Well, it’s almost the end of the school year, and time to start thinking about what you want to accomplish next year, whether it be grades, extracurriculars, or something else entirely. It’s also a time, for those who are interested, to start thinking about what to read over the summer. Well, whether you’re looking for a source of inspiration to reach your goals or simply in search of a new book to add to your TBR, look no further than Lyla Shillan, a CHS freshman who just published three books after years of hard work.
Well, it’s almost the end of the school year, and time to start thinking about what you want to accomplish next year, whether it be grades, extracurriculars, or something else entirely. It’s also a time, for those who are interested, to start thinking about what to read over the summer. Well, whether you’re looking for a source of inspiration to reach your goals or simply in search of a new book to add to your TBR, look no further than Lyla Shillan, a CHS freshman who just published three books after years of hard work.
Blood Stained Legacy is a young adult fantasy that follows 23-year-old Kiara, a wanted villain who killed her abusive parents at 16. After years on the run, she finally meets back up with her sister, Anya, the “hero”. Anya is now Queen of Saranya, and to “protect” her kingdom she must catch or even kill her own sister. Kiara decides to meet her on a battlefield, one versus an entire army. Yet they’re the scared ones. Throughout the story Kiara is captured by her old abuser, Gideon, and is saved by… his brother? But Gideon won’t lose her that easily, and Kiara won’t give up without a fight. Even if the only answer is war.
So how did this book come about? The inspiration for Blood Stained Legacy came from a song, the name long forgotten, which caused Lyla to dream up a battlefield fight between sisters. It eventually transformed into the redemptive story of a villain, influenced by her beliefs that a person’s past doesn’t define them, and anyone can always be forgiven. “I decided I wanted to write a book in elementary school,” Shillan says. “Practically since I could write I’ve wanted to write a book, so I always started them but never finished them. Finally in 7th grade I had an idea and stuck with it. I didn’t let myself give up on it even if I had no idea how I would write it.” According to her, the process of writing is long and frustrating, but completely worth it. It begins with an idea that develops into some characters and scenes, but the real work starts when you begin outlining and writing rough drafts, which can take a very long time. “I can either write a whole chapter in a day or take weeks to write one page,” Shillan remarked. After the rough draft is finished, editing starts, which is a much more complicated process than it may seem. When editing, she explained, “you can’t just skim through it and change spelling and such. You have to start a new page and rewrite your whole story.” She once heard it described as the rough draft being a story you tell yourself, and the second draft is like telling it to someone else. The entire process took about three years, and the book was officially published on March 24, 2025.
When asked about her book, Shillan said her favorite character is Kiara’s friend Nox, a snarky yet kind and compassionate character who has, in her opinion, some of the best one liners in the book. Her favorite scene involves the two of them making cookies and then going to a surprise Nox had for Kiara. Lyla says he has the best one liner in that scene, which is in chapter six.
All three of Lyla’s books can be found on Amazon, available in paperback and kindle. In addition to Blood Stained Legacy, which also has a hardcover version, Shillain has published a poetry compilation called Words of Life and a children’s book called A Tree’s Gift. If you’re a reader, I strongly recommend you check them out, and even if you’re not, I hope Lyla’s hard work and dedication to her writing have compelled you to take action on some of your own goals. I know it sure has for me!
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