Anthony Guiffreda’s book “Ayla’s War” is now available online and locally at Good Neighbor Bookstore. Submitted photos

FREDONIA — A Fredonia man has published his first novel, set in the dystopian future after a second American Civil War.

Anthony Guiffreda, who graduated from Panama Central School in 2003 and now resides in Fredonia, began writing “Ayla’s War” in 2013.

“I started writing during college for papers and stuff and I was pretty good at it, so in 2013 I got the idea and started writing my first book,” Guiffreda said. “I took some time off for my job and my life, and then ended up finishing it ten years later.”

“Ayla’s War” takes place in what Guiffreda referred to as the “not so distant future” following the second Civil War. The book focuses on the main character, Ayla, and her adventures in the aftermath of the war, along with a group of revolutionaries who are getting together to try and fight again.

When he first started writing the book, Guiffreda said he had no end in mind.

“I had no endgame as I started and was making it up as I went,” Guiffreda said. “About three quarters of the way through I had to take a break and figure out how I wanted it to end. I wanted an ending that was interesting to the readers.”

Guiffreda said the book is for entertainment only, but would most likely interest readers ages 13 and older who liked action and adventure, specifically dystopian novels such as “The Hunger Games”.

While this is Guiffreda’s first novel, he said a prequel focusing on Ayla’s teenage years is already in the works. The prequel will mainly focus on Ayla as a teen, with an age gap skip along the way, along with the events leading up to “Ayla’s War”.

For Guiffreda, writing this book was a way to entertain people and to give them a getaway from life for a little while.

“I like to entertain,” Guiffreda said. “My personality is keeping people happy and laughing. With this book I wanted to give people a getaway with twists and turns and a surprise ending. I wanted this book to let people forget about their problems.”

“Ayla’s War” is available now at any online store such as Amazon or Barnes and Noble, or can be found locally at Good Neighbor Bookstore in Lakewood.