By Cassy Fiano-Chesser
mail@floridanewsline.com
Chloe LaBrie, now 11, is already a published author. At the age of seven, she wrote and illustrated “The Eiffel Tower Moves to Egypt,” and submitted it to a PBS Young Writers Contest. She won first place, and went on to self-publish her book on Amazon. Homeschooled by her mom, Patricia LaBrie, in Orangedale, Chloe has continued to write, as well as grow her talents in other artistic endeavors.
Q: Can you tell me about yourself?
A: As you know, I published a book when I was nine! I love dancing, and singing, and musical theater … anything in that genre. I love art as well. I love everything that has to do with that stuff, and of course, writing.
Q: What is your book about?
A: So basically, my best friend Luci (who is actually a real person) and I open a bakery in the Eiffel Tower with our French bulldog, Chubby Cupcake — who I wish was real, but sadly, he’s not. We get some complaints about the Eiffel Tower looking like an Egyptian pyramid, so we end up moving it to Egypt after talking with the president and Mr. Eiffel himself. And after that, a lot of chaotic stuff starts happening. It’s just a funny book that’s good for kids aged five to 10.
Q: How did the book get published?
A: Two years after I won the contest, my mom just brought up the idea of revamping the book and publishing it. We always talked about it, just for fun. Obviously, I never thought it would happen, but after working on it, I was like, OK, let’s put it out there. We went through Amazon self-publishing, and they were really helpful.
Q: What are your other hobbies besides writing?
A: Dancing is something that I’m really big on. We’re actually in our competition season right now, so that’s really awesome. And I just love sharing art with people, and making them smile, or making someone’s day better by making a joke, or dancing, or acting.
Q: Where does your inspiration and drive for the arts come from?
A: I really don’t know. It just started when I was seven, and after the PBS Writers Contest, everything kind of fell into place with gymnastics and dance. Everything that has to do with the arts, I feel like it’s something that naturally comes to me.
Q: Are you still writing?
A: I am currently working on a book. I only have one chapter so far. I’m homeschooled, and homeschooler life is just so busy. I might not publish it, but it’s just nice to know that I have words that go into my head, and I can make something out of them.
Photo courtesy Patricia LaBrie
Chloe LaBrie
