Teenager Anna Prater delivers with her debut novel
Writing the great American novel is on the bucket list for many people. Few get it done. That’s what makes Anna Prater’s achievement so remarkable. The Poplar Bluff teenager started writing her first novel when she was 15 and saw it published on her 18th birthday.
“I’ve seen people talk about it, like saying they want to write something,” Anna says. “But, you know, they never got around to it.”
This past December Anna’s first novel, “Familiar Strangers,” became a reality. She self-published the book through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing service.
One person who wasn’t surprised to see her achievement was her father, Dusty, who is a lineman for Ozark Border Electric Cooperative and also a co-op member. “She’s always needed something to keep her busy,” he says. “She’s been like that since she was little bitty. Her mind is overactive. Writing is kind of what she does.”
“Familiar Strangers” was written for the young adult genre. It tells the story of a teenage girl, Cici Greene, who walks into her room one day and finds her boyfriend sitting on her bed. No big deal, until the reader discovers the boyfriend died, and Cici blames herself for his death.
She introduces the plot with these lines: “I used to find the phrase ‘my past haunts me’ a bit dramatic. A little over the top, especially for mundanities. But now, my past is sitting by my window. Haunting me. Literally.”
From that point in the 300-page book, Anna has the reader hooked. She skillfully feeds the reader just enough details to keep interest high. Along the way, she reinvents the way a ghost interacts with the living. But Anna is quick to point out this is not a ghost story — it’s more of a story that just happens to have a ghost in it.
The themes explored in the book are typical of what today’s teenagers must deal with: finding love, suffering loss, living with a broken family and just facing life’s constant heartbreaks. It’s an easy read, with extensive and well-crafted dialogue. Her characters are funny, wholesome and believable because Anna drew from her own experiences in writing it. In fact, some readers see her reflected in the book’s pages.
Anna reported on the book’s release through her Instagram account:
“I started writing this book three years ago, 2021. If you had told 2021 me that she would be publishing this book, she would have laughed in your face. Like SNORTED.”
Anna’s family, which includes Dusty, mom Maggie and younger sister Addy, weren’t allowed to read the book until it was ready to print. “She wouldn’t let us see it,” her dad recalls. “She wouldn’t answer questions or tell us anything about it. Then to see something that size — I was extremely shocked. It’s pretty amazing.”
Anna’s reluctance to share the book stems from her constant rewrites that saw the plot change direction over time. “It’s just one of those things that kind of happened,” Anna says. “It wasn’t even supposed to be a novel. It was supposed to be a short story. But it just kept building until I had a book.”
Anna did share the budding novel with some of her friends, who offered feedback that helped her rewrite the manuscript and overcome some of the roadblocks in the plot. She let it simmer for a while, but then got back to writing after reading stories online of authors getting their books published.
While navigating the complexities of self-publishing, Anna continued to polish the book, completely changing the ending from her early draft. “I don’t plot out my books,” she says. “I kind of have a vague idea and just run with it. So, I had no idea what was even going to be at the end. I kind of figured out the characters along the way.”
She chalks up her writing skills to constant practice — she’s been known to write all night — and from reading. Her favorite author is Stephanie Garber, who writes young adult and fantasy books.
No one-trick pony, Anna is already close to completing her second novel, which she has titled “Bad for Business.” She says this one will have completely different characters and will be more of a romance novel with some action thrown in as well.
“I’ve told people if they liked ‘Familiar Strangers’ to completely throw all of that out,” she says. “I can’t write the same thing twice very well. This is totally different, a more upbeat kind of book.”
Anna plans to start college in the fall but is undecided on the path her future will take. One thing is certain: Look for more novels by this young author in the years to come.
Anna’s debut novel is available under her pen name, Anna Grace, on Amazon.com in print and Kindle versions. It can also be ordered through BarnesandNoble.com.