Sophomore history student debuts novel Annabelle
On Mar. 28, the novel Annabelle written by Ethan Shaw was published. Shaw is currently a sophomore history major, and a proud Southside Boy. He has been working on this novel since December 2020, when he was a senior in high school.
The description of Annabelle, according to Amazon, is as follows: “Virginia, [United States], late 1860s. After northerner James travels to Virginia, he falls in love with the daughter of an affluent former slave owner, Annabelle. The two are deeply attracted to each other, but their relationship is tainted by James’ professed disdain for the society Annabelle was raised in. James views most of Southern society as beneath him, and has a distinct hatred for Annabelle’s father, who represents everything he feels is wrong with the South. Soon, tensions between James and Annabelle’s father reach a breaking point. After James is drawn back into the complicated situation, he also comes into contact with another woman who seems to understand him, and who sees the world in the same way he does. James finds himself in a situation where he must choose between Annabelle, who he loves deeply despite their differences, and the other woman, who sees the hazy Virginian countryside the same way he does.”
This being Shaw’s first published novel, he learned a lot about the process of writing throughout his journey, including, notably, how to organize all of his thoughts and get them onto the page the way he wanted. Being a self-proclaimed “disorganized person” as well as a writer, Shaw started out by trying to imitate the writing process of many famous authors. It wasn’t until he found his own unique writing process that he found himself turning out his best work.
Initially, Shaw did not intend for Annabelle to become a complete book. He just started writing one day in late 2020, and did not stop writing until about a year ago when the book was complete. In his words: “I always said that this book was a testament to my stubbornness as a writer, but in reality, Annabelle is proof that anyone dedicated enough to writing can be a writer, regardless of who they are.”
Annabelle is available for purchase online through Amazon and Barnes & Noble, in digital, paperback, and hardcover. If you have a copy of Annabelle and are lucky enough to know Shaw or see him around campus, you might even be able to get his autograph.