#TopTenTuesday: Ten Short Stories for if I Taught YA Fantasy Lit Overview

Thanks to the Broke and the Bookish for hosting.

These ten short stories prepare you for upcoming bestsellers, because of course when September rolls around, the publishing industry scrambles to get their "best chance of the next big thing" on shelves or pushed madly into winter promotions. The Frankfurt Book Fair also, takes place the beginning of October every  year and it is the place to be if you want to sell foreign rights and build some buzzy anticipation around novels that are hot in the USA, which is why, these short stories should find their way onto your e-reader. They are short and sweet and not so subtle in their attempts of drawing the reader in before the next installment of the books they're tied to come out. 

If I were doing an overview lit class or more likely a workshop, I would include these short stories since they all provide examples of how to pull readers into a fandom without giving away too much of the story. These shorts do a good job of creating a bond with certain characters while leaving room enough in the narrative for the full novels the shorts are supposed to be sucking fans into.

They're also definite must-reads if you're planning on sticking with the fandom surrounding some hefty bestsellers that have book #2 coming out and/or spin-off series. But hey, even if you don't recognize these titles, these authors; think of these shorts as a quick howdy-do and get yourself up to speed, because I can guarantee you, come fall and winter; these novels will be the ones generating a lot of talk.

Lois Lane: Double Down coming May 1, 2016 -->
Read two teaser short stories from Gwenda Bond to gear up for the anticipated release of her second Lois Lane book from DC Comics. Oh the privilege and responsibility of bringing Lois Lane to YA life rests on sturdy shoulders. Bond (hah!) makes Lois Lane such a nosy, interfering teenager with the sass that makes Lane such a wicked female when she grows up and faces off with Clark Kent and his ilk - supervillain or not. The great thing about these two teasers... you can read them for free HERE and HERE.

Beastly Bones coming September 22, 2015 -->
William Ritter finds the fantastical a bit elementary in Jackaby, his debut novel that won over Sherlockians as well as the general public by pairing an American supernaturalist with a curiously smart Nancy Drew type if she had been transplated to the late 1800s. Abigail Rook and Jackaby will win your hearts over in this short story, The Map: A Jackaby Story, with a birthday celebration you will not soon forget. Oh, did I mention that it too is free to read HERE?

Six of Crows coming September 29, 2015  -->
Oh my, but do you ever want to read this sweet, short - too short really - short story from Leigh Bardugo! The Demon in the Wood: A Darkling Prequel Story not only goes back to a certain sexy someone's beginnings but it also features - count with me; one, two - yes, two chapters for Six of Crows. One of the most highly anticipated books for this fall, do not miss out on this one!

Glass Sword coming February 9, 2016 -->
Victoria Aveyard went and wrote fans three... one, two, and three short stories for her Red Queen series that has already been optioned for film and will be unveiling book #2 into the promotional madness following the holiday season. The covers for these short stories are ahhh-mazing! Also, all three of them are pre-orders. Yeah... sorry about that!

Winter coming November 10, 2015 -->
If you haven't read the first three novels of the Lunar Chronicles, I beseech you to read them as soon as you can. Winter is the last book, the finale! If you need proof of how easy to fall in love with the cast of characters featured in this series is, Marissa Meyer has FOUR short stories for free to prove it to you. Now only three you can get on Wattpad. The fourth one is free when you subscribe to her newsletter. Also, a heads up, for collectible fans like myself who want this short stories bound into a cover that matches the rest of the series, that is happening! Stars Above, the bound anthology will be out February 2, 2016.

Technically you could say there's eleven shorts mentioned here. Consider the fourth short from Marissa Meyer a bonus since you cannot get it unless you subscribe to her newsletter. Overall though, I tried to give you some price ranges that weren't too steep as well.

cross-posted to Fangirlish