WEST CAPE MAY — No one can do everything, but everyone can do something to effect change. That is the takeaway message author Ellie Kirk hopes readers will uncover in her forthcoming book, “Bonnie Bailey and the Faire of Worlds.”
The novel follows a teenage girl who saves her family’s apiary, keeps a magical fair from imploding, and falls a little bit in love with a cowboy from an alternate universe. The middle-grade contemporary fantasy is geared toward ages 9-12 (reading level fourth to seventh grade).
Kirk’s book launch is scheduled for 3 to 5 p.m. May 10 at Ostara’s Coffee House, 600 Park Blvd. The launch includes an author reading at 3 p.m., book singing, crafts and activities, and treats.
“‘Bonnie Bailey’ is my debut novel in terms of traditional publishing, but I wrote my first short story when I was 7 years old,” Kirk said. “It’s pretty much a lifelong pursuit.”
A writer for 30 years, the Villas resident has dabbled in a variety of positions, including instructional writing, technical writing and business writing, and she has edited across those types of writing.
“Bonnie Bailey and the Faire of Worlds” follows 13-year-old Bonnie Bailey, whose family apiary is in danger of foreclosure. She joins the magical fair, which she thinks should compensate her enough to save her honey farm.
“While she’s there, she makes new friends and discovers there’s a lot going on that people aren’t talking about,” Kirk said, adding that there are many fantastical elements, including magical beasts, intrigue and a little bit of romance.
Kirk reads a lot, noting that any writer is also a reader. After the last sentence, she continues to think about the books she reads.
“My favorite novel is Ray Bradbury’s ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes,’ and I read it every four to five years,” Kirk said. “After reading it one time, I just started to think what would happen if a Cooger and Dark’s Pandemonium Show could choose whether it could be good or evil, and that got me going.”
The writing process for “Bonnie Bailey and the Faire of Worlds” is a derivative of Kirk’s thoughts after finishing the Bradbury novel. She describes her process as pure chaos.
“I start with the idea, and before I begin it, I have an ending,” Kirk said. “I’ve read so many books that got me really excited about what’s going to happen, but then it feels like the author got tired and wrote whatever first came to mind, so I want to have a strong ending.”
After Kirk figures out the ending, she writes the beginning of the story and the major events and then adds in the connective tissue to tie it all together.
While “Bonnie Bailey” is Kirk’s first traditionally published book, she previously self-published “Eleanor the Cook,” a story with recipes. Self-publishing, if done right, can be expensive because authors have to pay for everything, Kirk explained.
“With traditional publishing, I had a wonderful developmental editor who pointed out things I had missed [like] plot points that didn’t resolve themselves,” Kirk said. “The beauty of her process was she didn’t tell me how to fix it, she just told me what she thought needed to change to make it a stronger narrative.”
Kirk said it was like the cover artist and interior illustrator really knew Bonnie because when Kirk saw the cover for the first time, she thought it was perfect. The interior illustrations include a map of the fair and additional sketches throughout.
“The fact that all of those things were a collaboration made the process so much more enriching,” Kirk said. “Not to say you can’t get that same feeling as a self-published author, you just have to have the money to hire people who can help you through it.”
Kirk hopes her launch event at Ostara’s Coffee House will be a glorious pandemonium, combining her local friends and those coming from a distance to join in the fun.
“I love Bonnie, and I hope a girl reads this book and thinks Bonnie did something not by herself, but with the support of friends, the respect of adults and younger people at the fair, and they effect a real change,” Kirk said. “I would like to inspire young people to look around the world and figure out that no one can do everything, but everyone can do something.”
By RACHEL SHUBIN/Special to the Star and Wave
