Young authors aren’t exactly a new thing. Alice Oseman, author of Solitaire and Radio Silence, published her first book when she was in college. It doesn’t make it any less impressive however, that Allegra Durst is already working on her first novel. “It’s a mix between fantasy and sci-fi.”  She said, “I’ve been working on it for about a year.” Over time, she’s heavily edited her work, rewriting things and adding new parts. It can take years to complete a book, and even more time editing it to the point where you can publish it. Allegra also faces the challenge of working with someone else. “We both really like writing and wanted to write a book, so we thought to just do it together.” Writing with other people is always a struggle. Communication and planning out a whole story can be difficult even if you live just down the road from them. These problems are amplified for Allegra, who’s working with her family friend. “The person I’m working on it with lives on the other side of Florida, so it’s hard to find a time to get together.” They schedule virtual meetings and find times that fit into both of their busy schedules to plan out what each of them are going to write before their next meeting. Despite these hardships, Allegra hopes to finish the novel in a couple of years and create a story that appeals to everyone. “There’s action and like a little bit of romance, and I think a lot of people will enjoy it.”