By PHOEBE DONALD ROBINSON / Community Columnist

Olivia Folmar Ard graduated from Shelby County High School in 2008 with aspiring dreams of becoming a published author.

Daughter of Damon and Fran Folmar, granddaughter of Gayle Folmar Austin, Marie and Bob Hartley, and great-granddaughter of Dewey and Alma Bradley, all of Columbiana, Ard grew up believing that she could do anything to which she set her mind.

Barbara Purvis, her fourth grade Elvin Hill Elementary teacher, read a book of Ard’s poems and told her she thought she would become an author one day.

Ard continued to write and won the District III Alabama Penman Creative Contest for her short story “By Its Cover” when at SCHS.

She graduated with a degree in history in 2012 and is currently pursuing her master’s in English, both at the University of Montevallo where she also works.

She married John Ard in 2013 and self-published her first women’s fiction, “The Partition of Africa,” in December 2014, a story of a “good girl” who faces conflicting morals, choices, consequences and forgiving love.

In 2015 she penned the sequel but stand-alone book “The Marshall Plan,” the story of Molly Marshall, fresh out of graduate school with a degree in journalism who learns a secret that forces her to choose between career and family values.

Ard is currently working on the final book of the Bennett Trilogy, “The Dread Road,” which she hopes to be published in 2016.

“Writing a trilogy has challenged me as an author,” said Ard. “It has taught me to plan and plot my story lines so to catch all loose ends. I love the women’s fiction genre but do not want to limit myself. I have science fiction and fantasy stories in my head. I am not sure where I will go next.”

The Friends of the Columbiana Public Library is having a reception and book signing to honor Ard on Jan. 21 from 6-7:30 p.m.

A light supper will be served, Ard will sign autographs and will speak on her books followed by a Q&A session.

Both books will be available for purchase. The event is free and will be held in the library’s meeting room at 50 Lester Street, Columbiana.

Her books are available on Amazon.com.