l4 - “mambo ctr-omen! “(Hulls-DAY. AUGUST 4. 20m â€"“â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"_â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€". L L , L 00.5“}: .1 i ; Ch . t affi Local author Ozkowski releases her ï¬rst young adult novel Watching 1 MW BY 14mm SNELL cess, she said it‘s still hard to believe Permanence she's been published by Ground wood Books, a subsidary of House ince she was a little girl growing of Anansi Press. up in Waterloo, lane Ozkowski “It was a very long process,†she has alwa's carried around a said. â€It took a while. It‘s funny, i notepad to write stories about her don't 100 per cent believe that it's siblings' made up adventures and realyet. jotting down other tales that come 'i’m looking at an actual copy to mind. withnryname on it and l'm stiillike, "i wrote a ton of stories about maybe someonewili come and take me and my brothers. or my younger it away or say this is all a prank. it’s a brother, and we were princes and veryelaborate, long con.†princesses and my older brother And she's not slowing down any was a dog,’ Ozkowski said with a time soon. laugh. “i want to say l'm almost done She attended York University, my next book.†she said. where she studied creative writing “This one took me seven years, and English literature. so who knows how long this one will 'Then. basically i've been work- actually take me,†Ozkowski said ing toward being a writer and withalaugh. other things since graduating†she While she's enjoying her success said, in being published, she's already Having just turned 20, Oakowski submitted three drafts of a brand unknowingly got to work on what newadult novel. would later become her ï¬rst novel, '(lt's) a totally different direction Watching Traffic. from a writing i'm working on,’ Ozkowksi said. exercise, ‘lt's an adult book set in Toronto But it began as something very duringthe apolocalypse, different to start. “i feel like l’m describing â€" even “it staned as a short story about with Watching Trafï¬c and this book seven years ago v a long time ago,†â€" it’s not very dark.†07kowski said, “i basically wanted She said it's a very surrealistic to write everyday to just improve my tale. writilnlglaréd jiftst hive: sciedule, w“:11:tamapocalyptic one :13: 1;: " 'n 0 too t is s on story, mostly everyone n that was very different from what Waterloo's lane Ozkowski has released her first novel, Watching Traffic.‘ which tellsthe story of mil-town Ontario. p;rtyg;nd having a Jute: t'ilme, evle: the actual book ended up being. and mmomm t ou it's t e en 0 t e wor . just kept woridngon it and expand- community!!! Ontario. . , . And while it sounds dark. because they don’t know what else "‘3 it. “0' really “‘1"ka “ would 'When shew†three. her mother She 3 land of trapped Ozkowski said it's very much a com- ‘0 d°' she “kt become a full novel. i just kept died by widde and basically that’s by this deï¬mtwn 0f Ins ofage my about . W "7198 to She added. it sounds kind ofsilly, working on it ‘1 â€mam '0 keep what the town knows about her, But who she is. She’s discover and express herself outside hm ‘ â€'7 diiIerent hm“ h“ ï¬rst dome-8e added a}... through the years shï¬'imfc ("$331.51ng ‘5 gmdm high “W “$133331: that"; an. n "It: kind of mean-t mi every- an o t ar . . it turned into many different stories. life as a teenager,’ she a“. and She 15 mg to deï¬nition ofwho she is,†m an one keeps hallucinating and having brad†“I†sticking with the main 'She's kind of discovering her now, at age 18' ï¬gure â€She’s graduated high school :‘gem 33:23:?‘shm? P °_' _ own deï¬nition of self outside of out who she is beyond and she is trying to now. at age 18, _ , I ' it eventually turned Into Watch- what her town eeesher as. this â€e narrow ï¬gure out who she is beyond this it 5 been fun to write and good to “‘3 Trafï¬c, she “id “But everyone in the town â€" 0’ very narrow View of her that her stretch myself in ' different direc- Watching Traffic is a story _ viewofher thather he . tion. becauseitiasosmallanddiquey townwes ru :bnllill a; tl)ti)-yeat-o|r:ih gitil named only see. her for this one “11118 that town sees her as, ' â€nut is kind ofthe basic premise “03%“? Tait: r’vrmilzn 1'“ Y 0 "50'†w 0 5 8'0“" doesn'tre havenneffecton who anditgoeuonirom there.’ starting - - ' ing up in a very small, tightly<knit she Is my wmmm Because it was such I long pro- kowaki.comformore information. ,7 ’fl/“ ‘2 d c o . new 9;? Your awar -wmmng community newspaper M“: g d I' (it 2 h h ti / w ,- 6 were 0 5 .000 omes every T ["5 3V 1’. a . fl ,. a o ‘ v G . “““ ' ‘r O O \ J