With the onset of Kindle and electronic reading there’s no way to tell if it’s easier in today’s world for a new author to expand their horizons. Kathryn Stockett has managed to do just that. She’s sold her first novel to raving reviews. She may be unfamiliar to many but she’s one of the new brilliant independent writers at present. “The Help” is Ms. Stockett’s first novel. After nine years of committed writing she has managed to capture the hearts of many dedicated readers. “The Maze Runner” by James Dashner is another novel written by a gifted writer. This fictional book brings to life a dark world of teenage mania and survival of the fittest, thanks to technology. Positioning a promising independent writer into a specific category doesn’t seem quite fair. But when they’ve had the success of Rebecca Skloot, readers look for similarities to her initial writing success; “The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Locks.” This novel takes readers on a mystery tour of science, invention and its legacy of misuse of the poor and unsuspecting, starting from the 1950s.
Khaled Hosseini gives the world “The Kite Runner.” A story set in Kabul at the dawn of the Soviet invasion. Khaled’s novel has been circulated more by word of mouth. In this technical age this may seem pass but it’s significance for the author is unimaginable. It’s the readers opinion of their work that perpetuates an author’s vision and their joy in sharing words. Alice LaPlante is another fresh independent author starting out with her first novel of suspense centered around a former doctor in the initial stages of dementia. Prose takes a spark of genius from the writer to deliver what is felt in the soul and each new independent author contributes something that no previous author has; themselves.