The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG-It was five years in the making, but Waitsburg local, Ann McCambridge, can finally hold the fruits of her labor in her hands. McCambridge's first novel, Graceful Warrior, was released in paperback in January and in print in February.

McCambridge moved to Waitsburg 30 years ago, when she moved from Phoenix, Ariz. with her then 12 and 15-year-old sons, to marry Lynn McCambridge, who owned the Touchet Valley Hardware Store. She recently retired after working 22 years at the Walla Walla City Attorney's Office.

McCambridge said she became interested in writing about 15 years ago, when she wanted to write her mother's memoirs.

"I became frustrated because I wasn't getting the information from family members to finish that project. My husband suggested I write something else while I waited so I thought about writing a young adult book. I had been reading young adult books as that seemed to be a genre that I enjoyed – an interest I shared with my granddaughter," McCambridge said.

She got the idea for Graceful Warrior about five years ago, when she began doing research and weaving the story.

"It has been one of the hardest things I've ever set out to do. I truly came to realize how little I knew about writing," McCambridge said.

McCambridge, following the "write what you know" mantra, based the story on a personal experience.

"I knew a young 14-year-old girl that ran away from home many years ago and she did not return until she was 18-years-old. That was in the 60s. Things have not gotten any better today, especially with social media. I used that incident as my inspiration, but this book takes place in 2015-16. I decided to write in first person so the girls' voices and feelings could be heard," McCambridge said.

The book, though written as a paranormal, deals with tough issues and McCambridge warns that the book contains triggers, including adult content, violence and sexual content.

"The story is about two 14-year-old girls that decide to run away from home. One of the girls meets a guy on the Internet and he buys them tickets to fly to Seattle. There is a chance meeting with a 17-year-old girl (Skye) in the airport. Skye soon discovers that she had a Cherokee Gift (super power) and a Spirit Animal. She will need to learn to control that gift to help rescue the young girls," McCambridge said, describing the novel.

"The characters are young girls with trust and idealistic ideas and, as with most young teens, push the boundaries in a hurry to grow up," she added.

McCambridge is pleased with the feedback she has received so far.

"One mother told me she thought the book should be required reading for every 12-year-old. She gave it to her daughter to read and they discussed it as a family openly, with the younger siblings," she said.

McCambridge said the entire process, from writing, editing, cover design, and finally, the nitty-gritty of bringing it together and the formatting for self-publishing through Kindle Direct Publishing was a learning process.

"There were lots of frustration and struggles but I wouldn't change a thing. I tend to learn things better through struggle," she said.

McCambridge authored the book under the pen name Ann Kidwell.

"I decided to use a pen name because I thought it would be fun and I wanted it to be simple. Kidwell was a family name," she said.

Now that she has the experience of one book under her belt, the author is ready to start of the second and third books in what she calls The Spirit Animal Series.

Graceful Warrior is available at the Weller Public Library and copies may be purchased at Ju's Traveling Pages (131 Main Street, Waitsburg). Paperback and e-books may also be purchased on Amazon.com.