Indie Dolores De La Serna’s debut novel, Sardan Volume 1, is a fantasy adventure for young adults that she hopes will appeal to all ages.
The enduring theme of the book is that you can do anything if you persevere and have the right people supporting you, as well as an exploration of personal growth, development and change in a challenging world.
For Indie, 31, who wrote the book during lockdown, the book is a symbol of the energy and beauty of creativity in a time of intense vulnerability and chaos.
“I was very aware of how lucky I was during that time,” said Indie. “I have friends who are nurses and they were in turmoil.
“They urged me to make the most of this precious time. I was safe, living with my boyfriend Nathan in a beautiful village in Cumbria.
“I have always loved stories so I decided I would use this time to write. | was very disciplined – I set myself a word count of 1600 words a day and had written my book in six weeks.”
Sardan Volume 1 is now available online with Amazon and Waterstones and is the first of many adventures for Indie. “I have at least 10 other books in the wings,” said Indie, who, from an early age, has loved escaping into the magical world of a book.
“I grew up in London with Harry Potter,” she said. “I went to school with a girl who ended up in the first Harry Potter film and read all the books as soon as they came out. I loved Harry but my real passion was Lord of the Rings.”
One book in particular touched her heart as a girl of 10 – and has lived with her ever since. The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge tells the story of an orphaned teenage girl who discovers magic, love and family in an ancient manor house in the West Country.
“I have always been drawn to stories about empowered women and girls,” said Indie. “And I really do believe that you can achieve your dreams if you persevere and believe in yourself.”
Indie moved to Cumbria from London to study wildlife media at university in Carlisle with a dream of becoming the next David Attenborough. But the offer of an apprenticeship at a local tattoo studio in her third year changed everything.
“My boyfriend saw my drawings and persuaded me to do something with them,” she said. “So I took along my portfolio and they offered me a job on the spot.”
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Today Indie runs her own tattoo studio at Fisher Street Galleries in Carlisle where her delicate designs are proving popular with her clients who love her free-flowing, subtle style.
“Tattoos are an expression of who you are at your core,” said Indie, who has lost count of the number of tattoos on her own body. “They reveal how you feel as a person, telling the story of your life on your skin.”
Indie talks about her stories with her clients as a way of distracting them from the niggling pain of the tattoo gun. “They have been my captivated audience, supporting and encouraging me, and I feel very lucky to have them in my life.”
