“All the stereotypical ‘dude’ geeky things I like are socially acceptable, and all the stereotypical ‘lady’ geeky things I like are frowned upon….” - Amanda Hocking
Amanda Hocking is an indie publishing sensation. Her paranormal romance Trylle series has sold millions of copies worldwide, and earned her a contract with a major publishing house. A new edition of Switched —the first Trylle Trilogy book—includes a brand new bonus short story and is available now for NOOK.
Just like many of her readers, Amanda is a proud fan of geek culture—from Twilight, to Harry Potter, to Star Trek. In this exclusive B&N interview, Amanda talks about the way that women ‘geeks’ are treated, and why guy geeks shouldn’t have all the fun.
What kinds of things do you stay up late at night thinking about?
Here's a struggle I've had my whole life, and maybe it is just a "me" thing, but I feel like it's something I'm seeing in the real world. All the stereotypical "dude" geeky things I like are socially acceptable, and all the stereotypical "lady" geeky things I like are frowned upon….
Why is it so much more respectable to geek out over spaceships and a made up religion than vampires with undertones of a real religion? Is it because of the romance? Is romance inherently uncool?...why is it cool and respectable to geek out over sci fi and JJ Abrams, but it's not cool to geek out over romance and Stephenie Meyer?
Or maybe it's all in my head, and it's not cool to geek out over anything.
For me Twilight is my Romeo and Juliet. I never cared for Shakespeare so Twilight is a new adaptation to geek out on. But it also has to do with gender. I don't have very many girlfriends so my findings may be off, but the stuff I geek out to, Harry Potter, Star Trek, cheesy 80's movies, etc., are typically lame in the eyes of the girls. But the guys, a different story, they are usually stoked a girl is into that stuff. Ahh. So much to continue thinking about.
How did you get the idea to write Switched?
I decided that I really enjoyed writing paranormal romance. Really. So I knew I wanted to stay in that genre, even if it wasn't popular. I looked up different books, seeing what was popular and wasn't. I came across a few lines on Wikipedia (everything on there is true) from a bit of Scandinavian folklore. It was two sentences, but that was it. That was the idea for Switched.
Did you ever think you were a changeling, like your character Wendy …or maybe just adopted?
Not really. My parents were always really honest with me, so I assumed that if I was, they would’ve told me. I was an only child most of my life, but I was really close to my gramma, and I never doubted for a second that we weren’t related.
Who or what inspires you?
I think I draw most inspiration from writers like Richelle Mead and filmmakers like John Hughes. They both really understand the experience of being a teenager and how insistent and intense everything feels, but they're also smart, savvy, and fun. [Richelle Mead’s] characters are very strong and funny and real, and I definitely learn from her as much as I can.
[embed video from Malati]
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