Draper resident Lisa Tolk is eager to hear what readers think of her book—understandably.

“Eden” is her first novel. 

“When I first got the book, it became a real thing; I could touch it, feel the pages and read the words I wrote,” Tolk said. “It took a leap of confidence for me to be vulnerable and put my words out there; it’s a scary thing to do.”

When the book was published in late spring, the teen fantasy-romance hit the top Amazon No. 1 for new releases in the clean and wholesome category for a week. It repeated at the No. 1 spot this summer with its Kindle release.

“Thousands of people downloaded it on Kindle; that was a surprise,” she said. “I thought maybe it would be picked up by friends and family, but it’s other people who are buying the book and they’re sending positive comments about ‘Eden.’ It’s so kind and I’m so grateful.”

It’s a piece of work which has taken Tolk years. She first wrote the story when her oldest daughter, Mackenzie, who graduated high school 10 years ago, was a young teen.

“When Mackenzie was reading young adult books, I was reading them right along with her. At one point, I felt I could write a young adult book for Mackenzie, something she would love. That’s what started the idea,” Tolk said. “When I started writing ‘Eden,’ I liked the idea of a secret island being separated from the rest of the world, set in modern times, but in a society that’s traditional with a monarchy and that is not part of the regular world. It’s a place where they could live in harmony. I developed it into this idea of those worlds clashing, involving the main character, the princess on that island. It’s a coming-of-age journey where she learns some dark secrets. It becomes a love story too, but it has more to it than just romance.”

When Tolk finished the manuscript, she shared it with her daughter, husband and a few others, who liked it. Then, she shelved it. 

Tolk had changed from a 13-year career in politics to becoming an English teacher at Corner Canyon High and was putting her focus in her new career.

“It wasn’t really a big publishing dream back then,” she said. “I did it for Mackenzie and doing anything more with it would be hard when I was teaching. Teaching is immersive; a lot of time and energy goes into teaching. I have to be ‘all in’ with what I’m doing and teaching was that,” said the English literature graduate from Brigham Young University, who also earned her Master’s in Political Science from the University of Utah and her teaching license from Utah Valley University.

Now, Tolk is “all in” to her writing. After editing the manuscript this past year, she left her 12-year teaching career to become a full-time author.

“I have a passion for this; I want to continue to write and publish more. It’s going to be a new chapter of life,” she said. “I’m appreciative of the support from Corner Canyon’s administration, teachers sending me messages and the librarian ordering books for the library. The students have totally cheered me on.”

In fact, this coming school year, Tolk is planning to return to the high school to talk to a creative writing class about her publishing journey and to talk to students about being an author at their book club. 

“It’s not just Corner Canyon, but it’s neighbors, friends and people I haven’t heard from in 30 years are writing me and supporting me as a new author on this publishing journey. I’m grateful and humbled,” she said.

It was Mackenzie, now a young mother herself, who inspired her to publish “Eden.”

“Mackenzie said she’d help. I hadn’t thought about ‘Eden’ for a long time, so I got the manuscript back out,” she said. “I love writing, studying the words and language, and reading. I think that’s why I went back to look at it. I wanted to be part of that world where I was the one creating the words rather than just reading it.”

However, when Tolk looked at her manuscript, she was surprised.

“Having been an English teacher, with a new set of eyes, a new lens, I realized it needed a lot of work. I really dug into the revision process,” Tolk said. “I rewrote it. I changed things. I added things. I took things out. I made it more concise. I made the scenes better. I added more action, but there weren’t any huge plot changes. I did change it so at times the reader sees it through Kaya’s view and other times, through Drew’s view, who are the two main characters.”

While the characters are fictious, Drew’s mother does have Tolk’s own mother’s name, Diane.

“Diane’s not modeled after my mom, but she has a little bit of her,” she said.

Tolk chose the real location of Owl’s Head, Maine, as a second location in her novel.

“I haven’t been to that specific place, but I wanted a place that has a lighthouse, which is very important symbolically and literally in the book,” she said, having woven lighthouse history into her story.

At the start of each of the 19 chapters, Tolk includes a quote, borrowed from great works of literature.

“I love good quotes. I felt they elevated the novel and each quote ties in a symbolic way. Some are a little bit more literal, and some are a bit more figurative. It gives a little bit more thought on a different level,” she said.

Tolk learned about self-publishing at a writer’s conference. 

“With traditional publishers, you don’t get to pick your own cover, you don’t get to pick when it is released, you may even make the editing choices. Mackenzie and I looked into self-publishing, and she said, ‘This is something we can do.’ I’m glad we did it this way because we’ve been doing it as a family and that has been so rewarding,” she said. “It just wouldn’t have been the same.”

Besides researching the publishing process, Mackenzie has helped her publicize her novel. Tolk’s younger daughter, Julia, designed the book’s cover and as a professional film editor, she made the book trailer and social media videos. Her older son, Brendan, advised her financially and younger son, Jeff, designed her website and business cards. David, her husband who is an instrumental musician, collaborated with her on a song named “Eden.”

“It was our first time we’ve worked together on music,” she said. “This has been a family affair, which has been fun. I’ve been bonding with my (adult-aged) kids. They’ve been excited to support for a goal I wanted to achieve with their talents and skills.”

Tolk calls her publishing company Brave Girls Publishing.

“The idea behind that was me being brave by finally publishing it, but then I also like those type of protagonists in my book—brave girls,” she said. “This is a book to take to the beach or read in the backyard, a fun escape book. It has messages and themes that are powerful like finding your own voice, having the courage to act, learning who you are.”

Part of Tolk’s goal in publishing the 350-page novel was to provide opportunities for clean young adult books, which traditionally has meant teen readers. She was recently featured on Closed Door Romance, which has 37,000 followers, she said.

“It’s a clean romance; it doesn’t have spice (sexual scenes); it’s a book that can be for anyone wanting romance, adventure, fantasy and a bit more—even some historical parts,” she said. “I like to read everything and that’s why I include different directions. I like classics. I like nonfiction. I like young adult with fantasy. I like romance. I like mystery. I like being challenged with books I wouldn’t normally read. I’m a lover of learning. I love a good book you can’t put down.”

Tolk already is outlining the sequel.

“I have ideas; I’m in the planning stages of Kaya’s next steps and challenges,” she said, careful not to reveal much as readers of her current book may not yet be finished. 

Her next plans are to release “Eden” on audiobook and she is welcoming opportunities to speak at schools, book clubs, libraries and bookstores. For those interested, contact her at [email protected] and check out the website, lisatolk.com.

“I’m proud of accomplishing my goal and that’s fulfilling in itself, but to have other people reading it and liking it, it’s been a wonderful surprise,” Tolk said. “This is a legacy, something that I will have forever, and that my kids have been a part of, and they and my grandkids will have and treasure.” λ