MIFFLINTOWN - Ever since she was a child, Sara Zook knew she wanted to be a writer.
"It's something I enjoyed as a child and something I have always wanted to do," Zook said.
The Mifflintown woman recently released her first book, "Strange in Skin," a fantasy that is set in rural Ohio. It is the first of a planned trilogy.
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Sara Zook has just recently released her new book, ‘Strange in Skin,’ the first installment of a planned trilogy.
Zook spent three months writing the book, while juggling a full time job and raising her children. During the day she would come up with her ideas, scribble some notes and then every night she would sit down and write.
"It's been a little crazy," Zook said.
She doesn't want to give too much away, but she said the story centers around two dynamic characters, a pastor's daughter, Anna James, and a prisoner, Emry Logan.
"Got to have a steamy love story," Zook said. "The first thing that came to mind was a rebellious guy, like a guy in prison."
Zook said the story has a paranormal twist and Emry is someone "you're not too sure about." Is he a good guy? Is he a bad guy?
The characters in the book have diverse personalities and are easy to relate to, Zook said. Although the story centers around the relationship between Emry and Anna, there are plenty of other characters who help create more tension in the story.
"There is more than one thing going at a time," Zook said.
The author has already started generating ideas for the second and third installment of the trilogy.
"The very last sentence in the first book will tell you what's going to happen in book two," Zook said.
As a child, Zook always wrote ideas down for stories. Her love of writing led to a handwritten book when she was 6 years old.
"It was only a couple pages," Zook said, adding that she knew then she wanted to be a writer.
Zook graduated from United High School in 2000, a small school where everyone knew each other.
Her love for writing brought her to the University of Pittsburgh's Johnstown campus, where she earned a bachelor's degree in Creative Writing in 2004.
"Strange in Skin" can be purchased at www.amazon.com or at www.saravzook.com.
