Remind Me

The question I get asked the most is, "Why write for young adults? Why not write grown-up books?" Usually I hum and haw my answer, but when I reflect upon my current reading list I realize the answer is simple: I write what I read. This isn't to say that I don't read grown-up books, but when I do they are usually titles that are inspired by the YA novels I've enjoyed. (This will also explain why I check under the bed for monsters and can't sleep with the closet door open...)

Currently, this is the reading that has occupied my free time:

The Enemy by Charlie Higson (Penguin UK)

A little surprise from the author of the Young Bond series, this one is very dark and quite frightening. It begins as an average apocalypse novel, with the premise being that a disease has turned everyone over 14 into zombies. Aaron, the leader of a group of kids holed up in a Waitrose store, has been bit and is of age to get the infection. His group has one chance to find a fabled place free of zombies, but even if he can get them there what dangers are waiting? Part I Am Legend, and part Lord of the Flies, this was a slick read that grabbed me from start to finish.

Traitor, by Andy McNab (Penguin Young Readers)

This is one of the few spy novels that I have truly enjoyed. It reads like a teen version of Bourne Identity, with fast-past action that keeps moving throughout the novel. Danny is a teenage orphan who tries to join the military, but is blacklisted due to the traitorous actions of his grandfather - a former SAS soldier. In his quest to find his grandfather and expose him, he learns the truth - which brings him right in the middle of a great spy story.

My Token Grown-up Read

World War Z by Max Brooks (Crown Publishing Group)

Ever wonder what would happen if there really were a zombie apocalypse? What if it began in a country that is notorious for keeping secrets - and would anyone be so bold as to try and profit from it? This delightful novel is the perfect bedside reading, as it is told in a "mockumentary" format with short chapters and realistic "snapshots" of the key people who saved us from the war. It's told ten years later after the near annihilation of the human species, and is based on Brooks' other fabulous novel, The Zombie Survival Guide.

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James McCann is the author of three YA novels with Be Read Books (an imprint of Simply Read Books) in the Rancour Chronicles. Orca Book Publishers published his fourth novel, Flying Feet, on Mixed Martial Arts, in May 2010. James McCann grew up on the icy plains of Manitoba, where he spent most of his teenage years reading comics and playing Dungeons and Dragons. Both of these hobbies taught him the storytelling tools that he now uses as an author and creative writing instructor. When he isn't writing, McCann is either practicing tae kwon do or escrima, or going on hikes with his Shih Tzu, Conan.

He will be at McNally Robinson Booksellers Grant Park on Friday, August 6th to read and sign Flying Feet, featuring a special tae kwan do demonstration courtesy of Robert Lee Martial Arts. More information can be found here.