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Riley talks about Nathaniel Lee and his success in publishing Sweet Dreams.
Nathaniel Lee Publishes Sweet Dreams
Nathaniel Lee Publishes Sweet Dreams
By Riley Barta
By Riley Barta
On Dec. 30, 2023, Grants Pass High School’s very own Nathaniel Lee published his debut book Sweet Dreams. It is 281 pages. Lee began writing the book in 2018, but he began to devote more time to it in 2023. The young author plans to make his book into a trilogy called The World of Dreams.
In Sweet Dreams, the main characters, Michael and Sabrina, live a normal life until one day they get whisked away into Darmania, the World of Dreams. Through trials and tribulations, the two characters may change the fate of their world. Lee got the idea for this fantasy world from some of his own dreams. According to Lee, “It gave me the idea for a short story, but it didn't turn out very short.” Though he got the idea for the book in 2018, its progression soon slowed down due to COVID-19. Lee felt little inspiration to write during the pandemic. He slowly got back into writing post-quarantine and began writing the book once more. As mentioned before, Sweet Dreams was meant to be just a short story. Short stories are nothing new to Lee. He has run Creative Corner in The Scroll for two years. Creative Corner is a column on the Scroll that, according to The Scroll, “inspire(s) readers to become writers.” Here, Lee shares a new short story every month along with other creative writings sent in by readers of The Scroll.
Image of Nathaniel Lee leaning against a brick wall and smiling. Image creds to the Scroll.
Sweet Dreams can be purchased from Amazon using this link . Lee describes publishing through Amazon as “Easier than I expected and cheaper.” He stated that Amazon was user-friendly and helped him through the process. He later states that there was no cost to publish his book on Amazon. He was even able to receive an ISBN for free. ISBN is an acronym for International Standard Book Number. They are a series of 10-13 numbers that are specific to an individual book. The hardest part for Lee when writing the book was having a precise plot. He struggled with making a cohesive timeline for his book and relaying his imagination onto paper. One of his friends, GPHS senior Lillie Olson, said in an interview, “As someone who attempted on numerous occasions and ended up giving up for logistical reasons, I commend him for being able to do it [publish].”
Nathiel Lee posing wih his book. Image taken by author.
The dedication at the beginning of his book is to his brother, Joshua. “To Joshua,” it says, “you inspired me to write.” Joshua served as a role model for Lee when writing Sweet Dreams. Lee’s brother is also a writer, although he has not published any of his works. Publishing a book had been a big goal for Lee to accomplish. Having his work available for anyone to read has been an entirely new experience for the young author. According to Lee, “I have so many stories written down, but to have one published. It's just indescribable.” Now, Lee has begun writing the sequel to Sweet Dreams and the second book in the World of Dreams series.
It takes a lot of perseverance to make a life goal come true in high school. This is just the beginning for Nathaniel Lee when it comes to writing. Get lost in the magical World of Dreams series and show support to people in the community.
Additionally, Lee has posted a portion of the prologue on Creative Corner. Check it out!
Sources:
Sources:
Interview with Nathaniel Lee
Interview with Lillie Olson
The Scroll
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