Growing up, I melted into the cinematic universe. And it was always the fantasies that made me feel wonderous. Star Wars, Skyrim, Fallout, Dune, The Hunger Games, you name it, they all sucked me in during the darkest times in life. That’s why I write, for the children and the young adults. I want them to experience my worlds to understand their own. I earned my BFA in Creative Writing at Full Sail University. I hope to translate my books into screenplays while my dream and goal is to watch my own story on the big screen with a bucket of popcorn in my hands.
The Hunger Games rocketed off the dystopian genre with other series, such as, Divergent and The Maze Runner. I’ve always loved this book because of its aesthetic with the woods, and every character has their own unique, compelling trait. The book taught me that drama should always overtake action. You don’t need tons of action scenes to make an epic story, besides, it’s the drama between the characters that builds the suspense and entertains the audience. Have you ever rooted for a character in a movie because it was a favorite actor of yours?
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. But Katniss has been close to death before - and survival, for her, is second nature. The Hunger Games is a searing novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present. Welcome to the deadliest reality TV show ever...
There’s no question when it comes to the success of the story Dune, which Hollywood produced as the top-grossing film in 2021. This book is a must-recommendation because of its beautiful, clever-constructed world in a strong aesthetic of desert life. Dune helped me realize the political side of storytelling, and a story can combine many characters when done the right way without confusing the readers. Plus, this novel was published in 1965 and still trends today.
Before The Matrix, before Star Wars, before Ender's Game and Neuromancer, there was Dune: winner of the prestigious Hugo and Nebula awards, and widely considered one of the greatest science fiction novels ever written.
Melange, or 'spice', is the most valuable - and rarest - element in the universe; a drug that does everything from increasing a person's lifespan to making interstellar travel possible. And it can only be found on a single planet: the inhospitable desert world of Arrakis.
Whoever controls Arrakis controls the spice. And whoever controls the spice controls the universe.
The Shadow War is a historical fiction story that takes place in the majestic, horrific era of World War II. The word choices and story pace interested me with this story. For the chapter heads, the author used character names to jump from one to the next, and while I believe that’s used a lot in books, I formatted mine quite uniquely from others, transforming the pages into what feels like a cinematic marvel, all thanks to studying the formats of other books.
Inglourious Basterds meets Stranger Things in this dark and thrilling tale of power, shadow, and revenge set during World War II.
World War II is raging, and five teens are looking to make a mark. Daniel and Rebeka seek revenge against the Nazis who slaughtered their family; Simone is determined to fight back against the oppressors who ruined her life and corrupted her girlfriend; Phillip aims to prove that he's better than his worst mistakes; and Liam is searching for a way to control the portal to the shadow world he's uncovered, and the monsters that live within it--before the…
Stephen King is known for his artsy works, but The Institute felt different than the other stories. The book is divided up into sections, and in these sections were chapters. It was an interesting way to format a book, but what pulled me into the story was the fantasy magic of telekinesis, almost a runoff of his book The Shining. The psychology was captivating while the young characters were tormented for their punishments of betrayal against the mysterious school, but every kid had their own shine to them, a special talent or gift of nature inside.
'It does everything you'd expect of a masterpiece - and it is one' Sunday Express
'Hums and crackles with delicious unease' Independent
'Captivating' The Sunday Times
'An absorbing thriller' Mail on Sunday
NO ONE HAS EVER ESCAPED FROM THE INSTITUTE.
Luke Ellis, a super-smart twelve-year-old with an exceptional gift, is the latest in a long line of kids abducted and taken to a secret government facility, hidden deep in the forest in Maine.
Here, kids with special talents - telekinesis and telepathy - like Luke's new friends Kalisha, Nick and Iris, are subjected to a series of experiments.
Weird, right? The author of the story is unknown. Some may say it’s just a narrative of the main character’s story, but no one really knows the truth behind the mythical monster. Slender Man was a decent book, a very quick read too for four-hundred pages. While the story was slow, it pitched in its genre of suspense, mystery, and terror. We live in the real world, but we’re also living in a world of wonders. I’d recommend this story to anyone who loves mysteries and evil entities, even gamers who run around the worlds of Fallout and Skyrim.
As her friends and the police search for answers, Matt Barker begins to dream of trees and black skies and something drawing closer.
Through fragments of journals, blog posts and messages, a sinister, slender figure emerges and all divisions between fiction and delusion, between nightmare and reality, begin to fall.
The urban legend of the Slender Man has inspired short fiction, viral videos, and a feature film. Gathered from online whispers, Matt's story reveals the true power of the internet's most terrifying creation.
In an overpopulated, climate-crisis world, the country of Haven prepares for an upcoming war with the neighboring country of Zovia. They're on the brink of nuclear battle, but an experimental idea may swing the power to the citizens who live on Haven's frozen crust.
Kids between the ages of six and eighteen are drafted toProject Tolerance, a digital warfare simulation, constructing supersoldiers by exposing them to pain, reaching for a high pain Tolerance.
This book is available for pre-order on the author's website.
Kelly Simmons has been published in 12 countries by Simon & Schuster and Sourcebooks, and her widely praised novels are frequently compared to Big Little Lies.
Her new book, The Off Season, is set on the tranquil shores of the Chesapeake Bay, where headstrong thirteen-year-old Savannah bursts into the local police department, insisting her mother’s drowning was anything but an accident. She’s forced to tangle with the languid Bay police department as well as the year-rounder adults and teens who might be complicit not just in her mother’s death but a decades-old cold case.
For fans of Lisa Jewell and Liane Moriarty. Published in 12 countries by Simon & Schuster and Sourcebooks, Kelly's widely praised novels are frequently compared to BIG LITTLE LIES.
THE OFF SEASON explodes on the tranquil shores of the Chesapeake Bay. A headstrong thirteen-year-old girl insists her mother’s drowning was anything but an accident. She’s forced to tangle with the languid bay police department as well as the year-rounder adults and teens who might be complicit not just in her mother’s death, but a decades-old cold case. With echoes of GONE GIRL and STAND BY ME, it’s part crime, part…
