Emmerson Brand (16) with her debut novel Spirit of Fire: The Tale of Marjorie Bruce.
Camera IconEmmerson Brand (16) with her debut novel Spirit of Fire: The Tale of Marjorie Bruce. Credit: Supplied/David Baylis        www.communitypix.com.au d457536

Spirit of Fire: Eastern Hills student’s exciting new chapter

Sally McGlewHills Avon Valley Gazette

The 16-year-old is already wise in the ways of publishing houses, books, cover designs and dealing with editors.

Her publishers, based in Finland, have been selling the book on Amazon and in hardcover through bookshops.

Emmerson said her historical fiction book was set in medieval Scotland during the War of Independence.

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Marjorie Bruce, a newly-crowned Princess of Scotland and daughter of feared Scottish warrior King Robert the Bruce, is about to witness the English invasion into Scottish territory.

Marjorie is about to find out what it means to be Scottish and how important she is to the survival of the Scottish crown. But first, she will need to survive the war, and that will take all the courage and soldiers she can get.

The book has already been reviewed on Amazon with positive responses.

One reader said it was hard to believe its been written by a 16-year-old.

Spirit of Fire was accepted by publisher, Creativa, as an unsolicited manuscript within 10 days.

Brand said the idea for her novel came from her genealogy, where extensive research into the family history allowed her to find her grandfather, 33 times back was King Robert the Bruce of Scotland.

“Further research into this period of time showed me how terrible this era was for the Scots and how oppressed they were by the English,” she said.

“I decided to write a historical but fictional account from Robert’s daughter Marjorie’s point of view.”

Emmerson’s commitment to her tale is impressive, as she started the book at the age of 12.

“About 14, I went through a bit of a writer’s block phase and eventually went back to rewrite it and finally finished it at the beginning of this year,” she said.

She said her literature teacher at school was really excited for her.

“My friends have been really supportive through the whole process, and they’ve basically been my cheer squad, eager to help promote my book and spread the word,” Emmerson said,

Emmerson said her greatest influence was the historical fiction author Bernard Cornwell.

“I have left the ending of Spirit of Fire open, so I have begun writing the sequel, which will document the later years of Marjorie’s life and the final years of the Scottish War of Independence,” she said. “I am also halfway through a new fantasy series, which I also hope to get published.

Emmerson said she hoped the next work would not take as long as the first piece, because she now knows where she’s going with it.

Emmerson said she wants to study psychological science at universoty and eventually become a psychiatrist.

“I hope to continue my writing career on the side,” she said.