The countdown: Top stories of 2012, No. 15-6
Published 11:43 am Monday, December 31, 2012
The following are the top stories from 6 to 15 of 2012, as chosen by Daily Herald readers. Look for the top 5 stories on Tuesday.
15. Family reflects on millionaire Amanda Hocking’s fame
At heart, Amanda Hocking is still an Austin girl.
Austin's Amanda Hocking has come a long ways since publishing her work electronically. Her first published novel, "Switched," is now out on wide distribution. - Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
The self-publishing paranormal romance giant sold millions of books online, secured a $2 million book deal with St. Martin’s Press and had one of her series, the “Trylle Trilogy,” optioned for film in the last year.
Yet as she continues her writing career, she carries with her friends and family who support her and are just as amazed at the fame she’s getting.
“We live in Austin, Minn.,” said Lorraine Felt, Hocking’s mother, said in January. “Things like that don’t really happen around here, things this big. I think she thought it would take a lot longer than a few months to hit it as big as she did.”
For her part, Hocking finds fame to be thrilling and quite time-consuming. With so many projects, novels and other media to explore, not to mention the increasing demand for interviews, Hocking leads a somewhat hectic life.
“It’s really exciting,” she said in January. “It still seems unreal.”
Hocking kicked off a nationwide tour for her newest book by speaking to a packed room Aug. 7 at the Austin Public Library. Her most recent release was “Wake,” the first installment in her series of four Watersong Novels.
—By Kevin Coss
