Evelyn Wallace, a 14-year-old Ho-Chunk tribal member, has become a published author after her short story was selected for inclusion in Fright Club, a collection edited by Lynsey Evans.

     Wallace, who is preparing to enter ninth grade at Central High School, submitted her story through Longfellow Middle School. The story follows a girl who is alone when a stranger begins following her, a concept Wallace developed after receiving a basic writing prompt.

     “I just started off with a topic, and from there, I just started going off,” Wallace said.

     Writing has long been a hobby for Wallace, who says she enjoys coming up with ideas and editing her work.

     “Most of it just came up to my head, and I just started writing away,” Wallace said. Seeing her work published came as a surprise. “I was shocked, because I didn’t expect to be in a book.”

     In addition to writing, Wallace enjoys reading teen romance novels and has expressed interest in pursuing journalism. She plans to continue writing but has not yet decided on future projects.

     Wallace credits her family and Ho-Chunk culture as sources of support, noting that her sister also recently wrote a story that was published.

     When asked what advice she would give to other young writers, she said, “Just keep writing, because it’ll take you somewhere in life.”