Edmond 11-Year-Old Writes Book

By Kirsten McIntyre, NEWS 9

EDMOND, Oklahoma -- At 11 years old Anna McKinley of Edmond is already a published author.

"We were just sharing stories and I said, 'I know a story and I made it up as I went along,'" Anna said. "My dad said we can make that into a book one day."

Now, four years later, Anna and her dad have done just that.

"It was very fun to get to do it cause we worked together," Anna said. "While I worked on my homework, Dad worked on the story."

"The Pirate Bride" is the story of Rachel, a 13-year-old girl whose day of surfing turns into quite the adventure when she's kidnapped by pirates. As Ryan McKinley developed the story, he realized the importance of the young girl's character.

"The main character does have a lot of characteristics that I want my daughter to grow up having, as well as any other young women, to believe in herself, and to rely on her intelligence and her creativity," Ryan McKinley said.

Now with Anna's fable written down on paper, the father-daughter team is enjoying their success.

"I never thought that I would even want to be a published author let alone see it happen," Ryan McKinley said. "It's been a lot of fun, and it's made even better because I can share that with Anna."

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