While many kids her age are busy dodging their summer reading assignments, 14-year-old Maya Bode has just wrapped up her second book. Writing her second book, that is.

A voracious reader too, her bookshelves are stocked with the young-adult fiction of , and . is kindred to theirs, but she is a contemporary to those book鈥檚 protagonists. She鈥檚 fine with that ambivalence.

鈥淚 think it really doesn鈥檛 depend on age as much as kind of mindset and perspective and different topics,鈥� Bode said. 鈥淎 lot of times adults鈥� opinions are really similar to teenagers, more so than we each give each other credit for.鈥�

Persistence fueled her first novel, which chronicles the exploits and adventures of a teen who morphs from typical adolescent into a spy. And it held strong for her second novel, , which swaps action for introspection. The books鈥� protagonist, Lexi Cross, spends the majority of her time pondering the meaning of life and the reaches of the universe.

Her creative counterparts have muscled multi-milliondollar publishing contracts. Bode is among the growing number of authors and is acting as her own publisher. The difference here (aside from booksales, thus far, Tess Embers has sold about 350 copies) is of course her age. She's in the same demographic that is normally the target of young-adult genre and the success of series such as The Hunger Games and Divergent.

Five months of research about the self-publishing process, conducted in tandem with writing her books over the past two years, and maintaining an A average at school, followed Bode鈥檚 declaration to her parents that she wanted to present her work to the masses.

The statement was not a shock to her parents, Brian and Shana Bode 鈥� reading and writing has been an integral part of the Bode family鈥檚 time together 鈥� but it did bring pause.

鈥淎s an adult, you have all these questions of how and what, and nothing stopped her she figured it out and kept coming back to us, nothing stopped her,鈥� said Shana Bode. 鈥淪he made it happen and we鈥檙e just so proud of her.鈥�

of Bode鈥檚 work are proud of her too.

鈥淵ou are amazing! I live in Fort Collins and I'm 13 and currently trying to write a book. You're so inspiring!,鈥� read a post on ask.fm, one of eight online

Bode balances all that social activity with contemplative time. She said her initial writing process 鈥� completed in her basement 鈥渂ook nook,鈥� the family鈥檚 staircase, or at the desk she bought in anticipation of high school 鈥� is insular. It鈥檚 not until she has a completed draft that she seeks constructive criticism from a few close friends, her two brothers and her parents.

Seeing concrete evidence of her hard work has been 鈥渟urreal.鈥�

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IZJ_yDgd9tM

鈥淭he whole story is in that book, it鈥檚 just really weird to think about at first,鈥� said Bode as she recalled receipt of her first shipment of books. 鈥淏ut it is also really exciting. Especially when you find that everything is OK with the format and the cover it鈥檚 really relieving.鈥�

Bode, who also sings, plays percussion and taught herself guitar, said she finds validity in all art forms but appreciates the clarity she derives from the written word.

鈥淚 think when I鈥檓 talking to people or talking in general I don鈥檛 necessarily think about what I am saying and what it means,鈥� Bode said.  鈥淎rt is a really good abstract way to sort of connect with people and understand each other and relate to each other. I think it is really powerful.鈥�

With two books self-published, Bode is not ready to say she鈥檒l pursue a publisher. She's still young yet and doesn鈥檛 want her current passion for writing to define her future. 

鈥淚鈥檓 trying to be really open,鈥� Bode said. 

Arts District is a collaboration of KUNC, RMPBS, and KUVO.