AMERICAN FALLS — Freelance journalist Stephanie Bachman-West will publish her first novel this fall, a whimsical fantasy she describes as perfect for fans of "The Princess Bride" and "Shrek."

Bachman-West said her book, "Morfran, Dark Lord Reformed," is the first of a two-part series and follows a dark lord who decides he doesn't want to be evil anymore.

"He disguises himself and runs away," Bachman-West said. "He seeks refuge in a village mounting a rebellion against him."

In the story, the dark lord's soldiers come looking for him and attack the village, and he ends up leading the rebellion against himself. No one else knows his true identity.

"It's super whimsical," Bachman-West said. "It was really fun to write."

Bachman-West said she was inspired to write the book because she wanted to see a story about a dark lord becoming the good guy and explore all the funny situations she could create.

"I'm a really big nerd when it comes to fantasy stuff," Bachman-West said.

The book took about seven months to finish. It's not the first book Bachman-West has written, but it is the first to be picked up by a publisher.

"I didn't have to edit it all that much," Bachman-West said. "It was pretty much ready to go."

Berkley Publishing will release the book. Bachman-West said she submitted sample pages and the publisher responded about a year later asking for more.

"I completely forgot I sent it in," Bachman-West said. "I sent them the whole book. It was what they were looking for."

Bachman-West said the best part about writing the book was creating weird scenes, including one with a male Rapunzel who has a long beard.

"I wasn't afraid to write weird, funny scenes," Bachman-West said. "That made it all the better."

The most difficult part was waiting for someone in the publishing industry to pick it up. Before getting a deal with Berkley, other agents and publishers rejected it.

"Some agents picked it up, but eventually they said 'We're not interested,'" Bachman-West said.

Bachman-West's advice to aspiring authors is that it's all right if their writing isn't as good as they want it to be at first. She said writing plots and characters improves with practice.

"It's okay to think your writing is atrocious," Bachman-West said. "Just keep at it and keep working."

Bachman-West said she hopes to hold a book launch when the novel is officially published. The book will be available for preorder on Thursday, Feb. 19.