A novelist by coincidence

She has never read an entire book in her life and neither does she hail from a family of bookworms, but Hoora-based Iris Gonzales is getting ready for the launch of her debut novel later this year.

Currently in the hands of her editor in the US, at the end of this month Iris will forward her work to self-publishing organisation Authorhouse UK.

The 25-year old accountant from Hoora said: "The book is a fantasy and light romance genre. It is not written just to entertain. My main message is that I want people, especially the young ones, to value life because you never know when it will be taken away."

The concept idea, will, time and interest to write a book was all thanks to the current recession.

Iris said: "One day in January, while sitting in my office, I didn't have too much work to do and was reading Twilight in PDF format.

"I then became quite bored as I have already watched the movie and knew the story. So then I thought 'why not make something that nobody has read that I will be the first one to come up with and get my friends to read it too'.

"That's when the story came to me about a young, successful girl who is in love but she dies and it is how her 'life' continues after that.

"That is how 'She was Ylian' came into being.

"The story is about how a young adult who fights against something inevitable in life, which is death.

"Like any normal student Ylian is full of determination, enthusiasm and aspirations.

"Ylian falls in love with Migul Montez, and from then onwards she never stops feeling hurt.

"She loses her love for a while but they are until a tragic day when she dies in the arms of her lover.

"From then on, the things that happen remain a mystery to many including herself. She dies, but her story doesn't end. And that's how the story proceeds."

The 400-page novel is currently being studied and worked on by a professional editor in Oregon, US.

Iris said: "My editor has worked for one-and-a-half months and right now I am just studying her edits, accepting or rejecting her suggestions. She said that the book was highly original.

"She also said that it was a clever idea using one of the dialogues in the book as the main title.

"I felt more confident hearing that and so I have used it and now I am almost ready to publish it in less than a month." The book will be sold through Borders book store, Amazaon.com and Authorhouse.co.uk.

Iris has also appointed a publicist for the US market who will work out the marketing and public relations.

With no background of writing save for high school news letters, and on a roll with her first novel, Iris already has the draft of two more follow ups which she hopes to publish depending on the success of her initial attempt.

She said: "I never thought I am going to write a book one day ... and that too a 110,000-page book with two sequels!"

If all goes well and as planned, Iris will be launching her book by the end of the year in December in the UK, US and the Philippines.

Iris, who has been living in Bahrain for the past one year, is also currently researching on procedures to launch the book in Bahrain. She has had talks with the manager of Jashanmal Book Store who has asked her for a copy of her novel.

For the future, she hopes to start reading and hopes that with the sales of her books, if she becomes really successful she will be able to return to her homeland and have a family and continue writing.