Cody girl publishes first novel

Admittedly the last one isn’t something most mothers experience. But most mothers don’t have a daughter like Aly Martin.

“I knew Aly had been working on a book, but when I actually got to read the finished product, I was blown away by how good it was,” Aly’s mother and editor Robin Martin said. “Especially considering that she wrote most of it when she was 11, I thought it was a really good book and it really held my attention. As her mom, it was fun to see that different side of her.”

Now that Aly has self-published her first novel, people will have a chance to see a different side of the Cody middle schooler, who recently turned 13.

Her novel “Thea” — which she wrote under the pen name “Alice Martin” — is inspired by Norse mythology and also by the “Valkyrie” series of novels by Canadian fantasy author Kate O’Hearn. Aly said the idea for the book was born out of some words of encouragement she received from O’Hearn.

“She ended her series, and I didn’t love the ending,” Aly said. “I asked her if there was going to be another book in the series and she said her editor wanted her to focus on stories that had been selling more. But she encouraged me to write about what I thought would happen.”

While Aly’s book takes place in the same universe as O’Hearn’s stories — some characters from the “Valkyrie” series have minor supporting roles in “Thea” — she said she used O’Hearn’s tales as a foundation to build her own world.

Creating that world required her to take a deep dive into Norse mythology, she said. 

“It was difficult writing about the different realms that my characters travel to,” Aly said. “So I had to research those and what they might look like.”

Martin said her favorite part of writing “Thea” was telling the story of a mysterious character.

“One of my characters is a mystery, and I was the only person who knew who it was,” she said. “So I really liked writing the mystery character and trying to surprise my audience.”

Martin said “Thea” won’t be her last novel. She is currently working on a number of different projects, from a “Thea” sequel to a supernatural drama to a mafia tale. 

She said she wants to be a full-time author when she grows up.

Digital and physical copies of “Thea” can be purchased online at Amazon and physical copies are available at Legends Bookstore in Cody.