Senior Tatiana Randjelovic recently published her novella Art’s Call on Amazon. She has previously published stories through the JustWrite program.
“The first story I got published was a short story I wrote for the JustWrite state tournament during my freshman year. The story was called ‘Hollow Hearts,’ and it was selected to be part of the JustWrite Anthology after having received a score of 1 – the highest score a story can get,” Randjelovic shared.
JustWrite has published a few other stories by her, including her favorite: an untitled fantasy. Randjelovic explains that it is about a dragon fighting against humans and is told from the perspective of the dragon, not the humans.
After writing for many years, it was during Mr. Bill McGuinness’s AP US History class that the idea for her novella came to her. “When taking the class during my sophomore year, I became fascinated with the Roaring Twenties, and as a result, I read The Great Gatsby, because I knew that the novel was the most famous Roaring Twenties story that there is,” Randjelovic said. She further explained that she ended up hating the book because it focused too much on the rich people of the time period, not the average person. She wrote her novella to show the glory of the time period, while also showing the hardships of everyday life.
Randjelovic published Art’s Call through Amazon, which she said was difficult even with the help of several published authors.
After several attempts at getting her manuscript and cover accepted, she then had to prove her identity which also took time
Art’s Call is about a boy living on a farm during the Jazz Age. He wants to become a musician despite hardship and poverty. The story reflects the beauty of the Jazz Age and its impact on people, while also questioning the ability to reach one’s dreams.
JustWrite head coach Jill Wagner has been coaching Randjelovic for eight years, and read her book when it was first published. Wagner explained that Randjelovic has been an amazing writer from the start, but through the years, she has become IHS’s most decorated writer. She has won top awards at JustWrite state competitions and has been published 3 times throughout her writing career.
“Tatiana has left an indelible and positive influence on me! I recommend all students to watch and learn from her, and of course, read her novel,” Wagner said.
Art’s Call is now available for purchase on Amazon.
