Starting at 13, Kelsey Peck pored over the pages of her manuscript, draft after draft, year after year, until publishing her 731-page fantasy novel “Godslayers” in May, right after high school graduation and her 17th birthday.
“I think about fantasy all the time,” Kelsey says. “In my brain, I replay ideas and scenes. It’s so enticing and fun to try to make them real through writing.”
“Godslayers” tells the story of a clash between young gods and their parents in the realm of Egaron. The book is for a young audience: “kids my age or anyone interested in fantasy,” Kelsey says.
The author of “Godslayers,” credited on the book’s cover as K.H. Peck, lives with her mom, Jessica Molloy, and stepfather, Danny Molloy, on Orr’s Island.
She wears a necklace from her mom with the inspiring message, “Nurture a spark; inspire a future.” It’s her mantra as she begins crafting her second fantasy novel in the genre of “quest” tales like “Lord of the Rings.” “Godslayers” was self-published, but she hopes to find a commercial publisher for her second book.
Kelsey has loved reading her whole life. “I just love stories about other universes and other worlds,” she says, adding that she was “really obsessed with Greek mythology as a kid.”
“I mostly stick to fantasy,” she says, although she also enjoys dystopian fiction like “The Hunger Games” series.
“I think I like fantasy because life can be kind of boring sometimes,” she says.
Kelsey is tall, with long, blondish-brown hair she wears in a ponytail. She seems much older than her peers. She started writing her book when other 13-year-olds were staring at their phones or just hanging out with friends.
She admits to being an introvert and says she feels more comfortable around adults. She prefers to stay home with her sisters, Kira, 12, and Kalei, 19, with whom she’s “wicked close.” A stepsister, Ally, 27, lives in Sanford.
“They’re the only friends I need,” she says. “I love my family; they’re the best.”
Kelsey was the only student in her graduating class at the nonprofit Whilde School in Yarmouth, a homeschooling program run by her mother and stepfather. It has 40 students and uses a Montessori approach to teaching, with personalized learning.
What does Kelsey want people to know about her?
“I know a lot of people write books for a bunch of different reasons. I write because I like to tell stories. I’m a socially awkward person, so writing is easier than talking.”
To develop her writing skills, she attended a weeklong writing workshop this summer in Pennsylvania.
“Mostly I learned a lot about prose and how to make it better,” Kelsey says. “I thought more detail was better, but I learned that some unsaid words were better for a story.”
She’s now taking a gap year to work on her second fantasy novel before applying to college when she’ll be 18.
Twenty years from now? “I don’t want to be famous or anything, but successful would be good. A successful writer and comfortable enough to take care of my parents.”
“By famous, I wouldn’t want to be in the media a lot,” she adds. “Stephen King famous; I’d be fine with that.”
“Godslayers” is available at Land’s End Gift Shop on Bailey Island, where Kelsey worked this summer. It is also available online through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
‘Godslayers’ plot synopsis
From the back cover: The divine realm of Egaron stirs and young gods plot against their parents’ decrees. In their mind Arudor has been under false rule far too long. It is time for the Mhilta to descend and wipe the land of its disease.
Prophet Radomir Kostov begs to differ. He sees the trickery forming in the shadows, watches the storm of destruction gather. In his vision are the few beings with the potential to rescue their hapless domain. The question is, will they answer the call?
