This past February, Warsaw native Bethany K. Brown, self-published her first novel, “Entrapment Conspiracy,” a young adult, fantasy fiction novel she’s been mulling over since she was 13 years old. (Photo by Rebekah Whirledge)

Bethany K. Brown has always been an avid reader and writer. As a child, she penned various short stories. Even now, she can usually be found with a pencil and notebook, jotting down pieces of novels during any spare moment. This past February, the Warsaw native self-published her first novel, “Entrapment Conspiracy,” a story she’s been mulling over since she was 13 years old.

“The finished book has changed a lot since I was 13,” laughed Brown. “There has been much editing. It was originally over 500 pages, but now it’s 368. The story has also changed based off different life experiences.”

The young adult, fantasy fiction novel follows William Baker, a normal teenager who moves with his family to Daisy, Mo. He is devastated by the move after learning he left behind a starting pitcher position, but this will be the least of his worries soon.

The move sets a series of abnormal events into motion, beginning with Callie Rivers, a girl who appears to have an out of her control split personality disorder. While William discovers normal is only an illusion in Daisy, he puts his life on the line to set several wrongs right. “The market is saturated with YA fantasy novels right now, ever since ‘Twilight,’ so I chose to self-publish,” said Brown, whose mother, a writer of historical fiction, helped her through the publishing process.

“It’s different than a lot of novels in the genre because it follows a male’s perspective and is written in third person. It also doesn’t focus on a romance, but on a believable adventure.”

Brown has aspirations to be a full-time novelist in the teen genre. She is working to complete a degree in professional writing from Taylor University. She is also working on a sequel to her current novel, which will become a trilogy, as well as a fantasy novel set in the Black Forest, Germany, and an inspirational teen novel dealing with drug abuse and violence.

“I want to steer away from teen romance novels, but instead focus more on enjoying being a teenager,” said Brown. “I don’t think my brain ever shuts off from writing ideas. Writing is fun. It doesn’t feel like work.”

Brown, who was married this past July to her husband, Richard, currently works as a customer service supervisor at WalMart.  In her spare time, she also enjoys photography and playing the violin.

“Entrapment Conspiracy” is available as a Kindle download and in paperback from Amazon.com. For more information on Brown’s writing, go to bethanykbrown.com.

“The book wouldn’t be what it is now if I had tried to publish my original draft at age 13,” said Brown. “Although it was a lot of hard work and took two years to edit and finally publish, I don’t back down from a challenge.”