Sage Creek’s student body is home to many talented Bobcats. Among them is freshman Caden Faciane. Frustrated by the lack of variety in fantasy novels, she took matters into her own hands.
\Faciane is nearing the release of her fantasy fiction novel “Strung Between Worlds.” Her story is the result of six years of hard work, late nights and dedication.
To truly understand the magnitude of Faciane’s undertaking, let’s start at the beginning. In 2020, almost six years ago, her novel began as a thought. Then an idea. Then a plan.
Faciane put her vision into action, letting the book represent not only her hard work, but also her core values.
That is what motivates Faciane through the highs and lows of writing her book.
With the introduction of COVID-19, many saw virtual learning as a setback. However, Faciane saw this as her chance to thrive. Before writing the book, she wrote her planning document: a 222-page list of characters, settings, details and everything in between (school Chromebooks cannot load the document).
However, the writing hasn’t always been easy.
“Where I am in the book motivates me to keep writing,” said Faciane. “If my characters are stuck in a sticky situation, it makes me feel bad, and I’ll get motivated to write them out of it.”
Now, in 2025, her work is paying off. And recently, she has began to see the finish line.
“In January, that was when I reached about the 80% mark,” Facine said. “I also had a lot of cohesive chapters. I kind of write out of order and so that felt really good.”
The story opens on Amara Sylvester, a servant stealing in the Underfold; a heaven for thieves under a thriving desert city. Throughout her novel, Amara learns what it means to fight for her freedom and discover herself.
Faciane has learned to use her community for the better. “I base a lot of my characters off of certain personality traits of my friends and family members. I just take different qualities from different people,” she said.
Building a novel from the ground up isn’t a solo journey. Throughout her undertaking, Faciane has learned to lean on her village.
“My mom definitely supports me the most. But my friends are the best people ever, they’re the ones who comment on my work, they absolutely tear my writing apart, so I know what I need to work on,” Faciane said.
Thalia McGuire is one of them. Who, since the beginning of Faciane’s journey, has helped her grow her idea into a novel.
“She has great ideas, and I help her develop them by giving a different perspective on her thoughts,” McGuire said.
What McGuire gets in return is inspiration. “She creates descriptive works that inspire me to work on my own skills. She brings the stories to life.”
Faciane believes that when you get stuck, “Just keep writing, even if it’s something you think is stupid. Even if you’re writing about an alien going to the grocery store, just keep writing, that’s how you get good at it.”
Now, as she nears the end of her journey, Faciane looks back on how she became an author, and her inspiration boils down to a simple belief. “Writing is my fun,” she said.
