Writing a book is no small feat. The process of creating characters and concepts, writing it all out, querying to literary agents, and publishing can take years. It’s even harder to imagine managing that along with school and homework, especially as a high school student.

Sophomore Natalie Strauss has been working on her book, “Author of Time” for the past three years. The book, based on Strauss’ own struggles with mental health, focuses on friends Mira and Sebastian as they work together to stop “the Chaos,” a mysterious force written into every story and universe.

“The characters, Mira and Sebastian, are both based on parts of my personality,” Strauss said, “I based background characters on common biases and actual people.”

Mira, who struggles with depression and self-destructive tendencies, provided a challenge to Strauss when trying to relate to her future readers.

“Mira was actually very unlikable in the beginning. I wanted people to be able to see deeper into her true self and get to know her as a relatable person,” Strauss said.

Reflecting on the meaning of her book, Strauss worked to show mental health struggles alongside fantasy elements so those difficult themes would reach all audiences.

“In this book, I really wanted people to learn to heal with Mira,” Strauss said. “It’s a little bit about the process of healing and defeating the chaos in our lives.”

Though Strauss has reached nearly 300 pages, being a teen author has not been easy, as school does not always leave time for writing. However, she has come up with a few ways to spark her creativity at the end of a long day.

“I often get tired after a school day and that can be so draining that I don’t always feel like writing.” Strauss said, “I try to write a page a day, and I have different playlists on my computer to get me inspired for different kinds of moods to match my characters. ”

Though Strauss has not yet finished or published her work, she is hoping to do so in the future.

“I want it to be traditionally published, my aunts are authors so I know I can get help from them when the time comes,” Strauss said.