Lauren Marvel debuts her writing career with a children’s fantasy e-book “Drawing a Miracle,” which has been published by Pandora Project Publisher.

“Girls need stories they can identify with,” Marvel said. “My daughter Marissa had a rough time in fourth and fifth grade and I felt very motivated to give a voice to young girls who struggle in school.”

Marvel is a recent graduate from Bridgewater State University and started writing “Drawing a Miracle” as her senior project; she blended real life experiences she shared with her daughter Marissa and a fantasy world.

“She struggled in school with other girls,” Marvel said. “Girls in the 4th grade can be really mean and some of them, who had been her friends in the past, started excluding her from things and making her feel like she was alone.

“The other things that seems to happen in 4th and 5th grade is that it is such a transition point for kids, they aren’t babies anymore, classes are getting more difficult, they have a great deal of pressure on them at that point in their lives. Also, if girls don’t have a good social life in school, nothing seems to work for them…the social aspect seems to be very important, at least that was true for my daughter.”

Now 20 years old, Marissa is a BioMed major with an Art minor at Bridgewater State University. She just spent her junior year in Florence, Italy studying art where she created the cover art for the book.

“Drawing a Miracle” follows a fictional version of Marissa. After a wonderful summer off, she is convinced her biggest problem is the start of fifth grade; fourth grade is nothing but a horrible memory. Marissa has been having a hard time trying to figure out where she fits in and who her real friends are. As she settles into the routine of fifth grade, she is visited by an elf, Tomte. He tells her there are magical creatures here to protect the Earth and nature. However, the combination of children not believing in magical creatures and the harm happening to Earth is causing terrible problems. He explains a simple plan and despite many setbacks, Marissa is successful in helping Tomte but is shocked at the end results.
 
“I am thrilled that my fantasy story has been chosen for publication and so proud that my daughter Marissa, who is currently a student at Bridgewater State University, was able to draw the cover artwork,” Marvel said. “I have always loved reading and writing stories and this is truly a dream come true for me to have my work out there to share with children.  When I was a little girl I believed I saw an elf, honestly there is a part of me that still believes that to this day. I knew someday I would have to write a story about him.”

“Drawing a Miracle” can be purchased at Amazon.com.