Writers Wednesday

Oh Lordy, I am such a flake.  Not only did I skip Five on Friday, but I also completely forgot about Tasty Tuesday.  I have no excuse.  But I hope to redeem myself by another wonderful Writers Wednesday.

Featured on today's Writers Wednesday is an author I only recently discovered.  The talented and quite awe-inspiring Ms. Amanda Hocking.  I've seen her books popping up on my nook often over the past couple of months and I finally bit the bullet and purchased one of them after reading this blog post by the author.  I began reading through her blog and really liked her style, so I bought her book.  And guess what?  I loved it!  I am, obviously, a fan of paranormal romance.  But Ms. Hocking has a refreshing style and voice that causes her readers to become absolutely obsessed with her writing.  It is a quality I've always wished for, but, sadly, never achieved.

The first book I chose to cut my teeth on, was Switched.  It is the first book in her Trylle Trilogy and it is about a girl whose mother tried to kill her when she was little, claiming she was a monster.  It turns out that her mother was right.  Changelings, trolls and teenage hormones.  Add in some philosophizing on what family truly means, and what's not to love?

If you have a kindle, you can check this one out for $0.99.  If you have a nook, you can pick it up for the same price at barnesandnoble.com.  Can't beat that deal.  While I wouldn't put this book up for any literary awards, it is a great YA read.  And truly, I would much rather have my daughter reading these coming-of-age books then, say, the Twilight books, which I feel send harmful messages to impressionable teenage girls. 

As an adult reading this story, I found myself often annoyed at the characters' reactions and interactions, but I felt they were true to the age group.  And this book is aimed at a young adult audience, and I think young adults will find a lot to relate to and commiserate with pertaining to the characters.  It is interesting and engaging, even if you, like me, find yourself rolling your eyes at some of the teenage antics.

So give it a try.  Let's see if you become as addicted to Ms. Hocking's stories as I have.