Graphic Novels, Acting, Singing; Eagan High School Junior Does It All

Lexee Harris lives a double life.

A junior at , Harris attends class, completes homework and does everything else expected of a typical, teenage high school student.

But last year, the 17-year-old Eagan resident published the first two books in a series of graphic novels entitled "Samarkan". Now, she manages her own website, sells the books on Amazon and—while her peers are eating lunch—conducts book signings in the high school library. If that wasn't enough, the teenager is an aspiring singer, actress and model with a debut CD on the way.

Harris' two graphic novels, published within six months of each other in 2011, were the culmination of years of doodling, drawing and writing, Harris said on Friday, during a book-signing at Eagan High School. In middle school, Harris' interest in art—specifically Japanese animation styles—took off.

Harris also has a penchant for writing—but didn't think to combine the two talents until a public relations representative suggested penning graphic novels.

The comic book genre proved a perfect fit for the high school student, who went to work writing Samarkan—a series inspired by Harris' own fascination with India and Indian culture.

In the series, the Indian protagonist Nadia escapes from a troubled arranged marriage and travels to the United States with an American man she meets by chance in India. But her Indian husband, unwilling to let his wayward bride go so easily, embroils Indian authorities in an effort to get Nadia back.

To write the two graphic novels, Harris studied Indian marriage rituals, culture and even clothing styles. It took Harris roughly a year to write and finish the first book in the series, which centers around the themes of self-esteem and self-worth, Harris said. Harris plans to publish the third book in the series this summer.

"I think I've always been a big comic book reader, and I've always liked cartoons," Harris said. "They've just always appealed to me because they're fun, but they could say a lot with just a few words and pictures."

"I've never seen somebody have so much detail in the drawings that she does," said Harris' father, Ron Harris. The teenager's artistic talents are unique in their family, said Harris' father and mother, Beverly.

"There's no real teacher there, it’s all inner," Ron Harris said. "I believe that it’s a God-given gift, I really do."

Harris says she's planning another graphic novel series after Samarkan, and eventually wants to write a full novel or children's books.

"I think for me it’s important, because there are a lot of things I have a hard time talking about or a hard time saying ... but it feels like when I can take myself out of my own body and put myself in a character in a story and demonstrate that to people, it’s like a form of communication," Harris said.

Click here to view Lexee's Facebook fan page.