Sophomore Joddie Zeng recently published her novel The Popularity Project, which she began writing in December 2013.

The Popularity Project is a contemporary Young Adult romance novel following 17-year-old Ariella Winters as she goes through a social experiment at a completely new school. Her goal is to successfully immerse herself in the popular crew and learn something monumental, all while keeping everything no-strings-attached.

“It’s interesting because everyone wants to know who the characters in my book are based off of, but contrary to popular belief, they are 100 percent fiction,” Zeng said. “I’ve taken these characters on a journey, not knowing that I’d been riding the wave right beside them. They’ve managed to steal a little piece of my heart. Of course, you may get some Churchill-y vibes from this book because it is the school I go to, and it’s all I’ve really experienced.”

Zeng wanted to write something that could cheer someone up who might be having a bad day and she gives a piece of advice to any student who may want to publish a book.

“Writing a book and publishing a book are two completely different concepts,” Zeng said. “It’s something that I’ve struggled to accept. In publishing, your book will get torn apart in an effort to make it better. Always be open to change because there will always be room for improvement.”