Along with her co-author Kim Askew, Amy Helmes has written a collection of Shakespeare-inspired young adult novels including Tempestuous, Exposure, and Anyone But You, from Merit Press. Their fourth book, Puck, continues in that tradition as an homage to "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

These "Twisted Lit" novels help make Shakespeare more accessible, but the primary goal is to simply write entertaining books using the Bard's stories as a springboard. To that end, the books are written with both Shakespeare fans and Shakespeare-phobes in mind. And if it prompts people to want to read or revisit the original plays, that’s great, too!

Amy is an L.A.-based entertainment journalist whose other nonfiction titles include Boys of a Feather: A Field Guide to North American Males, The Wisdom of Nancy Drew and Betty and Veronica: A Girl's Guide to the 'Comic' World of Dating.