When she’s not slicing pizza at her job at Donatos, playing interactive video games or navigating the Criminal Justice Pathway at her school, you’ll find Isabella Dolinar reading a romance novel. 

Not an audiobook, but a real-life, old-fashioned printed book. It allows her to get off her phone and pay attention to the words on the page. 

But her love for books goes beyond just reading them.

Dolinar, 16, is a sophomore at Ellet Community Learning Center — she is also a published author. 

Her novel, “Love Me, Then Leave Me” encompasses the challenges of heartbreak and is reflective of her personal life experiences. “The meaning behind it is that every word has a meaning,” Dolinar said. 

Being a published teenage author is surreal to her. After all, it’s something she never expected. 

When she first started this project, it was just her, a load of romance movies and an open Google Doc. She kept what she was working on a secret to most, including her grandpa, who became very involved with the process once she unveiled the finished product to him. 

Akron Documenter Melanie Mohler discovered this story at the Feb. 18 Akron Board of Education Student Success Committee meeting.

Here’s a little more information about Isabella Dolinar. 

Q: Where did your love of writing come from? 

A: “Ms. Nelson’s class, my ninth grade year. I hated writing. I despised it. Essays were like a punch in the gut. But she and I started to build a very close relationship. She made me understand writing in a different way. And so I actually started writing because of her.” 

Q: How did you manage school responsibilities and writing a book at the same time? 

A: “I’ve always been more advanced in school in a way where I get work done quicker than most people, something I’ve always done ever since I was little. When I get home, it’s relaxation time, so I could do what I wanted. I was also working at the time. It was a hard balance, but I did it. It took me almost a year.” 

Q: What is your favorite romance movie that served as inspiration for the book? 

A: “Tessa and Hardin!” from the “After” series of movies, written by Anna Todd. “Those movies, I bawled my eyes out. The “XO, Kitty” and her sisters from the “To All the Boys” series written by Jenny Han, “gave me lots of inspiration. Romance series like that, they hold my heart.”

You have the power of your words and can say whatever you want in writing. All you have to do is try and have faith in yourself.

Isabella Dolinar

Q: Were there times you were stuck and couldn’t finish a chapter? 

A: “My last chapter was the hardest chapter because the ending left off on a cliffhanger, and I personally don’t like cliffhangers. I didn’t know where to finish it, and I didn’t know what to say. I was stuck for a couple of weeks. I sat down one day, turned on some romance movies, and I thought of the rest of the book. I got it done after a couple of weeks.” 

Q: What advice would you give to students or anyone who wants to write and publish their own book?

A: “Continue to do it, even though it might be hard. You have the power of your words and can say whatever you want in writing. All you have to do is try and have faith in yourself. If there’s no faith and trust in yourself, then there’s no actually doing it.”

What does the future hold for the young author? Her plan is to go to law school at an Ivy League school like Harvard or go into nursing. 

Can we expect future publications from Dolinar? The answer is “yes.” She’s always reading and developing ideas for new pieces, she said. 

“Love Me, Then Leave Me” is available for purchase on Amazon.