A teenage author from Maple Ridge has finished her first collection.
Leanne Van Dongen just finished Stage Fright, the third book in her Showtime book series released by RoseDog Books.
The book tells the story of Hannah Little, who is excited, but petrified, because she is going to achieve her goal of playing the piano in front of an audience. But when another character named Hope ruins her performance by pulling off a traumatic stunt, Hannah gets stage fright and refuses to try again.
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Van Dongen writes about her journey to get over her stage fright and live the moment she has been longing for.
The Maple Ridge teen was inspired to become an author by books she read while growing up.
She is also the author of Kate the Great and The Trio, the other two books in this collection.
Van Dongen started writing Kate the Great when she was only 12 years old.
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Her second book, The Trio was released in 2018 when she was 16 years old.
In order to write, Van Dongen usually sits in a corner nook in the kitchen of her house where it is silent.
She prefers to write everything by hand before typing up on her computer and sending it to her publisher.
Leanne told her mother Anita that she wanted to be an author when she was 10 years old. At the time, her mother told her she could be whatever she wanted to be. Now Leanne has realized her dream.
Van Dongen enjoys drawing, painting, and watching action movies in her free time.
Showtime: Stage Fright is a 98-page paperback with a retail price of $12.00.
To purchase a copy go to rosedogbookstore.com.
cflanagan@mapleridgenews.com
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