever be complete: \u201cIs H.O.T.P.S. finished yet?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, Mellinger, 23, an EMU senior a couple months away from earning her nursing degree, can finally answer that question with a resounding \u201cYes.\u201d Her debut novel, Heartache on the Play Stage <\/em>(HOTPS), was published on Jan. 23 and is available to purchase at online booksellers.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI promised my 14-year-old self that I would get it published one day,\u201d Mellinger said. \u201cI\u2019ve been working on it for eight to nine years, and I promised myself it was going to be worthwhile.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 486-page book is a humorous coming-of-age tale that follows Katie, a 17-year-old who\u2019s among the top of her high school class and appears to have it all. She has stellar grades, impressive extracurriculars, and a meticulously planned future. But, \u201cnot everything is what it seems,\u201d reads a description on the back cover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The title of the novel refers to a breakup between Katie and her boyfriend Johnny on stage as they\u2019re putting on one big play meant to reenact the lives of the students within the high school. Within two weeks of the breakup, Johnny starts dating someone else and, Mellinger said, \u201cthat completely crushes her.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne thing I like is that she recovers because she wants to get better,\u201d Mellinger said. \u201cNot because Johnny finally takes her back or someone tells her to stop. She recovers for herself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The novel is published by Archway Publishing, which specializes in working with self-published authors. Heartache on the Play Stage <\/em>is available to purchase on the publisher\u2019s website and on Amazon.com<\/a> and Barnesandnoble.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Order her novel here<\/a>.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A copy of the book is also available to check out<\/a> at the Sadie Hartzler Library at EMU.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Work on the novel began in 2016, when Mellinger was in middle school, and started as her just writing for fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would write little notes in my phone,\u201d she recalled. \u201cI carried around a notebook everywhere and would just write down ideas, write down everything that came to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those ideas turned into stories about Katie and her circle of friends as they navigated high school. Mellinger, who cited The Outsiders<\/em> as an influence, would stay up late and \u201cwrite the night away\u201d whenever inspiration struck. Because such a large part of her writing came from when she was in high school herself, the characters and their dialogue, along with their worries and their dreams, all feel authentic and true to life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The characters bear some similarities to the author. Like Mellinger, Katie has always wanted to become a nurse. And, similar to what Mellinger did before coming to EMU, Katie wants to take a gap year after high school to work as an EMT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a work of fiction, but there are parts of me in all the characters,\u201d Mellinger said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She finished writing the story in January 2021, and then \u201cediting took forever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mellinger said she\u2019s been reading Heartache on the Play Stage<\/em> to her boyfriend over the phone during their nightly calls together. She\u2019s also been reading it to her mom, who\u2019s always keen to hear another chapter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe thinks it\u2019s absolutely hilarious,\u201d Mellinger said. \u201cShe laughs at everything \u2014 even the things I don\u2019t think are funny.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another one of her biggest fans is right on campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dawn Neil<\/strong>, coordinator for the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and a good friend of Mellinger, started reading it as soon as she could get her hands on a copy earlier this week. She playfully bragged about having the first autographed copy of the novel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI might have to buy a second copy so I don\u2019t crack the spine on this one,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what are the future plans for the nursing novelist?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mellinger said she has two projects in the works, including a sequel, but those have been put on hold as she completes her coursework. She also plans to throw a big party to celebrate the novel after graduation. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As part of a writing exercise in her eighth grade English class, Ashley Mellinger penned a letter to her future self. In it, the 14-year-old girl from Harleysville, Pennsylvania, asked ... read more about Debut novel from EMU senior captures high school experience<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":302,"featured_media":55595,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17562,4513],"tags":[18006,17910,18007],"feature":[17427,17426,17241,17422],"class_list":["post-55594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-digest","category-student-life","tag-ashley-mellinger","tag-dawn-neil","tag-novel","feature-emu-home-page-feature","feature-myemu-feature","feature-news-feature","feature-news-landing-page-main-feature"],"yoast_head":"\nDebut novel from EMU senior captures high school experience - EMU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2024\/debut-novel-from-emu-senior-captures-high-school-experience\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Debut novel from EMU senior captures high school experience - EMU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As part of a writing exercise in her eighth grade English class, Ashley Mellinger penned a letter to her future self. 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