By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

(Aug. 13, 2026) A Worcester County woman has turned an idea that came to her during a long car ride into a published novel.

Erin Timmons, daughter of Dumser’s Dairyland owner Don Timmons and a 2010 graduate of Worcester Preparatory School, self-published her debut book, “The Slayer’s Dragon,” on June 22. The new adult fantasy romance is now available through Amazon.

After graduating from Worcester Prep, Timmons attended the Savannah College of Art and Design with plans to make graphic novels. But while working on “The Slayer’s Dragon,” she discovered that she enjoyed writing the story more than creating it as a sequential art experience.

Timmons said the idea for the book came to her during the long drive from Florida to Maryland.

“I was listening to music and an idea popped into my head and I let it grow from there the whole car ride,” Timmons said. “Thinking, who are these characters, how did they get here, where do they go from here? And it just kind of played out in my head.”

When she arrived home, she began writing. She completed the first draft in about a week and a half.

Timmons started the project in 2018, but it was during the past two years that she returned to the story and worked toward completing it for publication. That process included hiring an editor, formatting the book, and creating a cover design.

She found her editor, Jennifer Rees, through Reedsy, a website that connects authors with publishing professionals. Rees has also worked as an editor on books like the mega-hit, “The Hunger Games.”

Timmons ultimately decided to self-publish through Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing after briefly exploring traditional publishing.

“I did try traditional publishing, but I found that I really didn’t enjoy it,” she said. “You have to query an agent, and I found I didn’t enjoy that process.”

Although self-publishing required Timmons to handle much of the process herself and hire professionals for various aspects of production, she said she preferred having control over her work.

She hired a formatter to prepare the book for e-book, paperback, and hardcover editions. Timmons created the character art for the cover, while hiring someone to create the background art and prepare the final picture. She also relied on YouTube tutorials to learn how to navigate Amazon’s publishing platform.

According to the novel’s synopsis on Amazon, the story follows Briana, a self-proclaimed beast slayer who takes a dangerous job after her father becomes ill and she needs money to purchase his medicine. She is hired to kill a monster living in a castle, only to discover that the “monster” is actually a man named Westley.

Westley is cursed to be a man at night and a dragon during the day. The two set off together on a dangerous journey as they attempt to discover who wants Westley dead.

Timmons said that the book’s tone was inspired by “The Princess Bride” and Disney’s Renaissance era, but with a more PG-13 feel.

“It is a new adult fantasy romance with plenty of humor in it,” she added.

Timmons said the experience has also inspired her to continue writing. She has already completed a second book set in the same world. She is waiting to send it to an editor while family and friends read it and provide feedback.

Timmons said that she hopes her experience will encourage other aspiring authors to consider self-publishing.

“I really encourage people to look into self-publishing,” she said. “I know it doesn’t get quite as much attention as traditional publishing, especially in bookstores. From my experience, there’s some really good books out there and authors out there who are working really hard to self-publish.”

“The Slayer’s Dragon” is available on Amazon. Timmons also has signed physical copies available at Dumser’s Dairyland on 123rd Street in Ocean City, where she works as a hostess.

An audiobook edition is scheduled to be released on Amazon in September and will feature duet narration.