Knox College Student Publishes First Novel

By Ashley Wolfgang '14

Colleen Boyd '14 arrived at Knox as a successful writer. Now she's a published author. Neither of those accomplishments came easily.

Her first book, Swamp Angel, a novel focused at the "young adult" market, was already written when she came to Knox in 2009. She had started it in 2008, after being inspired by a song title, Angel in the Swamp, by the band Story of the Year.

While the novel has no relation to the lyrics of the song, the title "had me thinking about what an actual 'swamp angel' would look like," Boyd explains "Everything else kind of went from there." Praised by Publishers Weekly as "a lush, atmospheric story," the novel is about an teenage boy who befriends a monster living in the swamp in his back yard.

Boyd found that she had to balance writing with her studies. "Once I got going, I tried to write at least a half a page a day," says Boyd. "I was still a high school student, so there were classes, but I tried to always make time for it. I finished the first draft nine months after I started."

At Knox, Boyd found help with the next step in the process -- getting published. She took an independent study course that concentrated on book editing. After completing the course, Boyd signed a contract with a publicist, who then found the publisher, Spencer Hill Press. An independent publishing house in New Hampshire, Spencer Hill specializes in sci-fi, urban fantasy, and paranormal novels for young adult readers.

Last December, Boyd was finally able to hold a release party at a bookstore in her hometown of Overland Park, Kansas.

"It was a really great turnout, about 60 people showed up. I signed a bunch of the books before doing a reading of the first chapter and having an Q&A session," says Boyd. "My Facebook page for that day basically said, ‘This is the greatest day of my life!' So, it went really well."

Boyd currently has two other completed manuscripts that her agent is handling -- a ghost story and an urban fantasy -- and she's working on a science fiction novel.

When she graduates in June with her major in creative writing and minor in studio art, Boyd not only plans to continue writing, but also to start a career in publishing. "I've learned a lot about publishing and processes, how to rewrite, and how to just write better in general."