Hope Burns is living out her childhood dream of writing a novel.
She is centering her young-adult literature book around a girl who lives in the Tyrone area in the time of the Depression. Burns’ hope is that readers will understand and relate to the character as well as appreciate the setting.
Before her dreams of writing a novel, Burns lived a normal life like everyone else.
“Since I was thirteen, I’ve dreamed of being a writer, and like everybody else I put my dreams aside,” she said.
It wasn’t until she was in her thirties that she took an English class at a community college and wrote a chapter of a book for an extra credit assignment that Burns’ dream of becoming a writer was rejuvenated. Everyone who read her chapter encouraged her to write a full-length novel, and so that is exactly what she did.
Now at the age of 52, Burns has written three children’s stories, two adult novels and is currently working on a yet to be titled young adult novel. She has even used her writing talents for a good cause by winning some money in Mutual of New York’s Writing Contest on behalf of a shelter she was volunteering for at the time.
The young adult novel she is currently working on is set in Tyrone. Now living in New Jersey, Burns was a resident of Tyrone as a child. She regularly visits Tyrone to gather research for the novel. To help her with the research, Nancy Smith from the Historical Society has been a great help as well as Christine Wilt from the Tyrone Library.
“The book started many years ago and went through many changes to get to where it is now,” she said. “Only in Tyrone would a writer find so much help and assistance.”
Burns is determined to make this book a success and plans on finishing it in the next six months. She feels that not enough has been written about the Tyrone area, especially during the Depression. The setting of Tyrone is the backdrop for Burns’ character-based novel.
“I want the readers to see what a beautiful town Tyrone is. I want them to see what it was like in the ‘30s and the struggles that took place and the closeness in families in the Tyrone area as it once was,” she said.
Burns feels God and her family have been wonderful to her throughout her writing journey. Her mom has been an inspiration, her husband has offered support, and other friends and family members have offered encouragement.
