Zoey Schmalz, ’13

Every little girl has her dream.  The eight-year-old Zoey Schmalz wanted to be an author.  A bookworm with a creative soul, she loved to write poetry and discuss books in her English classes.  Cinderella says “a dream is a wish your heart makes” and this dream of Schmalz’s has come true.  After publishing her first book, “Black Angel” we want to take a moment to congratulate Schmalz on a job well done.

“Black Angel” is the story of four teenagers embarking on a double date.  The normal dinner and movie doesn’t happen.  The teenagers decide to pay the Black Angel a visit and see what the rumors of it being haunted are all about.  One of the boyfriends tricks his girlfriend into kissing in front of it, and everything goes downhill from there.  The story follows the teens as they solve the mystery of the Black Angel. 

Schmalz was inspired to write this story, which started in a creative writing class, because she went on a double date to the cemetery.  Rumor says if you kiss in front of the statue, you die.  Yes, she was kissed in front of it and is still waiting to see if the death wish legend holds true.  For days after this event she couldn’t shake the feeling she had.  A lover of superstitions and haunted places, Schmalz needed to write about what had happened.  She let her imagination run wild and before she knew it, she had turned a journal entry into a book.  Many of her friends and classmates were reading chunks of the story as she was writing, and there were many more who wanted to read the end result so she decided to publish it.
 
It’s available for purchase on Amazon.com or you can contact her at schmalzzoeyk@sau.edu to buy a $10 copy in person.

Here’s the link to buy it online:

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Angel-Zoey-Kay-Schmalz/dp/1468043315/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327872006&sr=8-1
           
I read the book in one sitting.  Once I started reading I couldn’t put it down.  I was entranced by the romance in the beginning and once the adventure started, I was hooked.  I got the chills and couldn’t wait to see what twists and turns were about to ensue.  This book quenched my need for a heart-gripping story.  I think other collegiettes™ will agree. 

Schmalz is a junior studying English, writing and journalism.  She is from Muscatine, Iowa, where she was editor of her high school newspaper for three years.  Besides writing, she loves to read, sing, play piano and go on adventures.  The more thrill in her life, the better.