As an indie author, I've been hearing a few names bandied about in the indie publishing world as being the true standouts in the field. But after reading Amanda Hocking's Hollowland, it's easy to see why she's been outselling the rest of us and getting the accolades. This lady truly deserves it.

I haven't really read enough of the book -- which is currently being offered as a free read through Amazon's Kindle bookstore -- to be able to give a full review yet. But suffice it to say that the lady's style is to hit 'em hard, hit 'em fast, and keep hitting 'em 'til the last zombie bites the dust. In other words, the action starts on page one and hasn't let up yet. Her lead character, Remy, is a young female that's strong willed and street savvy; none of this namby pamby, chick-running-in-heels-screaming for her. The post apocalyptic world of Hollowland is real in a Stephen King way. Not normally my kind of reading material, I picked up out of curiosity. And I'm hooked enough to start buying the rest of her books.

Hocking made the news when Amazon announced that her books had sold a million copies, veritably unheard of for an indie- or "self-published" author. Truth be told, prior to authors like John Locke, Amanda Hocking, and J. A. Konrath, if you told anyone you were self-published, you were laughed and sneered at. No self respecting media outlet would review your stuff, no book store would carry it. You were left to your own devices and being self-published was the kiss of death for any author.

Then, about five or six years ago, agent Evan Marshall began telling anyone in listening vicinity that more and more agents were looking at self-published authors. The man would know, having agented more than a few authors into lucrative contracts and pretty darn decent sales. And being a successful author in his own right. But we still weren't making the best seller list and getting an agent was still difficult.

Amanda Hocking showed us all how to do it, what to do and when to do it, and she got her agent the new fashioned way. She also got that three book deal with St. Martin's Press for her incredibly successfull Trylle Trilogy. And bookstores started carrying not only that series but all of her self-published work as well.

The woman is talented, no doubt about it. She's got a storyteller's gift and a unique way of phrasing. She knows how to craft the plot lines and how to create characters that live and breathe. Her pacing--what I've read so far--is perfect, giving you time to meet these characters but driving that plot with relentless zeal. It's been a long time since I've read a master at both plot and character -- and here's one of a rather short list.

I'll be finishing Hollowland this week and I'll have my review soon. But in the meantime, I'll be following this young lady's career and wishing her very well. I have a vested interest in the whole thing, you see. Where she goes, I hope to follow with my own writing.

If you'd like to check out Amanda Hocking's books in print, you can find them locally from Joseph-Beth Booksellers in the Lexington Green Mall on Nicholasville Road. You might want to call ahead first to make sure they have copies on hand. The phone number is 273-2911. But you can also purchase them through the Joe-Beth website.

**If you enjoyed this article, make sure you click on the "Like" button above, and subscribe to the column to have notices emailed to you; so you don't miss an article.**