Samantha Young is a 26-year-old Scottish writer whose self-published contemporary romance On Dublin Street recently became a bestseller, with the announcement of the follow-up, Down London Road, generating a ton of reader excitement.
But before her adult novel catapulted her to fame, she self-published nearly a dozen young adult fantasy novels, many of which were inspired by mythologies she studied as an ancient and medieval history major at the University of Edinburgh. Her young adult novels veer toward new adult, since her heroines are generally older teens facing more mature situations. Some of her stories have been described by readers as “dark” or “edgy,” and they often include mild sex scenes.
The Tale of Lunarmorte trilogy consists of Moonspell, River Cast, and Blood Solstice. It features a mixture of werewolves, witches, and other supernatural creatures with ties to the gods and goddesses of Greek Mythology. Seventeen-year-old Caia Ribeiro is a Lykan, or werewolf, whose parents were murdered by a group of witches called the Midnight Coven. She was raised separately from her pack for her own protection. When she returns to them, she has trouble fitting into the group, partly because the pack lost members over the years protecting her and partly because she has a special destiny of which she's unaware. She's set to play a key role in the war brewing between the Midnight coven and the Daylight coven. She also has a particularly conflicted relationship with Lucien, her sexy young Alpha.
The Fire Spirits Series, which is inspired by Middle Eastern mythology, consists of three books: Smokeless Fire, Scorched Skies, and Borrowed Ember. It features Ari Johnson, a Jinn (i.e. genie) who was raised in the human world believing she was human. She was completely unaware of her supernatural heritage until her powers manifest on her eighteenth birthday and the powerful beings who have been searching for her finally find her. Like Caia in the Lunarmorte trilogies, Ari has a special destiny and special powers, and her “family” (of whom she was unaware) tries to use her and manipulate her for their own purposes. Meanwhile, she fights a powerful attraction to Jai, her half-Jinn protector, while trying to save her childhood love Charlie Creagh who's following a path of self-destruction. The next book in the series—Darkness, Kindled—is set to be released in April of this year.
The Warriors of Ankh trilogy, which is inspired by Egyptian mythology, consists of Blood Will Tell, Blood Past, and Shades of Blood. Seventeen-year-old Eden Winslow comes from a family of soul eaters, and even though she hates what her family does, she's supposed to be “awakened” on her eighteenth birthday by taking a soul. She's also betrothed to a creepy, crazy cousin she doesn't want to marry. In school, she meets a boy named Noah Valois. She's attracted to him, but he also stirs her hunger. She tries to hide her true nature from him, but it's no use. He's actually a Warrior of Ankh—a race of warriors whose mission is to kill soul eaters—and he was sent to befriend her and see if she can be saved. If not, he, or one of his fellow warriors, will have to kill her.
The Fade Duology, which Young herself labels as “New Adult,” consists of Slumber and Sneak Thievery. Slumber is a retelling of “Sleeping Beauty”—with a twist. The princess Haydyn, who has a magical ability to maintain peace in her land, falls into a coma, but she's not the protagonist. Her nineteen-year-old friend Rogan, a healer who was ripped from her family as a young girl in order to serve the princess, is the focus of the story. She must journey across the kingdom to find the one plant that will heal Haydyn. She ventures into a world that's falling into chaos and violence, while also battling her attraction to a sexy soldier name Wolfe Stovia, who has been sent to protect her. Unfortunately, he's also the son of the man who brutally murdered her family. Sneak Thievery, the second book in the duology, is set to be released late in 2013.
Young also writes short fiction. Drip Drop Teardrop is a novella about an orphan who tries to save her beloved aunt from death by making a deal with a grim reaper named Brennus. Phantasmagoria and Other Stories is a short story collection that will be released in 2014. It features stories set in the world of Lunarmorte and the Warriors of Ankh, a companion to Drip Drop Teardrop, and other original stories.
Brittany is a freelance writer, aspiring novelist and small business owner who hopes that heaven will be like a bookstore with an endless supply of free books, free coffee and super comfy chairs.
