“Had you told me fifteen years ago I’d be getting an award – one that honored me as an accomplished member of the LHS former student body – I never would have believed you,” Kelly Ann Fiore said.

Linganore graduate from 1998, Kelly Ann Fiore is a young adult fiction author. Fiore is this year’s Distinguished Graduate winner in the Arts. She has written four novels, two of which have been published and one is to be published in 2015.

Her first published novel was Taste Test in 2011, but it was not the first book she had written. Her latest novel, Just Like the Movies, will be available this spring.

“There are so many rewarding parts of writing. Sharing my words with the world has provided me so much joy,” Fiore said.

In high school Fiore, to no surprise, enjoyed English class and was always writing, especially poetry. Aside from English she also participated in theatre and loved art (painting and ceramics).

In college she majored in English and Poetry, with two degrees: a Bachelor’s from Salisbury University and a Masters from West Virginia University. It wasn’t until 2008 that she discovered she not only had a passion for writing poetry but for writing fiction novels as well.

Fiore says her book The People vs. Cecelia Price (which comes out in 2015) was “a labor of love.” It took her about three years, but it made her realize she could become a full time writer. Fiore then took a leave of absence from her job teaching English at Frederick High so she could pursue writing and have more time with her family.

“She is a tremendously creative teacher and inspired many students to love English as well as creative writing,” said Jamey Melcher, an English Teacher at Frederick High School.

Fiore is married to Matt Fiore and together they have a five year old son named Max. Mr. Fiore also graduated Linganore in 2000.

“It was this book that made it possible for me to take my son to school in the morning, be his class’s homeroom mom, go on his field trips, and be an active part of his daily life. When I was teaching full time and writing full time, my family suffered most. I am intensely proud that I get to be the ‘stay at home mom’ I never got to be before, all while living out my dream career,” Fiore said.

When Fiore first started writing she had no idea what went into publishing a book. Luckily she has an agent who is “a true rock star in her field.” She is partnered with Bloomsbury and Harper currently. Publishing and writing novels are two totally different processes.

“Every writer has to decide what their goal is and, if it’s publishing, settle in for the long haul,” Fiore said.

Fiore advises that writers in the publishing process have patience. The whole publishing process according to Fiore is about 18-36 months long; in other words, it takes time.

Fiore says the key to developing your own writing style is reading other authors’ works to see what appeals to young writers. By reading good books, one can take away skills to become a better writer.

“The bottom line is that, to be a good writer, you have to read good books first. Then you’ll know what good writing is,” Fiore said.

Fiore says she uses the same writing process to write her books as she does to write essays and stories. In fact she has developed her “trademark” writing style. She doesn’t write from beginning to end.

“Usually I write the first 100 pages of the story, then the end – maybe 50 pages give or take – then I go back and start fleshing out the middle. I like to know where I’m going and what my results are going to be before I develop the action and climax of the narrative,” Fiore said.

Apart from her successful novels Fiore’s first love was poetry. Ever since elementary school, her poems have been published in yearbooks and newsletters. She has had her work published in several notable resources such as, Potion, Samzidada and the Mid Atlantic Review.

“It’s a huge honor [being a Distinguished Graduate] and completely surreal. It makes me sort of giggly because, frankly, I still feel like a high school student 80% of the time. It’s a side effect of writing books for teens, I guess. But I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Fiore said.