In her small apartment in Sauk Rapids, former LeSabre journalist, Charlie Monson, works at becoming an author. Alongside her skittish cat Marceline, she lives in a world of princesses and magic, love and betrayal, working away on her novels and short stories. 

Growing up my sister Charlie and I alway had active imaginations. We used to pretend we were princesses with powers, mermaids with magic, and fairies who sold gems and jewels for secrets. Our imaginations never left, but the make believe slowly turned into writing stories of adventure instead. 

Charlie graduated from Sartell in 2021, and now takes classes through Southern New Hampshire University. She majors in English and creative writing and hopes to someday become an author. 

What would you say this journey you’re on right now is called? 

C: Life (sings “Life is a Highway” from the cars movie) 

What is your first book about? 

C: My book idea is about this girl named Estelle who is a princess who lives in this frozen kingdom called Wintermoor. Her father is sick with this strange disease, and he’s too scared for her safety to let her out of the castle. When she does leave, she meets a man, who I haven’t named yet, and tries to find a cure for her father.  

What is your dream in your pursuit of your degree?

C: I just want to write and read all day. I’m so sick of working retail.

What inspired you and put you on this path of writing fantasy? 

C: It’s so cool! You can have princesses, and unicorns, and magic, and just let your imagination go crazy. It’s not boring like real life. I also wanted to write fantasy because of how badly people write creatures and how none of them ever make sense. I want my own version of vampires or werewolves to be out there. 

Did you always want to become an author? 

C: No, I wanted to be a princess cowboy when I was little. If I didn’t break out in hives every time I was around a horse, I’d probably still be pursuing that. 

What are your fears of becoming an author?

C: People not liking it or having it be too close to something else or potentially offending anyone with my lack of knowledge. 

Do you find inspiration for characters and their personalities in people you know or do you make them up? 

C: I make them up but sometimes I take inspiration from people I know. Like this one guy I work with who has bright red hair and is super tall. He should be a knight somewhere saving a princess…what’s he doing working at Target?  

Charlie hopes to continue her tantalizing story of the Princess of Wintermoor and the fantasy world she lives in throughout her schooling at Southern New Hampshire. My sister is a talented writer with an imagination like no other. I see bits and pieces of our childhood shine through her storytelling that make the experience nostalgic with an air of childlike magic. I hope her readers also find her writing to be as enchanting and I do.