HARLINGEN — At 14 years old, most middle school children are trying to become interested in reading and writing, but Katelynn Renteria had bigger goals in mind.
By this time, Katelynn was finishing the manuscript of her book called “The Other Side Of The Law,” which is now an awarded published book.
People can find Katelynn’s original tale on Target online, Wal-Mart online and internationally in websites located in Sweden, the Netherlands and Australia.
“The book is about a sophomore in high school in Texas that secretly is a spy, and she goes all over the world in missions and catching bad guys. But I wanted to highlight that her determination and passion is how she gets to do these amazing things,” Katelynn said.
“I wanted to illustrate for the readers that it does not matter who you are or where you come from, you can do amazing things just by being you,” she said.
So far, this is the only published book that she has. However, a sequel is in the process among other projects she has in mind. Katelynn first discovered she loves writing from her love of reading, but she said she began to take it seriously in the fifth grade and began to want to get better at it.
Katelynn also said she recalls that the journey in becoming a published author was not easy.
“There are always times when you think, ‘Am I really good enough?’ And there were some really tough times,” she said.
“But I do presentations to middle schools and high schools and I always say, you never know if you don’t try. So I didn’t let those thoughts stop me from at least trying and trying is what allowed me to get to where I am today,” she said.
Her book has won the Literacy Classic Silver Book Award, which is a global reviewing book company, awarded to Katelynn in 2017 for the middle school division. The award was presented after her first publishing company closed down.
For aspiring young writers, Katelynn said to be successful, you need to never stop being yourself.
“A lot of times we see other writers and we want to mirror them or we want to write what we think people want to read. But you have your own unique talent and your own unique view of the world. Offer it up,” she said.
“Let the world see who you are and never stop dreaming. If you have a goal you are the only one who can stop yourself from reaching it,” she said.
