Gwynna Moore is an 18-year-old Brown County local who just self-published her first book, The Last Captain. She has plans to write two more books in the series and many other after.
Eighteen-year-old Brown County local Gwynna Moore published her first book The Last Captain Sails Again about a fantastical world of castles, heroes, seafarers, war, strife, talking animals and restoring hope.
“I’ve told stories for a long time, since I was really little and my father told us stories and we grew up reading Lord of the Rings and C. S. Lewis and all those stories but I really wanted to write” Moore said.
She recalls being disappointed at 9 years old when she did not know the answer to the age-old question — what do I want to be when I grow up? Moore said she asked her mom Ellen Moore who suggested becoming a writer.
“I hadn’t (thought of that). I’d told stories and dreamed and thought but I had never actually started writing and so I tried my hand and … I loved it.”
She started by writing short stories and began her first long story at the young age of 11. Her first long series was the beginning of The Last Captain Sails Again which was later changed to reflect the current storyline. Moore said that when she finished her first long series she felt discouraged after another author published a very similar story which is when she realized then that she would need to change her storyline.
“I started by changing the main character,” Moore said. “The main characters were almost exactly the same in both books. So I decided I wanted to do something completely different. So I thought OK, these characters are young and inexperienced and they’re going on their first adventure. What if you write about a middle-aged character who’s already had experience and is seriously flawed and the story will be how he changes through suffering and pain and loss and how he learns, how he regains his hope.
And so that’s what started it. The main character in The Last Captain Sails Again Ayllmer he was inspired from one of the original characters but that original character from the original draft, he was perfect, but I really liked him so I did quite a bit of altering and tweaking and I got Ayllmer.”
Moore self-published The Last Captain Sails Again on Amazon in January. Her family was very involved in the production of her novel. Gwynna’s brother Alexander Moore illustrated the front cover and her mother Ellen edited the novel. Moore said other family members also helped by reading and critiquing early copies of the book.
“It was easier in some ways than I thought it would be and harder in others, but I did it,” Moore said and added, “I did not reach out to publishers. I had never really wanted to go through a publisher I wanted my story to be my own. I knew if I went through a publisher certain things would change and I wasn’t sure what things exactly but I just felt like it was better to self-publish than to go through a traditional publisher.”
The Last Captain Sails Again is a family-friendly book that is relatable for people of all ages. It is a story of hardship told in a world of talking animals and ancient legends. Moore said the book is targeted towards people that want to learn and are willing to listen.
“It is a story about a man who has already experienced severe suffering and loss and has lost all hope and he needs to find it again. Through a lot of trials, troubles, fear, anger and hoplessness he learns from many people about the hope that he has.” Moore said. She added, “I just imagined what if I were him, how would I react, how would I feel. What are the kinds of things that have to happen in order to pull him through this?”
Moore plans on writing two more books in The Last Captain series and then will publish a short story she wrote for her mother. She has a goal of publishing her second book by the end of next year.
“I hadn’t expected that writing a series would be so difficult and for my first published anything it — some people might argue it might not have been the best idea, it’s big to start with but it’s what I’ve been working on for years and I’m sticking with it.”
The Last Captain Sails Again is available to purchase in paperback on Amazon.
Brown County is an Artist Colony and is certainly not lacking in the writing department. The (WRAPS) Writers, Readers and Poets Society is a group of local authors and readers who meet at the Brown County Public Library on the first and third Thursdays of each month from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Pam Raider and member of the society said that everyone is welcome to attend, even if they are not writers but she encourages people to call the library beforehand to make sure the meeting details did not change.
“You don’t have to be a writer to come because obviously writers like listeners,” Raider said. “People sometimes bring poems or excerpts that other people have written because readers (in the title of the group). Recently I met someone I knew on the trail and encouraged him. You have a deadline, it makes you write something and the group is not setup to just be critics but if you want critical comments on your stuff so you can get a little better we can also do that. It keeps your skills up so you don’t lose them”
Raider said the group was founded in 1995 and one of the founders believed that deadlines are the pitchfork of the writer. She said that it holds them accountable and makes them want to write something before the next meeting.
“A lot of people when they are new are scared to write something so they will come and listen and when they feel comfortable they will start writing,” Raider said. “No one has to be invited and they don’t have to be regular. It’s sort of a drop in share what you’ve got.”
She also said that she has a friend in the group that began coming only as a listener and did not share stories but became more comfortable with the group and her writing skills and eventually became an avid writer.
“I think the people that come to the group become pretty good friends because a lot of people in there are writing about their life and because the group is very loose, people will make comments relating the stories to their own lives. (It’s) an outlet for all those feelings that your family is tired of hearing, you can put it down on paper. That’s one benefit of writing and the writing group.” Raider said.
Raider said that the group is a great place to make friends, share stories and foster your writing abilities. The group is comprised of horror, science fiction and fiction writers as well as poets. If you have ever been interested in writing or enjoy listening to local authors, WRAPS could be the perfect group for you.
