A former Steinbach student is turning a lifelong passion of storytelling into published success after releasing her first novel at just 18 years old. 

A lifelong writer 

Emily Penner, a 2025 graduate of Steinbach Regional Secondary School, recently published Blindsided, a historical vampire novel she began writing when she was only 13. 

“I started writing it when I was 13. Over the course of five years, it’s come to fruition,” Penner says. 

Raised and educated in Steinbach, Penner is now studying biology at the University of Manitoba, a field she says was inspired by strong teachers and a love for science developed in high school. 

Alongside academics, writing has long been part of Penner’s life. 

“As soon as I could hold a pencil, I was writing,” she says, laughing that she wrote her first book at age six. 

Blindsided 

Her newly published novel, Blindsided, set in 1870s New York, blends Victorian influences with fantasy and mystery. 

“I drew a lot of inspiration from Victorian-based books and shows.” 

“Growing up, I read a couple of vampire novels and integrated that into my book as well,” she adds. 

While the novel includes vampires, Penner describes it as more than just a supernatural story. 

“My novel is more of a mystery and a bit of a thriller.” 

The idea for Blindsided came from an unexpected source — a dream.  

Related Stories:

“I kind of had a dream about the first idea of it,” says Penner. 

“I remember writing it down and I wrote the whole first draft of it on paper.” 

She still has the original notebook today. 

When it came time to publish, Penner chose to self-publish, which came with its own set of challenges. 

“That was probably the hardest part, actually formatting instead of writing the whole thing,” she says, noting she designed the cover art herself and received help from Lane Peters to prepare the final image for print. 

Blindsided is now available in digital as well as physical formats and can be purchased through Amazon under the author name E.H. Penner.

Penner says reader feedback has been the most rewarding part of publishing.

The writing continues 

This summer, Penner is working as a security guard at Princess Auto Stadium while continuing to write. 

She has already started on a prequel to Blindsided, titled Unveiled. 

Currently seven chapters into the project, Penner expects the new novel to be a similar length to her first, at roughly 30 chapters.  

“I still have a way to go, but it’s in progress,” Penner says. 

With files from Corny Rempel