Legendary acerbic fiction author Dorothy Parker is said to have remarked, "I hate to write, but I love having written."

Robert Ethan White enjoys both aspects of the process.

The Penn Manor High School senior's first book, "Susquehannock," was recently released through Lulu Self Publishing.

The tome can be purchased by going to https://lulu.com, clicking on "Bookstore," and searching for either "Robert Ethan White" or "Susquehannock." Ethan is hoping it will also become available at local bookstores and on Amazon.

Ethan said "Susquehannock" is the story of redemption for a "miserable old man" named Dean Higgins. Higgins is growing up in a city when he suffers a traumatic experience, which prompts his father to take him to a place where he will be safe, a small river community in the Susquehannock region. Higgins grows up in an isolated, ratty shack on the banks of the Susquehanna River. He gets married and has a daughter, but loses both his wife and daughter in a tragedy, which drives him to vices and self-loathing.

Higgins isolates himself further from his friends and members of the community, and his anger and regret manifest inside him, first in recurring nightmares. Then the creatures that were hurting him in his dreams enter the world, hurting the people he loves. Higgins must reconcile with himself and the creatures to save the land and other people, as well as himself.

"I've never been a fan of self-help books," Ethan said. "Fiction exists to provide self-help in a way that's fun to read. I hope my book unites people and helps someone who is struggling to get past a hard place."

He had long had the idea for a story about a sad, lonely old man living along a river, but the beginnings of a short story remained untouched for years in a document titled "Express Yourself."

He woke up one morning in a bad mood and started evolving the character that would become Dean Higgins. While on a camping trip to Susquehannock State Park with a group from church, he came across an overlook called Hawk Point, and he did not overlook it. "I could see left side of the river and the right side of the river, and it looked like I could see the whole world in one view." He noticed a shack by the side of the Susquehanna, wondered what kind of person lived there, and thought of the short story he had outlined.

Ethan started writing "Susquehannock" in August during an independent study program with Penn Manor English teacher Scott Hertzog, a published author who had previously assisted five other students with projects.

"I've always loved telling stories," Ethan said. "My favorite thing in the world is a well-told story. Writing a book didn't ever seem like a possibility. I didn't think about that because it seemed beyond my capabilities."

Ethan landed the lead role in the school play, which slowed the book's progress, but he finished the draft in December, a day he vividly remembers. "I was tired because I wake up at 5:30 (a.m.) every day and didn't plan on staying up late, but I knew I was on the final chapter, so I kept writing," he said. Ethan penned the last words while lying in bed at 1 a.m.

"It was a really incredible feeling," he said. "I knew I was going to write a story, but I didn't know it if would come full circle. I didn't know if it was going to be satisfying. I didn't know if it was necessarily going to be good. That's up to everybody else. But it was finished. I had told the story that needed to be told."

Ethan gave Hertzog three or four chapters at a time during the process. The teacher became emotional while reading the last couple sections. "I remember reading it and weeping because of the power of the story of this character (Dean Higgins)," said Hertzog. "I wept (while reading the penultimate chapter) and wept at the very end."

Ethan said he has new ideas and will get started on his next project as soon as his life slows down. After graduating from Penn Manor in June, Ethan will serve a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in a location that has not been determined. He will continue to write in his free time and then attend Drexel University, where he is unsure about a major but will minor in creative writing.

Ethan is grateful for the support of his family: his father, Joseph, a graphic designer responsible for the book's cover; his mother, Cheri; and his sister, Layla.

He was inspired by Hertzog and Penn Manor High School faculty members Brian Reinking and Pamela Lindstrom. "They are the greatest teachers I've ever had," Ethan said.

"If there is anything I want the reader to get out of my book ... I hope they take it to heart," Ethan said. "I want them to understand the character (Dean Higgins) and sympathize or emphasize with him. I hope it's a book that helps people and that changes people because that's what I think stories are made for, to bring some hope into people's lives."