High-powered entrepreneur and former UF graduate Paxton Atwood faces a nightmarish partnership with his older sister in the fictitious world of “The Curse of the Older Sister.”
Written by entrepreneur and UF alumnus Patrick Arenson, fiction and reality meet in a tale rooted in Arenson’s own life.
The 23-year-old graduated from UF with a master’s degree in entrepreneurship in May and is now hoping to gain the funding to make the story of a very similar entrepreneur a published reality.
His Kickstarter launched Tuesday to raise the $3,250 necessary for publication.
But Arenson isn’t new to publication.
At 14, he began his first novel, “The Little Boy Story,” which was completed by the time he graduated high school and published in 2008. In college, prompted by his love for food, he wrote a cookbook, “Cooking for College Students: A Beginner’s Guide,” which was published in 2010.
By January 2012, the lifelong reader and fan of writing was on the way to beginning his third book.
This time, he took pointers from his surroundings.
His older sister by 15 months, Ashley, makes her literary debut as the inspiration for Paxton’s older sister of the same name and age difference.
Arenson said he was inspired to write the book after friends who saw him and his sister interact told him he should write about their relationship.
“I would say we have an entertaining relationship,” he said.
His friends, too, would become the inspirations behind the book’s characters.
“It was an all-consuming thing,” he said. “I couldn’t be around people. You create these fictitious arguments that last so long in your mind, and you’re constantly developing them and changing them to see where they go. So, you’re constantly angry all the time.”
The world of the novel intertwined with real life to the extent that he couldn’t separate his fictitious sister from his real one.
Jessica Wu, a UF alumna, is the only one of Arenson’s friends who has read the book in its entirety and is a mutual friend of both Arenson siblings. She said she felt the same confusion.
“It was just funny because I remember talking to both of them, and I was angry, and then I was like, ‘Wait, that wasn’t even real. That’s in the book,’” said Wu, 22.
Wu said the story surpassed her expectations, making deeper connections with themes of self-growth and reflection.
“I think the story from the book does a good job of realizing you should take a look at both perspectives,” Wu said.
Ashley Arenson said she isn’t allowed to see the book until the final product, but she admires her brother for completing the feat, true to his determined character.
“You have to be really brave to do that and follow through with it,” she said.
Writing a fake character that was so closely related to him made writing the book an emotional experience, Patrick Arenson said.
“You force yourself to deal with topics and acknowledge things you normally wouldn’t,” he said. “It forces you to re-prioritize.”
A version of this story ran on page 8 on 9/12/2013 under the headline "UF alumnus searches for funding to publish third novel"
Entrepreneur and recent UF graduate Patrick Arenson sits in the downtown Starbucks on Wednesday afternoon. The 23-year-old has written two books and is raising money on Kickstarter to publish his third.
