Penn Manor High School (PMHS) senior Clara Howell has been writing consistently since she was 7 years old. When Howell was in eighth grade, the young writer had an idea for a novel that would tell the story of individuals with extraordinary powers. Instead of creating a world of people who hail these gifted characters as heroes, Howell wanted to explore the concept of a society that vilifies them for their powers. Several years and countless drafts later, Howell's idea has been realized as "The Exceptionals," a 325-page novel that was published in January.

Over the years, Howell has changed aspects of the story such as character backstories and world-building elements, but the finished product and its plot remain faithful to her initial idea. Howell's book tells the tale of a young woman named Aila Vinn who resides in the fictional world of Rosan. Like most of the population, Aila has been conditioned to fear a class of people known as the Exceptionals. The Exceptionals, who can be identified by a mark on their left hands, possess a variety of powerful abilities. Inhabitants of Rosan are required to report Exceptionals on sight; as a child, Aila reported her own best friend for bearing the mark, and he was taken to his demise by the authorities. Aila's life is turned upside down when she wakes on her 16th birthday to discover the same mark on her own hand.

After a few chapters, Howell stopped writing "The Exceptionals" to pursue other projects. During her freshman year at PMHS, she came across the early drafts and decided to pick up where she had left off. Howell finished the novel last fall during an independent study course with English teacher Scott Herzog. Herzog started the course by sitting down with Howell and discussing her ideas. Until the end of the semester, Howell wrote four chapters every week, which Herzog reviewed and edited. The pair spent an additional six weeks revising the manuscript, after which they fleshed out other aspects of the novel such as its layout and cover design, which Howell decided to create herself.

"It's always neat to see students bring writing into fruition. To partner alongside and make it a reality is my passion," Herzog said. "As I got to the end of each chapter in (Howell's book), I was already looking forward to the next set. She would drop a hook that just makes you want to keep reading."

Despite Howell's being a seasoned writer, she had never undertaken the process of publishing her work before working with Herzog. "I wanted to be published for years, but it was intimidating going into it," said Howell. "Mr. Herzog was very helpful, and he showed me how to do it step. by step. It's encouraging to be able to be confident that I can publish on my own now." As of March 2024, "The Exceptionals" is only available to purchase online, but Howell plans to seek local retailers to carry it in the future.

For more information or to purchase a copy of the book, visit https://tinyurl.com/theexceptionalsbook.