Biggers’ “When the Portal Opens,” is only the first of many stories to come.

Sophomore Madelyn Biggers said she’s always had a passion for reading and writing, and it was this love and enthusiasm for different worlds and characters that led her to write and publish her own 150-page novel independently. Her book, “When the Portal Opens: The First Tale of Erolklof” took nine months to write and another month to edit and publish. Biggers said, “My biggest struggle was just keeping at it. Sometimes life gets crazy and I don’t have a lot of free time. So I just had to keep pushing myself and keep my eyes on my end goal.”

“When the Portal Opens” is about a beloved prince from an alternate universe who is mistakenly transported to Earth through a teleportation device, along with a few of his allies. These adventurers must make it back to their homeland before it’s too late to save their kingdom. The heroes must rely on teamwork, ingenuity, and trust to accomplish their tasks. The question throughout the novel is: will they make it home in time; or will they be too late? The cover of the novel depicts many of the mythical creatures found in the story, and was designed by former EHS student, Dahla Welchman. Although “When the Portal Opens” is Biggers’ first published book, it surely will not be the last. Biggers said, “I am currently writing another novel that is set in the same realm. I’m pretty sure it will have some of the characters from this book return, but I just started it.”

Benjamin Williams (21) read Biggers’ novel right when it came out and said, “Maddie’s book is absolutely awesome! It is very well-written and it was a blast to read!” Along with heaps of encouragement from her family and friends, Biggers said that some of her biggest supporters are her teachers. Biggers said, “My teachers, especially my English teachers from last and this year have been incredibly helpful. Ms. Dillon last year and Mrs. Griffin this year have both helped me edit and revise my book throughout the whole writing process.” Kylie Griffin, a first-year English teacher at EHS, said, “Maddie is just an all-around wonderful person. She, above all else, is very diligent. She is very goal driven, so she sets one and just plugs away at it. When she asked me to edit her book, I could tell that she had a process thought out in her head about how she wanted things, and kind of took her steps from there. She is just an all-around solution-oriented and sweet person. ”

Biggers started her writing journey many years ago as a side hobby but decided she wanted to share her gifts with the world.  “I have a big imagination. I wanted to bring my worlds to life, and I think words are the best way to do that.”