Young Adult Novels
New in 2024! The same characters and their experiences you loved from Omega Highland are now here in Woodland Hills! Relive that last semester of senior year at Liberty High School, and the summer before college, in books 1 & 2. Then follow Joanna and her friends as life continues in this newly renamed series, Woodland Hills.
Titles:
Series Update
Omega Highland has been re-branded as "Woodland Hills"
Take a deep dive here into the past, present, and future of Omega Highland!
*The Omega Highland novels are no longer available*
Omega Highland is the original series about Joanna Conors, her twin brother Christopher, and the people of this small town in Minnesota. Publishing these first editions has led me to the decision to rebrand my series while it is still young. Here is what changes will take place:
The Town's Name, Omega Highland, will become Woodland Hills. I created the name "Omega Highland" when I was a child, when I first started developing the characters in my mind. The name is sentimental to me, formed from the happy memories of our family vacations. However, I think my small Minnesota town's name should have a more "woodsy" or "northern" ring to it. So, Omega Highland's new name will be "Woodland Hills" when the series is re-released.
The German Titles: Although the current trend in publishing is screaming for diversity, German doesn't seem to count. Thank you to my readers who took a chance on me and read the books anyway, even if you don't speak German! The titles of the first two books, Freundschaft and Tanzen, are German words that were carefully selected after much deliberation about their meaning in the stories. Those that have read the books understand the connection and agree that these titles make sense, but unfortunately, this isn't working for most of the world. Freundschaft's new title is After Tomorrow.
The Book Covers: Although I like using my own artwork for the covers, I'm ready for a more professional look. The Woodland Hills series will have professionally designed covers to look more "Minnesota," and appeal to my teen/young adult audience.
My Author Name: I started writing when I was in high school, and I drafted many of my storylines when I was in college. The foundation of my work was formed before I was married. When I officially became an author, I thought I'd need a more 'unique' name than just "Amy Gleason." Putting my maiden name in there was a way to both honor the time of my life when my characters were formed, and make my author name more unique. After going through the publishing process, however, I've decided that keeping things simple - Amy Gleason - will be easier for cataloguing and for readers to remember. You can find my work under both names: Amy Schire Gleason and Amy Gleason.
Genre: While Freundschaft and Tanzen are listed as "YA fiction," they were written with an adult audience in mind. But after getting so much positive feedback from current teenagers, I have cleaned up a few things and tweaked the stories a bit to make them truly for a Young Adult Fiction audience.
Frequently Asked Questions about the rebranding:
There are new titles and a new name for the town/series. But are the stories in books 1 & 2 the same?
YES...mostly. Freundschaft and Tanzen are really good stories - too good to leave behind in a rebranding! What needed to change were the titles and the name of the town. With adjustments to make the books more appropriate for a teen/13+ audience, the first book in the Woodland Hills series is basically Freundschaft, and the second book is basically Tanzen. See if you can find what has been updated in these new editions!
I have a copy of both Freundschaft and Tanzen. What should I do with these?
CONGRATULATIONS! You have one of the very few copies of the original books in my young adult series about Joanna Conors and her friends in their small Minnesota town. These limited first editions will soon be unavailable, and someday when I'm rich and famous, you will have one of those rare, out-of-print first editions. You can continue the series now starting at #3 in Woodland Hills, or you can start over with the Woodland Hills books 1 & 2 to get used to the new name of the town. If you start over, you will have consistency on your book shelf and much better covers! And who wouldn't love this cozy re-read?!