Elizabethtown College Writing Fellow Richard Fellinger was one of 20 writers shortlisted for a 2022 Page Turner Writing Mentorship Award for his novel-in-progress, “An American Girl.”

The award would provide Fellinger with a mentor to help with the writing of “An American Girl” who would provide input throughout the rest of the creative process.

“For any author at any level, feedback is essential, and I tell my students that all the time,” Fellinger said. “To get some added feedback from another established author would be great.”

The Page Turner Awards are based in the UK but are open to any authors, writers and screenwriters around the world. Their prizes include mentorships, audiobook production and publishing packages.

“Publishing a book is not easy, and it’s a difficult process,” Fellinger said. “For me, it’s a labor of love and creative work sustains me.”

The idea for “An American Girl” came from national news that was close to home.

“The Central York School District book ban of a year or two ago was big,” Fellinger said. “That was national news. There are book bans going on everywhere, but particularly, that one inspired me because it was so close to home.”

Last year, the Central York School District faced controversy when students and community members alleged that the district banned around 300 books, which included books on marginalized communities. Although the district said that there was never a book ban, the story still garnered national attention and sparked debate.

While the real-life story sparked outcry, it also sparked a fictional novel idea in Fellinger’s mind.

“The protagonist is a single mother named Emma Muller, who has a little boy who is Pakistani, because her ex-husband was from Pakistan,” Fellinger said. “They live in a fictional conservative town in central Pennsylvania where Thomas, the little boy, doesn’t fit in because of his background.”

“At the same time, the local school board is looking at a list of books on diversity to support children, and what ends up happening is the school board, rather than approving the list, bans the books,” he continued.

Fellinger said that while there are touches of politics, the book is primarily a human story about how a woman and a little boy can be affected by national issues like book bans.

The title of “An American Girl” comes from the Tom Petty song “American Girl,” and the opening likes that Petty croons: “She was an American Girl raised on promises.”

“I love that song, I love those lines, and I think it applies to my protagonist,” Fellinger said.
Although the characters don’t fit in the age range of a typical college student, the book could still be applicable to readers of varying ages.

“I know that Etown values diversity, and I’m glad,” Fellinger said. “I hope everyone values a book like this.”

Fellinger said that winners of the Page Turner Award will be announced shortly. Keep an eye out at pageturnerawards.com.

“An American Girl” will be Fellinger’s fourth novel, with his first three earning multiple accolades. His novel “Summer of ‘85” won the Seven Hills Review Novel Excerpt Contest, Distinguished Favorite, NYC Big Book Award in the General Fiction category and was a finalist in the General Fiction Category of the American FIction Awards. He’s also won awards for his novel “Made to Break Your Heart,” his short story “A Completely New Life” and his stories “He Never Talked About You” and “They Hover Over Us.”

Fellinger also received the Beverly Hiscox Scholarship for Excellence in Writing in 2009 from Wilkes University.

To learn more about Fellinger, visit his website at richardfellinger.com.