By Kadie Taylor
The Observer
OPELIKA — Young authors exploring the empowering world of writing, 11-year-olds Jaliyah Wilson and Mackenzie Todd have co-written three books, showing others that no one is too young to follow their dreams.
Todd said it all began when she was in a class at Morris Avenue Intermediate School, and she decided to begin writing a book.
“I just started writing about something, and then it got to the point where it started to get longer and longer and longer,” she said. “And I was like, ‘Why don’t I make something out of this?’ So I asked Jaliyah, ‘Hey, would you like to help me with this?’ And she said, ‘Of course.’ And it just escalated from there. As young authors, some of the kids at our school still don’t believe that we’re published authors at 11-years-old, and it’s pretty crazy, but we are making a difference, and I’m glad that we’re encouraging other young kids to write as well.”
Wilson said the three Brown Girls Ink books are in the school library, where many of the girls’ peers can check them out, and she and Todd shared a little about each book they wrote together.
“‘On the Other Side’ is about how Grace lost her memory at the beginning of the [book], and throughout the whole story, she’s trying to recollect the memories of how she ended up dead in the beginning,” Wilson said. “Her friend Eva Hampton pushed her off the roof — and that’s the cold plot twist — that’s how she ends up dead. And she really doesn’t know in the beginning of the story because she’s trying to recollect the memories of how she ended up there.”
“‘Behind the Mask’ is our second book; it is related to the first book, ‘On the Other Side,’ because the main character is Tessa, and Grace from the first book and Tessa from the second book are related; they’re cousins,” Todd said. “At the end of the first book, if you read it, it says that she met her cousin Tessa in the afterlife. ‘Behind the Mask’ is [about] the daily life of a teenage girl going through a lot at home and at school — with bullying and everything like that. The impact I want for this book to have on people when they read the story is [to remember] to never underestimate someone.”
“Our third book is called ‘Whispers of Sorrow,’ this one is about 15-year-old Braxton,” Wilson said. “He feels trapped in a small town, and his father controls everything. He really wants freedom in life, and he really wants to make his own decisions. And then that’s where life takes a dark turn, and he’s forced to feel pain, loss, and he has to fight to find himself before it’s too late.”
Todd said she and Wilson have a productive collaboration process with compromise and collaboration between the girls, and Wilson shared the support of one of the girls’ teachers who helped guide them through their authorship journey.
“So our collaboration process, we kind of like ease into it a little bit,” Todd said. “I usually start off the book, and she usually ends the book. So, we usually talk on the phone unless we’re together when we’re writing. I start it off, and whenever we’re on the phone, I’m like, ‘Is this a good place for me to stop? Do you want to add on to this piece?’ and she says, ‘Sure.’ She adds on, and we go back and forth until we come to something that we disagree with — then we try to compromise.”
“The reason why we got together is Mrs. Lawler,” Wilson said. “She helped us throughout this journey with our books, she helped us publish them, she helped us edit them and she also helped us with our grammar if we’re having trouble.”
The moms of Todd and Wilson shared joint joy over watching their daughters grow through Brown Girls Ink.
“As mothers, we couldn’t be any happier or prouder of our girls for stepping out in faith and accomplishing all that they have,” Joy Melton and Melissa Todd shared. “Watching them grow as young authors through Brown Girls Ink has been a true blessing. Their courage, creativity and confidence are a reflection of God’s hand on their lives. We thank God for guiding their steps, opening doors and placing purpose within them at such a young age. Our prayer is that their journey continues to inspire other children to believe in themselves, trust God and boldly walk in the dreams He has placed in their hearts.”
As Wilson and Todd continue to share their stories with community members, the girls shared the lessons they have learned that will carry them through life, with hopes that they will inspire others to follow their dreams as well.
“I have learned to never underestimate yourself, because you don’t know what you can do in the future,” Wilson said. “At least try, don’t give up and just follow your dreams. And always keep God first.”
“One thing that I have learned is to use my voice, because in the past growing up, I’ve been really shy, and the only way that I could speak up for myself was writing,” Todd said. “Now I know to speak up for myself, through writing and with my own voice, and to not underestimate ourselves, each other and to not underestimate anybody around us.”
To purchase the books written by Brown Girls Ink, visit www.a.co/d/0i7CyDu3 to purchase “Whispers of Sorrows,” https://a.co/d/0gN58yw9 to purchase “Behind the Mask” and https://a.co/d/09ivNKar to purchase “On the Other Side,” and visit Brown Girls Ink on Facebook to learn more.
