Lied Imperial Public Library hosts book signing

    Dawn Ford met with local book enthusiasts at the Lied Imperial Public Library Friday to promote her new book and autograph copies for attendees.
    Ford talked about her life as a child growing up in a home with two alcoholics and how it led her to write her latest novel “Knee-high Lies” about a teenage girl growing up in similar circumstances.
    “I always had stories in my head, and ideas kept nagging at me,” she said.
    Ford’s mother became sober at one point in her life, and it wasn’t until she passed away that Ford was able to nail the story down and bring it together.
    “I now felt I had a reason to write the story. It was humbling for me,” she added.
    Ford explained to an audience of about a dozen listeners that writing this book helped her to exorcise demons she had carried in her head.
    “It wasn’t just a creative outlet, this book is more about survival as a young adult,” she said.
    Ford wanted to bring a message of hope to people who may be going through something similar.
    Having felt so alone as a teenager, she knew how staggering life can be, but she wants to give the message that it won’t last forever. It can get better.
    “It’s been more rewarding than I ever thought it would be,” Ford said.
    There will be a second book about the same character coming out in the future.
    The second book will feature more of the main character’s (Avery’s) friends and how she deals with them as their lives intertwine.
    Ford writes novels primarily for young adults. “Knee-high Lies” is her first book with this kind of subject matter.
    “I usually write books in the fantasy or science fiction genre. They have always been a little edgy and dark because of my life. But Avery was a way to express my past through this character. It’s been an outlet for me,” she said.
    She is currently writing her eighth book, a fantasy about a young troll girl.
    Ford was in Imperial to attend a Wonderly/Snyder family reunion. She said it has been great to visit with family and a privilege to do the book signing for her “western Nebraska friends.”
    For more information go to www.facebook.com/Dawn FordAuthor/, or her website www.dawnfordauthor.com.