On Monday Dec. 3 freshman Laura Hough published her own book Invasion of the Puffballs.

“I started the book in sixth grade,” Hough said. “I was really into the Harry Potter series when I was in the fifth grade, so I decided to write my own story from Hermoine’s perspective.  From those two pieces of paper that I wrote, I realized that I really enjoyed writing and thought, ‘why not write my own story?’ That’s when the idea came to me.”

The story is about a teenager named Arielle who is kidnapped by aliens called the Puffballs.  Back home, her friends and family are worried about Arielle’s whereabouts and start their own investigation.  They search for clues; however the clues are unusual and grow concern for Arielle’s family and friends. The story is perfect for tweens and upper elementary students.

“In the story, Arielle has red hair, and it reminded me of Disney’s Ariel. But, I didn’t want to completely copy Disney, so I researched other names and found the name in French. I looked up the meaning of Arielle and found out it meant ‘the Lion of God.’  I wanted Arielle to be brave and strong, so it was a perfect fit,” Hough said.

Hough published the book on an Amazon option called “CreateSpace.”  It allowed Hough to design her own publishing options including margin size, font style and size.

“With the help and support of my parents, we were able to produce and distribute for everyone to read,” Hough said.

The books sell for seven dollars on Amazon.  Hough will also be interviewed by Fox 2 News on Dec. 15 and has a book signing at Six North on Saturday from 10 am – 12 pm.