By Rachel Aretakis

Anthony Jones did not let his age stop him from doing something most teenagers and adults never do.

Instead, the freshman used his youth to his advantage and at 19 years old he became a published author.

Jones’s first fantasy novel, “Blue Destiny,” was published in January and is a part of the Dynamic Dynasty Trilogy.

The book follows the 16-year-old character, Titus, as he finds a powerful stone and journeys with friends to learn how to use the stone and defeat the evil king.

Jones started writing the book when he was a sophomore at Corbin High School and said it took one year to finish. Since then, he has completed the other two books in the trilogy.

“It feels wonderful to finally have the book published,” Jones said. “But I feel like I won’t feel fully successful until it’s read and loved.”

Jones said that his inspiration has come from J.K. Rowling and his favorite books are the Harry Potter series. He said that one day he just came up with the idea of a powerful stone and from there everything else branched off. The characters in the novel are based off some people that Jones knows, he said.

“After talking to my mom about my ideas, she encouraged me to keep on going,” Jones said.

His mom, Gina Jones, was also working on getting her own novel published at the same time. Her novel came out the week before his did.

Jones said that his mom was the only person who knew he was writing; he did not even tell his friends until a couple of weeks before it was published.

He wanted to keep the book a secret in case it was not published, Jones said.

Jones’s friend Justin McIntosh, a freshman Agricultural Biotechnology student, said that when he found out about the book, he was both shocked and impressed.

McIntosh is currently reading the novel and said it is “well-written and well put together.”

Jones is still waiting for reviews of the book, which will determine if it will be available in stores. However the book is now available online at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

Jones said that though he is nervous about the reviews from critics, he is more nervous about what his friends will think of the book.

Though McIntosh is still reading the story, he said that he enjoys the fact that the book combines multiple genres such as adventure, war, friendship and love.

“My favorite aspect about “Blue Destiny” is that it’s a fantasy book that allows readers to escape their everyday lives and use their imaginations,” McIntosh said.

Throughout the publishing process, Jones said he was impatient to get his book published but that it was interesting to see how one becomes a published author.

“I had a lot of people talk about how young I was and [they were] surprised I was published,” said Jones. “I like people to know how old I am; it is something I worked hard for at a young age.”

More information about the book and Jones can be found at anthonysbluedestiny.weebly.com.