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Teen author to speak at Nevada High School Monday
Nevada Daily Mail
Cottey student Mattie Richardson, a 19 year old published author, will speak at Nevada high school about writing and publishing as well as play the fiddle Oct. 7 and 9.
Homeschooled in Sheldon, N.D., Richardson self-published her first book at the age of 16. She wrote the children's historical fiction story, "Appaloosy," when she was 13.
"The reason I wrote 'Appaloosy' was because I loved to write and I really wanted a horse," Richardson said. "So I wrote a story from a horse's perspective during the late 1800s. I sent it to my uncle who is also a writer. He encouraged me to publish because he thought it was really good."
Richardson went on to publish three more books. "Dusty's Trail" and "Golden Sunrise" again telling history through a horse's perspective, the Pony Express and Battle of the Alamo eras respectively. Her latest book, "Blackberry Blossom," is a young adult novel about the adventures of a girl who plays the fiddle to support herself in the Great Depression.
"I play the fiddle," Richardson said. "The story is sort of what I wish I could do, just play fiddle and travel around."
Altogether she has sold 600 copies of her books. Still, she said she doesn't plan to be a full-time author.
"I want to be a high school English teacher and keep writing on the side," she said. "After Cottey, I plan to transfer to Valley City State University in North Dakota."
Busy with school and publishing events, she said she has a hard time finding the time to write.
"When I first started, I would write for 8 hours a day and now it's hard to find half an hour," she said.
She said she enjoys talking at schools and hearing input from kids who have read her books.
"My advice for young authors is don't give up and seek support from other people," she said. "I encourage them to keep up with their writing even if they don't plan to publish."