Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Amelia Atwater-Rhodes (teenagerstoday.com/ tom/0702.htm)

Born in 1984, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes grew up in Concord, Massachusetts. Her first novel, "In The Forests Of The Night," was published when she was 13 years old, and was soon followed by "Demon In My View," "Shattered Mirror," "Midnight Predator" and the Kiesha'Ra Series.

Amelia lives in Massachusetts with several pets and family. She attends the University of Massachusetts, with an English/psychology double-major. She hopes to work as an English or special-education teacher. When she's not writing, Amelia likes to cross-stitch, cook, play the piano, garden and debate. She loves to learn new skills.

"In The Forests Of The Night" is about a vampire named Risika, and how she defeats the one she fears most—a vampire named Aubrey. Half of the book is devoted to Risika's past, how she becomes a vampire, and the life of the girl she once was. The other half of the book tells of Aubrey's taunts and teases, and how Risika finally fights back and causes Aubrey to suffer his first defeat. It is a thrilling story, and one I highly recommend to devoted readers of any age.

Also, her Kiesha'Ra series is excellent. The first book, "Hawksong," is about a young princess named Danica. She is a shapeshifter, and takes the form of a hawk. Her mother rules over the Avian nation, which includes birds like crows and sparrows and such. They are at war with the Serpent (or Serpiente) nation, and have been as long as even Danica's mother can remember. Danica wants to end this war, and so does the prince of the Serpiente, Zane, whom Danica has learned to fear. "Hawksong" is a record of how the two must set aside their differences and work together. But they find that the only way to stop this is to fake love. This is not only a story of the ending of a war, but also a story of two, totally different people facing problems from assassins to difficulties between themselves. They must solve a mystery, perhaps finding love on the way.