July 18, 2012

Guest Post with Tiffany Truitt, author of CHOSEN ONES!




Meeting a Writing Icon

Growing up, I always had a strange relationship with Young Adult literature. The first novel that I ever read in one day was Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. I stayed up all night dreading the moment when I would read the last page. It was the first book I fell in love with, and to this day I count it as one of my favorites.

But something happened to me as a young reader. Somehow, I skipped over the slew of great young adult literature that existed during my pre-teen and teen years. I went from Alcott to Austen. I took advanced English in middle school and progressed right on to honors then two years of AP English. I became a literary snob, looking down on anyone who dared to read anything not written at least fifty years before I was born.

Silly, I know.

Except for one Young Adult series that is….

I was obsessed with R.L Stine’s Fear Street Saga. Yes, I read pretty much every Fear Street book I could get my hands on, but it was the three books that made up the Fear Street Saga that I Loved. These books traced the history of the doomed street itself, focusing on the tragic Fear family. The books had everything I loved: strong female characters, mysteries shrouded in science fiction or other worldly elements, and took place hundreds of years in the past.

It should be no surprise that these novels helped influence my own writing. Chosen Ones mixes modern scientific questions with touches of Victorian life. The novel pays homage to several Victorian gothic novels including Shelley’s Frankenstein and Jane Eyre.

In one of the biggest fan girl moments of my life, I got to meet Mr. Stine at this year’s BEA. First, I never expected to attend the event, and the prospect of signing my debut novel seemed insane, but both happened. I thought life couldn’t get any better. But when I found myself in line to get my signed hardcopy of Goosebumps, I couldn’t help but get a bit giddy. This was the man that kept me up late at night, and encouraged me to write my own scary stories. I have folders and folders of them in my parents’ attic.

For us book lovers, writers are our rockstars. He wasn’t glamorous or flashy. He was humble and kind. But he had mastered the written word and created whole new worlds for generations of readers, and I will never stop owing him for the hours of enjoyment he provided a gawky girl. And now the girl who shunned YA writes YA. The YA section is the first place I look for a great read. I was a YA fan, and I didn’t even know it. So keep on rockin on YA readers and writers, and wear that YA title proudly.

I know I’m proud!



About Chosen Ones

The Lost Souls, book 1 available now from Entangled Publishing!

I pushed down a key. The hair on the back of my neck shot up, and my skin tingled.

I imagined this was what it felt like to fall in love.

In that moment, I was ready to fall.

Life is bleak but uncomplicated for Tess, living in a not-too-distant future where the government, faced with humanity’s extinction, created the Chosen Ones, artificial beings who are extraordinarily beautiful, unbelievably strong, and unabashedly deadly.

When Tess begins work at Templeton, a Chosen Ones training facility, she meets James, and the attraction is immediate in its intensity, overwhelming in its danger. But there is more to Templeton than Tess ever knew. Can she stand against her oppressors, even if it means giving up the only happiness in her life?
Order your copy of Chosen Ones at Amazon | B&N

About Tiffany Truitt
Tiffany Truitt is an 8th grade English teacher in Suffolk, Virginia. When she’s not traveling the world, she enjoys reading, writing, and obsessing over coffee. Lost Souls: Chosen Ones is her first novel. 



Find out more about Tiffany Truitt at her Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads


4 comments:

  1. This looks like an amazing read and I shall totally add this book to my shopping list...Great Guest Post!!!

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  2. I'm so glad you got to meet your hero! Great story.

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  3. rayban メガネのキャラバンブームは、20世紀の70年代に始まりました。1973年、女性のファッション―「毎日 ウェア」は、「毎日レイバン ウェファーラーを着用してください」と主張しました。その風潮はまた襲って来るらしい。今、レイバン RB2143というモデルは大人気そうです。

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  4. I used to write fan letters to RL Stine back when he wrote humor as "Jovial Bob" Stine...he was always very gracious. Great to know he's lovely in person, too!

    eai(at)stanfordalumni(dot)org

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