In a world torn apart by war, conflict erupts between two kingdoms when one refuses to provide aid in dire times of need. As four young warriors fight an oppressive war in hopes of controlling their own future, any small act of courage can lead to a revolution. After breathing life into these four characters, junior Jennifer Sahil finished crafting the adventure of her pure fantasy novel “Xahira,” successfully publishing on Oct. 1.
“Xahira” takes place in a world of many different kingdoms, each home to a different species, including elves, impusas, sirens and centaurs. The four main characters come together, almost by chance, to end a war that is raging across their entire continent. The story itself is based heavily on politics, with an emphasis on finding one’s own identity and overcoming past conflicts.
“I was inspired by those themes, and I focus a lot on mental health and recovering from trauma inside my fantasy book,” Sahil said.
Sahil’s interest in fantasy writing started when she first read the Percy Jackson series in middle school. She was influenced by how Rick Riordan delved into deeper aspects of life, weaving together complex issues such as mental health, trauma and societal issues in fast-paced action novels.
“A lot of fantasy books nowadays have all the characters go through terrible things, but they never really focus on the aftermath,” Sahil said. “The Percy Jackson series was a rarity.”
Ever since seventh grade, she jotted down notes and ideas for her story in Apple Notes and Google Docs, and in eighth grade, Sahil started fleshing out the characters for her book. As high school started, her novel really began to come to life; she began developing more detailed scenes and ideas, and at the end of sophomore year, she completed the ending for the book that would later become “Xahira.”
“She’s always had a passion for writing, specifically fantasy writing,” junior Joyce Cheung said. “I remember the first time I read one of her works was in freshman year, and it’s so exciting to finally see her book, her dreams, come to life.”
Initially, Sahil struggled to balance her workload with writing. Yet, after years of planning, Sahil didn’t want her brainstorming efforts to go to waste; she eventually decided to put her mind to the test and write a full book. The writing process started with creating chapter outlines for each part of the book. In “Xahira,” the story consists of five parts, with about 14 chapters each. Sahil wrote the chapters chronologically, referencing her previously-written notes, and worked through the complete outline until she was done.
However, there were challenges in the process. Sahil initially wrote the beginning of the book in the middle of her story, and rearranging the order took a lot of time. At the same time, brainstorming solutions to her characters’ problems sometimes proved to be difficult, yet after researching and referencing other novels, she devised solutions that showcased the character’s depth and approach to trauma.
In the end, Sahil decided to self-publish her book rather than going with the traditional route of publication. This allowed her to get her story out to the world as quickly as possible, rather than have to wait a year or more.
Even after the successful release of “Xahira,” Sahil is already developing her next adventure. She hopes to continue writing more novels, creating more stories and sharing their themes with the world.
“To anyone who has a story they want to tell, be brave and just start writing,” Sahil said. “Start creating, and then everything will come together. It doesn’t have to be amazing in the beginning, but once you’re done, it’ll be worthwhile.”
