learn old secrets that forever bound them.

“My two main characters Alena and James both came from different types of personalities that people can have,” said Runyon on the inspiration of these characters. “So, James is really broken down, harmed by his father, whatever. Kind of like a lot of kids that I've met in my life that had been broken down from families. And then Alena is obviously an extension of who I wanted to be. The side characters come from people in my life, a lot of them from school, or like, taking little bits of personality from like my grandparents and mixing it with some of my, like, teenage friends, and then just kind of creative in that way.”

Runyon said the idea of “Blood Bound” came to her in a dream because of her active imagination. She also shared how the writing process really helped with her grieving process after the house fire in 2018.

“The book itself was kind of a way for the main character, who was the person that I needed to help, to heal. They are the person that I hoped was there by my side as I was going through this process. So, I just kind of wrote the book with her storyline, and just kind of threw her in this random world as I was thrown into it, and just kind of ran with that,” said Runyon.

As a high school student, Runyon always has something going on. Runyon will be a senior at EHS this fall and began writing the first novel as a freshman. She was able to complete the first book in a series of four before the COVID-19 pandemic began. When time away from the classroom became more common, the editing process took place.

Runyon shared what she enjoyed the most about the writing process.

“I'm an avid reader. So, I love being able to just escape into these different worlds that authors have created,” Runyon said. “And just being able to take a step back from everything that's going on in life and kind of get lost in the world that I've created of my own. That I'm just kind of like, growing with the characters and their lives while they're growing with me. While I'm writing, it's just, it's really fun to like, see the process and like laughing at these really dumb pieces of writing that I know, I normally wouldn't come up with unless I was either super, super tired or something else is going on.”

“The doubters,” Runyon pinpointed as the biggest challenge of writing the series. “When I first told people that I was writing a book. There's a lot of I wouldn't say haters, but obviously, when a 14year-old says they're going to write a book, a lot of people wouldn't believe that would be true. And then kind of when I finished it, there was still like those people that came in and said, you're never going to get this done. It's not going to be published, people aren't going to read it. And that kind of it slowed me down for a little bit. And I think it was my grandpa, my grandma who really got me through just remembering that there's more to life than what people are thinking of you.”

“Blood Bound” is set to be published on July 14 and can be found on Amazon both as a Kindle read and hardcover copy.

Here is an excerpt from “Blood Bound” that Runyon read during the interview: “The next place I wake up does not give me comfort despite its cozy amenities. The first thing I noticed is the massive bed and comfy blanket that I'm curled up in. The next is my head. It pounds like no headache I've ever had before. Is this what hangovers feel like? I try to sit up but fail and fall back onto the dozens of pillows behind me. I'm in what looks like to be a master bedroom but much more exquisite. I have my own bathroom closet and even my own dining area, a huge desk and massive windows back in it. I try to see what's outside. But as I do, you're up. ‘I was thinking you would be out for much longer,’ explains a handsomely dressed man that comes through the double doors. ‘You must be a fighter like your mother. I think I had the man that threatened the entire neighborhood thinking you would be going to school today.’ His voice is smooth and full of amusement. ‘Hello, Alina.’ And that is the beginning of chapter three.”

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