As Delaney Wassmann prepares to begin her freshman year at Platte County High School, the 14-year-old recently accomplished her dream project by writing her first book and getting it published.

Her love of writing began in the fourth grade when she began writing stories and letting her imagination run wild.

She decided to test her limits to find out if she could write the novel she had always aspired to write. Now, with the publication of her book, “Bury Me with Yellow Daffodils” she has seen her unique, creative skills and determination merge to produce her first novel – a feat that is rare for someone so young.

She began writing on Feb. 4 of this year and set a goal of writing a minimum of 2,000 words on weekdays, and 5,000 words on weekends.

“A month later, I completed the first draft,” Delaney said. “A week after that, I completed the second draft. My editor finished editing the final copy on June 30. So, in total, the entire process took about five months.”

Delaney described the synopsis of the book: “For 10 years of her life, 17-year-old Kianna Hansen has lived hiding in the shadows, fighting an aggressive thyroid cancer that made her existence miserable. After facing a near-death experience, Kianna’s only source of treatment has been abolished. She’s faced with the decision of what to do in the remaining months she has left to live. Rather than take a trip to Greece, get her dream job, buy a Porsche, she wants to return to public high school.

Since the age of 7 when she got diagnosed, her life has been nothing but tubes and doctors and hospitals. There was never any time for a normal life. All Kianna has ever wanted was to be normal. In her journey of public school, she wants to make bad decisions, meet friends, go to parties, and most of especially loves the creative writing units. The summer months and time away from daily studying have given her time to read an assortment of novels over the summer.

“This year I’ve fallen in love with reading,” Delaney said. “My free time is often spent reading emotional romance novels or thrillers. Some of my favorites are “Archer’s Voice” by Mia Sheridan, “It Ends with Us” by Colleen Hoover, “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” by Holly Jackson, and “Verity” by Colleen Hoover.

When not reading and writing, she also plays piano and drums, and she occasionally writies songs. She was in the National Junior Honor Society program in middle school and intends to be involved in the National Honor Society in high school, where she is also planning to take journalism classes.

Delaney credits many of her English teachers over the years who have been very supportive of her writing aspirations.

“One of my teachers this year knew I was a writer and that I was in the process of writing this book. Because of that, she always welcomed my opinion in class discussions, and asked me questions about my writing process,” Delaney said.

When she had finished her book, she was thrilled to have completed her goal, and was satisfied with the work she had finished.

“Of course, reading through the first draft, I was a bit skeptical, but once I analyzed and revised things, I was very happy with the completed novel,” Delaney said. “The most challenging part of writing this book was the trial and error. You could write 20 pages, but then read it back and realize it needed to be revised. Then, after that, it still may not be how I imagined it. However, it’s always worth it to rewrite and make sure it’s done correctly.”

Delaney plans to study creative writing in college and possibly devote her career to writing more novels.

She began another book recently about a teenaged girl who is struck by tragedy when she is 13 when her mother dies. At 17, she is in a car accident and loses her left hand and right calf.

“But most importantly, she gets diagnosed with Dissociative Amnesia, a rare kind of amnesia that takes away certain memories of her past,” Delaney said. “She has no recollection of the night of the accident, or the two months she spent unconscious in a coma. The only things she has to remember about the catastrophic crash are her missing hand and the artificial leg attached to her knee. The worst part is, the entire small town of Tulgan, Maine knows everything about her and would rather gossip than befriend her. She only remained in Tulgan because her father suffers with mental health issues and needed her. But now that he’s doing better, she’s desperate to get out. However, there might be someone that can make her stay. When she meets Ethan, the 18-year-old brother of Julie’s father’s girlfriend, they hit it off immediately. They develop a relationship and fall for each other instantly. As Julie begins digging for answers about the hit and run that nearly killed her, she finds things she never expected she’d find, leaving her life unrecognizable.”

The reaction of Delaney’s family and friends to “Bury Me with Yellow Daffodils” has been very positive, and her cousin believes the book would make a good film production. Her cousin also said that this was the first book she had ever cried over.

Her parents have been a great support in helping Delaney gain the confidence to write her first book.

“I wouldn’t have been able to write it without my family. They’ve always allowed me the time to write, and encouraged me along the entire process.”

Bury Me with Yellow Daffodils can be purchased on Amazon and the Barnes and Noble website. The links are in Delaney’s Instagram bio:@delaneywassmann