Future Now? Drought & New Authors

I ponder the future based on our Texas drought conditions, horrific wildfires in Bastrop, and floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes that have graced the world in 2011. Rather scary. Settings for futuristic tales are always bleak, dry, ruined property, and smoldering land.

I realize our crunchy grass is a miniscule issue, but it has me contemplating literature. What new creative horrors are out there?

The publishing industry recognizes the drought caused by the Harry Potter void. J.K.Rowling's successful series ended with The Deathly Hallows. Now what's in store for young adult readers (and adults like me)? According to the Wall Street Journal (8/19/11), Harry Potter sold more than 450 million print copies. Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series sold 116 million, and Suzanne Collin's Hunger Game series along with Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series sold 42 million combined. That's a lot of reading, and authors need to keep those eyes peeled for new characters, plots, and drama.

Don't despair. The future looks bright. Here's upcoming hot buzz: Legend by Marie Lu (11/29/11) is a dystopian futuristic trilogy set in 2130 Los Angeles. Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan (9/13/11) covers young lovers torn apart while future colonists seek a new habitable planet. The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker (2012) follows a young girl after a massive earthquake knocks Earth off it's axis and slows time.

There's hope for readers and at present books are still being published. Pick a format, any format, and hunker down with a good read. Just don't look out the window at your weather reality - better that it stay on the pages.