Jackson Free Press

Most story ideas come to Corey Davis when she's bored and allows her mind to wander. One such daydream gave shape to the 16-year-old Clinton native's debut novel, targeted to young adults.

"Ollie Way" (Tate Publishing, January 2014, $27.99) introduces readers to the fictional Capricorn family: Ollie Way, his wife, Fern, and their 11 children. Set in Clinton, the story follows Ollie and Fern's 14-year-old daughter Evangeline as she seeks to find out more about a father she barely remembers. The story takes a climactic turn when Ollie goes missing in action while serving in the army in Iraq.

"There's a bit of mystery, bit of drama, there's adventure, whatever genre that fits into," Davis says about her book.

The idea came to her on an unusual day for fortunate outcomes—Friday the 13th: "I daydreamed this family, but I only had the family first. I didn't have the entire story."

It was only as she began putting thoughts to paper that the story started to take on a bigger form. "Once I got it out on paper, I started the first chapter, and I was just like, well let's see where this goes," she says. "And it just went."

Originally from Byram, the only child of Debbie and Chuck Davis has called Clinton home for nearly six years. Setting her debut novel in Clinton was not simply a matter of the "write what you know" mantra, but because of her love for the town.

"I just like the tight-knit community of it," she says of Clinton. "It's like an old small town, and I like that feel."

Davis has been writing stories since elementary school and attributes her love for the written word to her parents, who read to her at a young age. The appeal of creating and inhabiting new characters is what Davis loves most about writing. "Each story is like a different world. I think that's special," she says.

Writing the book was not only a lesson in the commitment it takes to see a novel through from start to finish, but revelatory as far as her relationship with God, which she says grew stronger during the process. This influence is evident in her characters' development and her use of biblical symbolism throughout the novel. "Ollie Way's whole story is paralleling Jesus'; that's the biggest thing," she says.

Davis, who names Marcus Zusak as a favorite author, is a Clinton Christian Academy sophomore and editor of her school paper.

Feedback on her novel has been positive, which set aside one of her initial fears. She lights up when speaking about a book signing held earlier in the day at Quinsenberry Library in Clinton. "Some people came all the way from Franklin County (Mississippi), and they made a whole day out of it, a mother and her daughter who likes to write, too," she says.

"It was cool."

Visit coreydavis.tateauthor.com for more information.