Cal Forbes, a communication major who works in the Mitchell Memorial Library, is also a young author with two published books.
His first book, “Lucien’s Fury,” has sold 138 paper back copies and 75 Kindle copies. Forbes’ second book, “The Low Tree Up on the High Hill and Other Stories,” has sold 38 copies. He now has a third book in the process of being published.
Forbes said he started writing when he was a young boy. During the “boring summers” at his grandparents’ house, his grandmother would pay Forbes 50 cents for every page he filled with writing.
Forbes is an avid reader, and his favorite genres are Victorian gothic, sci-fi/cyber punk and fantasy. The authors who inspire him are English writers like H.G. Wells, Edgar Rice Burroughs and Jack London.
Forbes described his writing process as “sporadic.”
“I have to have a long window to write, and have to know the ending before I write,” Forbes said.
Ben Clanton, Forbes’ friend and circulation coordinator at the Starkville Public Library, said Forbes sense of awareness makes him a good writer.
“He is very curious about the world around him,” Clanton said. “He branches out and exposes himself to different forms of culture, and is able to bring it into his creative process.”
“Lucien’s Fury” is about protagonist Lucien who is living in a post-apocalyptic world filled with beasts. Lucien has to obtain a powerful crystal heart to use as a weapon to destroy snake-like beasts.
The main character meets Mother Nature, finds friends along the way and lets go of his vengeful spirit. Forbes said the characters are based on his friend group. Forbes said he would like to write three more books to make Lucien’s journey a series.
Clanton said one of Forbes’ strengths is creating the foundation of a book’s realm.
“He is really good at world building and creating a mythos around his characters, the world they live in and how the characters react to each other,” Clanton said.
Clanton described “Lucien’s Fury” as an interesting and weird sci-fi novel.
“The Low Tree Up on the High Hill and Other Stories” is a book of seven different short stories. These stories are not connected nor have the same theme. The stories are similar to fairy-tales and are set in the 1200s. Forbes originally produced this book to allow his grandma to read his work in a more formal way than reading them in a notebook, he said.
The publisher printing Forbes’ work is a print-on-demand company named Create Space. This publishing company is a self-publisher rather than a traditional publishing house.
For several years, Forbes worked in the Starkville Public Library, and now he sometimes volunteers when the library needs an extra hand.
At the beginning of the year, Forbes had a book signing for “Lucien’s Fury.” Forbes said the library was packed, and it now has a signed copy in the special collections section.
“It was the first time the library had someone that young have a book signing,” said Ginny Holtcamp, the library’s director and Forbes’ mentor.
Holtcamp said she is proud and in awe of Forbes’ accomplishments.
“He is an intelligent, hardworking young person as evidence of his book at such a young age,” Holtcamp said.
Clanton and Holtcamp said they both hope Forbes will continue to write because writing is his dream.
The public has access to purchase his books on Amazon. “Lucien’s Fury” is priced at $14 and “The Low Tree Up on the High Hill and Other Stories” is $11. There will be a sale during the holidays where people can access his books for free.
Forbes said he hopes to become a full-time author after he graduates.