Following her own credo, “Only good can come of this,” 12-year-old Lila Shea sat down with her iPad and wrote a children’s book. In one hour. Today, at age 17, she’s a published author. Her book, Little Lola’s Beautiful Mess, was published in April by Palmetto Publishing — and a lot of good is coming of it, with more on the way.
The book is about a girl coping with her parents’ divorce, and since its release, Shea has been contacted by people telling her how much the book helped a child in their life. Providing that help was just one of her goals. The other is still to come: Shea plans to donate the proceeds from her book to benefit children’s mental health.
The author’s own experience motivated her to write the book. When her parents divorced, Shea began a struggle with anxiety, a big emotion for a small person to navigate.
“It was natural to write this,” Shea says. “I always used writing as a way to deal with my anxiety. It’s gotten me through a lot.”
In Little Lola’s Beautiful Mess, Shea writes, “Lola’s perfect life was falling apart. She knew she had to fix things but didn’t know where to start.” This is the central theme of the story, as well as what children often feel when faced with major life changes at a young age. With this in mind, the insightful Shea set out to help those dealing with what she went through.
“I was also motivated to start a conversation with kids about parental divorce and managing that,” the writer says, adding, “A big part of parental divorce is there’s so much inconsistency. If your house can’t remain the same, what can?”
Even with such positive intentions, she was at first hesitant to share such a vulnerable work, yet found the courage to read it to her parents. They knew she had a great story — so great that they encouraged her to seek publication. Her father sat down with her, and the two began researching publishing. After contacting a few publishing houses, they heard from Palmetto Publishing: Palmetto wanted to publish the book.
Excited, Shea spoke with a representative at Palmetto. There would be a few edits, and then talks about illustrations would begin.
“I went all through the book and thought of what I envisioned in my head as I was writing it and tried to have them execute what I saw in my mind,” says the high school junior, who is president of her class. The whole process — from the first words on her iPad to publication — took about five years.
What’s next for the go-getter? She has finished a second book she plans to have published. And she predicts more writing in her future.
“I’ll definitely continue to write,” she says. “So much good has come out of this. Just seeing how this book has helped young kids has made me feel inspired. Another issue I’d like to touch on is insecurity and confidence and being your own person.”
It seems the new author is on the rise — and bringing a caring heart with her.
Lila Shea’s book, Little Lola’s Beautiful Mess, is available online at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.
This story originally appeared in the October 2025 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Click here to get our digital edition.
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