For more than a year, Ava Mendez, a senior at A.C. Jones High School, has balanced homework and extracurricular activities while working on her passion project: her first published book.I already had my story, my ideas. I alread y knew what I was going to write, Mendez told KRIS 6 News.The Warrior From Warsaw tells the story of a 21-year-old Jewish woman, Mordechai, forced into the chaos of World War II. In this book, youre basically just going to follow her journey from the beginning to the end of the war, the young author explained. Shes going to face some obstacles and have a lot of decisions to make, and the readers will get to follow that. Student author celebrates first published work at A.C. Jones High SchoolMendez said the inspiration for her work came from several places.In addition to being a self-proclaimed history buff, Mendez has a personal connection to World War II and the military.Im always at the library, and I feel like I had read a lot of genres, and the only one I hadnt tried was history and war, she said. So the first one I took home was a Holocaust book.She continued, I had a lot of questions, so my dad is a veteran, and hes stationed in Germany. I always knew my dad was in the Army, but I never really got into detail with him about it.I went home, and he was the perfect person to ask because he had visited all these places in Germany and had a lot of insight. Mendez said her fathers influence was so significant that she dedicated the book to him.She also used her nursing studies to research the book.I got to actually talk to a lot of people, Mendez said. We do have a CNA program here, and I am a certified nurse aide, so I go to the nursing home and talk to some veterans while helping residents with their skills.I was also talking to them and getting to know their stories, she added.Throughout the year, Mendez received notes, suggestions and edits from peers, including her friends Carolynn and Rihanna, as well as educators from A.C. Jones and Skidmore, her former school. After self-publishing the book through Amazon, the school celebrated her work with an official book signing in the library. A copy of the book is also available in the schools library.When asked if she plans to publish another book, Mendez said she already has ideas but will prioritize her education.I want to major in nursing, she said. I see a lot of myself in my main character. I also want to minor in history, so thats something Im looking forward to.I do want to do a sequel to this book, maybe a part two.For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.Catch all the KRIS 6 News stories and more on our YouTube page. Subscribe today! ...read more read less