CMU student commits herself to writing, publishing novels

• Tweet
• 

Many college students write about six to 10 pages for class term papers.

For Heather Kapusta, that is an introduction.

The Clinton Township senior has already published her first book, “Anonymous,” before her junior year in college and is working on another one.

“I started the book my senior of high school,” Kapusta said, “It took about a year to write.”

Kapusta has shared an interest in writing for years with her longtime friend Megan Taylor.

“We’ve known each other since seventh grade,” said Taylor, the Clinton Township senior. “We became friends when we met in class and found we shared an interest in writing outside of class.”

Kapusta finds her inspiration to write in many forms.

“Stephen King is definitely a great influence for me. He’s one of my favorite authors,” Kapusta said. “Music also helps get me into the mood for writing. I like to pick out certain songs that fit into the setting while I write.”

Dedication to her work

Kapusta did much of the research for “Anonymous,” a romance-thriller inspired by real-life events.

“There was a girl in my high school that was actually stalked on MySpace,” Kapusta said. “The girl in ‘Anonymous’ is in the same situation. It’s about how you don’t know the kind of people you’ll meet on the internet.”

While she did most of the revising and research on her own, she used the independent publishing company iUniverse to publicize her book.

“I used an independent company because it gave me more control over certain things, like the cover art and such,” Kapusta said.

Serious writing is a long process, and it can be very easy for someone to lose interest in what they are doing.

Taylor said she attributes Kapusta’s success to her committed personality.

“She is a very disciplined and organized person,” Taylor said. “She’s always got a positive attitude.”
Fenton junior Jocelyn Wilson said she helped Kapusta edit her book.

“She’s a very imaginative person. She’s very passionate and fun to be around,” she said. “(Her book) is really different compared to a lot of books out there now.”

A continued passion

Kapusta has not taken a break from writing, however. She already began the editing process on her second book, “Angel at My Doorstep.” Taylor does not see her slowing down.

“She has already accomplished a lot just by publishing her first book,” Taylor said. “She loves writing and has always wanted to be a great writer.”

The accomplishments Kapusta has already made are far from the last of them. She said she hopes to continue getting better.

“One day, I hope to be a well-known author. Maybe have one of my books turned into a movie,” Kapusta said. “Nothing is really going to slow me down.”