Hilary Duff's an Author???

Yep, that's right. The 22-year-old actress-singer who's claim to fame is largely attributable to her role as Lizzie McGuire in the popular Disney franchise (as well a couple of popular songs), is penning a series of young adult novels. The first novel, Elixer, is about the adventures of a photojournalist named Clea Raymond who travels around the world. It is slated for release this Oct. 12. Duff is also scheduled to publish a nonfiction book in 2012, about children coping with divorce (a topic that has touched her own life).