Former North Harford student Lincoln Hartlaub first became a published author at age 14, when he published his first book, The Novus, on July 2, 2022. Two years later, the sequel, Rise of Praelia, was published on August 19, 2024.
“The Novus is a dystopian novel set in the future after a huge war,” said Hartlaub. The book follows the main character, Alice, who lives in Pura City. Alice must take “a life-determining test,” explains Hartlaub, to see if she’ll become, “a normal citizen, a servant to the city, or a member of the city council.”
This test sets off a series of earth-shattering events that will determine the fate of the city, but the adventure doesn’t stop there. Alice’s adventure continues in the sequel, as Alice and her friends, “are now faced with foreign threats due to their newly weakened government,” says Hartlaub.
Hartlaub started, “The Novus started as a short story during the year of virtual learning due to COVID, but I ended up continuing with it, and it became a full novel.” The Novus was published “the summer after seventh grade, so I started the sequel around that time.”
Every book comes with challenges.“This book was much harder for me to write, because I went through a lot of periods of simply not feeling like writing,” says Hartlaub.
Hartlaub’s family, “always teases me about ‘going through phases’ because I’m always trying some random new hobby,” admits Hartlaub. “I was worried that my ‘phase’ of writing was over and I had no motivation to continue; however, the pressure of completing the series kept me going.”
Hartlaub’s goal was “to publish the sequel before I turned 17, and I managed to do it despite the lack of motivation.” He wanted, “to have the stamp of being a published author, especially since I was only a teenager.”
The end of the series is “a huge relief to me, because the pressure of finishing the series was a burden for me,” Hartlaub said, “but now that it’s been completed, I can take a break from writing until I’m ready and inspired again.”
One thing Hartlaub learned over the process is, “Passion will bring success over time, but success won’t bring passion.”
While Hartlaub is taking a break from writing, we can expect more books in the future from this teenage author. “I definitely have more ideas for books, and have already started a new novel, but it’s nice to know that I can take my time and write when I’m inspired,” he says.
