Literary Buffistas 3: Don't Parse the Blurb, Dear.
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
I'm trying to come up with authors who wrote in many genres, or for both children and adults, all under the same name. Joan Aiken is an example -- she wrote The Wolves of Willoughby Chase and a million other children's books, but also wrote Jane Austen "sequels" (before it was in vogue, too) and other adult books, all under the one name.
Any others anyone can think of? I need examples for a column I have to write, and naturally I came up with my hypothesis before I had proof.
Lois Duncan
Judy Blume
Michael Chabon
Neil Gaiman? Diane Duane? Roald Dahl?
Stephen King wrote a book for kids, or at least for young adults.
Did Lois Duncan write for adults, too? Cool.
Judy Blume is perfect.
Don't know Diane Duane -- I'll look her up. Didn't even think if Roald Dahl.
Possibly, you guys should be writing this column.
I think Stephen King is always writing horror, whatever the audience. Actually, I think a lot of authors branch out into children's books, because they're short and they've already got name recognition, but aren't necessarily writing something "different," just modulating their tone and vocabulary.
You'll find the damnedest names on a children's library shelf (John Lithgow, who is quite good, and also Fred Gwynn, who played Hermann Munster).
Fred Gwynn, who played Hermann Munster
We have one of those -- The King Who Rained.
Actually, I think a lot of authors branch out into children's books, because they're short and they've already got name recognition, but aren't necessarily writing something "different," just modulating their tone and vocabulary.
That's why I hesitate to mention Chabon. I want people who are writing adult and children's book simultaneously (like Joan Aiken), not who used their name recognition as a platform to write stuff they might consider more fun.
I thought she did.
Oh, well, I didn't really think of that, AmyLiz. No, not quite like "Wifey" and "Superfudge" Which are both funny, on completely different planets.
You'll find the damnedest names on a children's library shelf (John Lithgow, who is quite good,
It was very surreal to find out that he was at IRA this year as a keynote speaker because of some children's books he wrote. Well, "wrote," anyway.
You'll find the damnedest names on a children's library shelf
Also Julie Andrews, who writes kids books under her married name of Julie Andrews Edwards.
There are those romance authors who have moved onto the mainstream fiction and mystery shelves, including Iris Johansen, Sandra Brown, and Janet Evanovitch.
Madeleine L'Engle -- young adult and adult books
Kate Wilhelm -- science fiction, literary fiction, mysteries
Then there are the examples of people who wrote one "science fiction" book and who really, really shouldn't have, e.g. P.D. James.