Hahaha! Which one is me?
I feel like a teenager again, and it’s totally, like, weird.
When I was in those harrowed hallowed days I had an unsustainable amount of passion. I hated Nazis and skinheads, loved punk rock and Peter Murphy, and wore all my emotions on my sleeve. Often literally. I was intense, and, frankly, a lot to deal with. (Sorry, mom.) But one defining aspect of my teenagehood that I don’t look back on with a tiny cringe is my fangirldom.
There weren’t a LOT of things I would have considered myself a fan of. I didn’t do comic books outside of JTHM, and my music preference never landed too solidly on any one band. TV? Fugheddabouit. (I must confess a deep and abiding love for the Nightmare Before Christmas.) But books…oh, glorious printed word, how I could find myself worshipping you…
My first fancrush, that I remember, was on Poppy Z. Brite. She wrote these books full of goth punk vampires and creepy tree ghosts and rugged, ragged musicians. I loved it. Ate it up. Then she wrote Exquisite Corpse, a novel featuring two serial killers as the protagonists, and I found a book I would quote to other people. I distinctly remember one day in choir class, reading a portion of a scene to a classmate.
I will not relate the scene in question. You’ll have to read the book for that. Let’s just say it has a lot to do with internal organs and meat lockers and misplaced sexual energy. All while learning the melody of Send in the Clowns.
Ah…high school.
So I guess it should come as no surprise that my fangirl badge has been renewed, many years after its last use, by Dan Wells, an author that writes about serial killers (sort of). But, and here is where I find some sense of relief and maturity, the MC in these books is fighting against succumbing to his darker nature, as opposed to reveling in it. He is fighting for the good, instead of glorying in the evil.
And I don’t think I could go back to Exquisite Corpse. It sits on my shelf, untouched, a relic of my youth. Occasionally, I’ll think of picking it up, but my fingers always skitter to one side or the other, unwilling to crack the spine. (Creepy puns-yay!)
But Dan Wells’ books? Well, I’m waiting on pins and needles for the final installment of his Serial Killer trilogy–I Don’t Want To Kill You–to be released next week. I have the t-shirt. I’ve been to both of his readings. These are the only books I’ve pre-ordered. Ever. I plan on rereading I Am Not a Serial Killer (Book One) and Mr. Monster (Book Two) before the 29th, so I can get the whole trilogy in one, satisfying gulp.
I think there is more here than just the appeal of the stories, though. They’re excellent, don’t get me wrong. And I think that would be enough. But Mr. Wells has, in my opinion, gone above and beyond. He runs a great blog, where he often posts about topics that take some serious consideration. He has made his method of storyplanning available in an informative and entertaining Powerpoint/video series.
And he’s cute. There! I said it. I’m shallow. 
Why you may ask, have I decided to bring this all up now? Well, in conjunction with the impending release date of his latest novel, Mr. Wells is going on a booksigning/reading tour, which includes a stop in Seattle and, it seems, the opportunity to join him and other fans for dinner at a local restaurant. I’ve got to admit–that is cool, and totally something I am going to do when I go on tour. A chance to connect with the readers in person? Yes, please!
I’m especially glad he’s doing this, because I always feel like such a goober at the signings.
So, for any of you looking for a few good books, let me introduce you to Dan Wells.
This post has been sealed by Eliza’s Fangirl Stamp of Approval.
