Submitted Photo Taylor Kickbush of Washington, D.C. graduated from Gowanda Central School in 2013 and recently published her first novel “Endless in August.”

On the surface, surviving a car accident, kayaking in West Virginia and getting stranded in Peru appear to have nothing in common.

While just one of these events could be life changing, for Gowanda native Taylor Kickbush, all three experiences shaped her life in a powerful way and led her to accomplish an ambitious goal: writing and publishing a novel in just one year.

On July 27, Kickbush’s novel “Endless in August” was published and has already landed on Amazon’s Top 100 Paid Best Sellers in Teen & Young Adult Art Fiction eBooks. Kickbush told the OBSERVER, “I’m thrilled. It was a lot of work over the past year but definitely worth it.”

It was just one year ago that Kickbush experienced the first event that would lead her to write her novel. “On Aug. 1 last year, I was involved in a car accident,” she explained. “I was rear-ended on my way home from Virginia Beach and went down a 20-foot drop. I hit my head and the car was almost totaled.”

All alone, Kickbush was six hours away from anyone she could contact for help. Fortunately, she suffered no major injuries. “It was a surreal experience that just reminded me that you never know what’s going to happen,” she recalled.

“You can just be living your day-to-day life, like I was, and something can just throw a wrench in your plans.”

During another trip that summer – a kayaking adventure in West Virginia – Kickbush experienced mayfly season. She told the OBSERVER, “They were hatching all around me, and I learned a lot about them. They live for only 24 hours after they become adults. Between that and the car accident, it was really a realization that we have to take these lessons and make the best of the time we have. That’s where the book started.”

Kickbush, who has been living in Washington, D.C. for the past two years as a user experience engineer, enrolled in Georgetown Professor Eric Koester’s Creators Institute. In his virtual Book School program, Kickbush set out to write her longest and most involved creative work. Kickbush said, “In 2017, I graduated from St. Bonaventure University with a degree in journalism, and I’ve been published as a news correspondent. … This book is definitely my first dive into the creative writing process.”

Each Monday, Kickbush joined her group of classmates to learn how to write a book in small chunks–even 100 words at a time. “We monitored our progress every week, reading one another’s work and offering feedback and encouragement. There were students throughout the United States and around the world in the class,” she said. As part of the course, Kickbush was also connected with a professional editor and publisher.

Kickbush soon realized that writing a novel while working full-time as a contractor for the Federal Aviation Administration was a rather tall order.

“There were nights when I had to cancel plans, work on vacations, and days when I didn’t feel like going to my job because I was up all night writing,” she recalled. “I had to devote time to something I wanted to see myself do–prioritize it. There was a point where I didn’t think I could balance everything, and I thought, ‘I don’t need to write a book’ but I continued.”

Kickbush took a month off to continue writing about the characters she’d grown to love. “Endless in August” is the story of Ben and his daughter Gracie, who travel to their favorite fly-fishing destination every August. While the trip is basically the same year after year, everything else in Ben and Gracie’s world continues to change, leading each to wonder, “If I only had 24 more hours to live, what would I want to do?” This coming-of-age novel shares the points of view of both father and daughter as they grapple with their own challenges: Ben’s illness and Gracie’s struggle for self-acceptance.

“My hope for someone to read this is to find beauty in the cracks,” said Kickbush. “The whole journey is finding the good in whatever happens: taking these small moments and being grateful for what comes back to you – good or bad.”

In total, Kickbush spent approximately seven months writing her novel and two to three months editing and designing it. While she never anticipated writing a novel during a global pandemic, the circumstances provided her a surprising opportunity to finish the book. In March, Kickbush was planning a trip to Spain, but due to the pandemic, the trip was cancelled and she traveled to Peru instead. “On our very first day in Lima, the president announced a border closure,” said Kickbush. “My boyfriend and I were stuck in Peru for three weeks. I couldn’t work remotely because I work for the government, but I actually finished the book in Peru. It was such a unique experience: I wrote and even re-wrote several chapters there just because I had the time.”

Upon returning home with her finished book, Kickbush and her editor, Emily Price, completed the final revisions. She then began working on the design for the book and even enlisted the help of a friend and former classmate. “One of my best friends painted the cover for me: Alayna Kehr, who is also a member of the Gowanda Class of 2013,” said Kickbush.

Kickbush is thrilled to share her book with family and friends. “I’ve had so many amazing English teachers from Gowanda who have reached out to me,” said Kickbush. “They’ve inspired me and had a huge impact. The entire school has been very receptive.” The alumna is providing copies for the school library and hoping to have book signings there in the future.

“Endless in August” is available in eBook and print editions on Amazon, and printed copies will soon be available at Barnes and Noble and Walmart. To learn more about Kickbush and her book, visit her blog at taykingontheworld.com. Kickbush said, “If anyone is interested in reaching out, asking me about my process or for writing pointers, they’re always able to reach me on my blog. I really enjoy hearing from people.”