Cover Star 2 Biography

 COVER STAR 2: BETHANY ISSATT

Alana Attwater, Female, Age 17

Alana Attwater, daughter of Irish mother Erin and English father Arthur, is a talented young author with a bestselling novel at the age of only 17. Born and raised in York, Alana spent most of her free time as a child at the local library her father worked at, reading an assortment of books ranging from children’s picture books, to short novels. James noticed this spark and curiosity for literature, and made sure to fuel her passion for all things books. Whilst he himself wasn’t a writer, his long tenure and experience as a librarian enabled him to teach Alana the basics of creative writing, and for the things he couldn’t teach, Alana was taken to writing lessons. When she wasn’t reading or writing, Alana enjoyed baking, spending time with her girlfriend, and posting on her ‘booktok’ tiktok channel, where she regularly posted videos on writing tips, bisexuality, and popular book characters. She enjoyed her English lessons throughout primary and secondary school, with her natural spark of talent, practice, and ever-improving grades (albeit with the slight sacrifice of maths and physics) allowing her to attend the college of her dreams. Or, at least, a nice college in the area that had a really good creative writing course. Whilst Alana had written many short stories and drafts of books, it wasn’t until her EPQ project that she would write a fully fledged novella. Titled “All-Gifted”, this novella was based on the myth of Pandora’s Box, and was inspired by Alana’s interest in Greek Mythology and a poem she had written about Pandora almost two years prior. She and her girlfriend Ella, who was her partner for their joint EPQ project, decided to print off a physical copy of “All-Gifted” using an online website, as they thought it would be cool for people to be able to read and hold their creation, rather than look at it on a screen. Her artefact and report were graded highly, and her classmates and friends all read, and loved, the book. This inspired her to research ways she could self-publish her book, and with the help of some friends, English and EPQ staff, and her father, she was able to officially publish and sell her book. Having stricken luck on her TikTok by hopping on literature trends, her growing popularity allowed her to essentially advertise her new book. Surely enough, alongside the increasing popularity of Greek mythology fiction and the astonishing shout-out from famous author Jennifer Saint, Alana was making sales, and “All-Gifted” quickly became an ‘Under-18’s Author’ bestseller within a year of publishing. Currently 17 and preparing for her final exams, Alana’s book is approaching the status of bestseller for the Greek Mythology category. With support from her parents and friends, Alana hopes to pursue a professional writing career after college.