Simon & Schuster Books for Young readers said Tuesday actress-singer Hilary Duff will work on a series of young adult novels that starts with “Elixir,” to be published in October. The first novel will feature the worldwide adventures of photojournalist Clea Raymond.

Twenty-two-year-old Duff also plans a nonfiction book about children coping with divorce, scheduled for 2012. Duff has written about her own parents’ separation in the songs “Stranger” and “Gypsy Woman.”