Claudette Cann always loved reading but felt there were a lot of books sending the wrong message to young women — that it was okay to drink, party and sleep around.

She knew she had to do something about it.

She decided to pen her own faith-based romance novel At Last, with the hope it would encourage college-age students to stay pure and remain steadfast in their faith in God.

The author spoke with The Royal Gazette about what she hopes young women will take from her book.

Q: What inspired the plot in At Last?

A: In 2010 my oldest daughter and her family gave me a Kindle and with that I started to download all sorts of stories from Amazon. I’ve always been a voracious reader, but one thing I found with a lot of the newer books was the female characters were engaging in a lot of negative behaviours. They didn’t seem to have a passion for life. Yes, they were all going to college and educated, but they seemed to be drinking heavily and partying. On Friday they would be out at a bar; Saturday they were out partying and Monday morning they would be back in school. I wanted to sit down and write a story about a young girl with a wholesome and healthy character. Someone who was still able to enjoy life, but not focused so much on those risky behaviours.

Q: The story is about a college girl who is saving herself for marriage. It’s her faith in God that helps her to navigate through the romantic relationships that come up. Why was that important for you to write about?

A: It’s important to me because I wanted to encourage other women. I want them to relay this message to their children and anyone else they come in contact with. I believe women have an important role in encouraging and supporting others and that if we lead by example when it comes to protecting our purity then eventually younger women will follow. I don’t think a lot of women realise our bodies are sacred and shouldn’t be given to just anyone. It’s something we should save for the one that offers us marriage.

Q: What role does faith play in the heroine’s life?

A: She is definitely someone who believes in God and is guided by His Word so she can do what’s right. But she struggles with the emotional and physical challenges and temptations that come with choosing to remain a virgin. We all have temptations. But she gets out of it by concentrating on the belief that if she remains faithful, God will see her through anything. Her daily mantra is ‘To be guided by your beliefs no matter what’.

Q: Why did you want to write a faith-based book?

A: We are called to spread God’s Word wherever we go. I chose to do it in a book. And if that means I can reach someone than I will count myself blessed. I want people to read it, understand it and pass on the principles to someone who has touched their life. If you can get one girl out of ten to read this book and say ‘I am going to save my body for that special person in marriage’ then I will feel my efforts weren’t in vain.

Q: When did your personal relationship with God start?

A: My faith journey started as a little girl in the Church of England. I sang in the choir for many years, but I left Bermuda and travelled to England when I was 18 to train as a registered nurse. I didn’t return until 1970, but I’ve been a member of Christ Church in Devonshire since then. I had got to a place in my life where I felt my faith needed a little something more because I was confirmed, but never baptised as an adult. It changed my life completely. I started taking all my children to church religiously and tried to be a good example to my husband so one day he would come to know the Lord.

Q: How did you first get started with writing in the first place?

A: Well really what started it was my short story that I entered into The Royal Gazette’s Christmas Short Story competition back in 2008. I placed third in one category, which I was really happy about. I got a call from a judge saying I had won and at first I thought it was a joke. I have written ever since then and I thought I would try a long novel.

Q: Was it hard to write and get published?

A: Two years ago I wrote the manuscript out on paper, but the hard part was getting it into the computer. I type with one finger and started off on my own, but it was exhausting and I thought, ‘I can’t do this every day and type over 200,000 words’. So I got my four grandchildren to help me to put it into the computer and look for any spelling or grammatical errors. My youngest grandchild, Surayya, was a big help and she’s only seven. So finally after many months I finished it and read it over many many times and got a dear childhood friend of mine, who is a retired schoolteacher, to look over it with a critical eye. All of my children Kenneth, Clare and Sherlette helped me to promote the book and through another dear acquaintance I found an editor and publisher in Canada.

At Last is available at People’s Pharmacy, Bermuda Book Store, Robertson’s Drugstore and Caesar’s Pharmacy for $20. Mrs Cann will hold a book signing at Book Mart on Friday from noon to 2pm and Saturday from 1pm until 3pm.