Friday, May 18, 2012

Emerald Barnes comes a calling




Thank you, Penny, for hosting me today!  I appreciate you letting me come and talk about YA characters!

A lot of YA literature has main characters who vary greatly but are still very similar.  They’re all insecure, just like teens, and they all have to deal with not only being an awkward teenager but having to face very adult matters.  

It’s no secret that the YA genre has taken the world by storm lately.  But why is that genre so popular? 

I think it has to do with the reason I write and read YA fiction.  It’s fun.  You get to experience first kisses all over again.  You get to be with characters on their journey of self-discovery, and you get to laugh at someone else who was as awkward, if not more, than you were at that age.  If you’re a young adult, you get to see someone else being humiliated or finding that totally yummy guy or gorgeous girl you always dreamed about having!  But with each YA story, there’s a similarity, and it has to do with what the characters go through.  I think that’s fine too.  It’s the reason why the genre is so popular!  

Most of my main characters are vulnerable.  They want to be normal, but I wanted to make their life too hectic to be normal.  (I think that is always what makes a good story.)  I wanted my characters to find themselves searching for that normality in life, and I find that very relatable. 

But then again, there are characters who are so unlike the normal teenager.  And that’s fine!  I think it gives the readers another life to experience. 

So whether your characters are shy and timid or outspoken and adventurous, I think they all end up being somewhat similar.  Because they’re teenagers.  They all go through awkward periods, and I think they all are trying to find their place in the world.

They feel out of place, awkward, and unworthy of that cutie’s crush.  They all have to face their past or future head on, and they discover something about themselves.  Again, it’s a similar theme that each character has to face. 

But there’s nothing wrong with that!  It’s part of writing in the YA genre.  So don’t be afraid if your characters seem similar.  Chances are, they are, but it’s because it’s realistic. 

My new release, Read Me Dead, is available on Amazon, but if you comment you can win a copy along with a copy of my first novella, Piercing Through the Darkness!

You can connect with me here:

Buy Links:
 

Read Me Dead a YA Romantic Suspense
Alexia Wheaton’s problems go beyond picking a dress and a date for homecoming.
 For seven years, Alex has lived with a painful memory - her parents' horrific murder. As the sole witness, she has kept quiet to protect herself, but when the local newspaper reveals her secret, Alex is plagued with fear that her parents' murderer will soon find her - and silence her forever.
 Alex is catapulted into a race against time to save her own life and bring her parents' murderer to justice. 



Piercing Through the Darkness, a YA suspense/thriller
It’s on the edge of her memory like a word on the tip of her tongue, but Kandi can’t remember what it is to save her life.

Despite being a cop, Jimmy can’t protect Kandi from the one thing that haunts her. She’s in danger and doesn’t even know it. After it happened, her brain repressed her memories of the accident, and now, she’s taking a Biology class under a man who wants to see her dead. The memories have started coming back, and it feels like she’s miles away from him. How can he protect her when she doesn’t even know she needs protecting?

Can these characters pierce their way through the darkness?

10 comments:

  1. My characters are getting a little older these days ... I'm working on one with an Old Lady of Twenty-Seven.

    I do love the YA "firsts" though, for sure! Oh, those awkward kisses! Those dumb-seeming questions you're afraid to ask! :-)

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    1. Hey Dalya - thanks so much for stopping by! I am putting your name in for the end of the month drawing for a basket, packed with summer things!

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    2. I know, Dalya! Mine keep getting older too. In my newest book, my MC is 24 going on 25. But yes, those firsts are so much fun!

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  2. Congratulations on the book! Very nice post. Those would be interesting characters to read about.

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. Thanks again for coming by and again your name goes in for the drawing!

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    2. Thanks! :) I'm glad you won on one of my other tours! I hope you enjoy it!

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  3. Great article. I enjoy writing for teens because my characters bring back memories of long ago when I went through some of the same trials that my characters face and wish I'd known then what I know now.

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    1. Good morning Beverly - I appreciate you coming by. Being a YA was so long ago, I forget how things were - LOL I am putting your name in for a basket full of summer goodies. The drawing will be May 31!

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    2. That's a great reason to write YA characters! Thanks for stopping by! I'll choose a winner very soon!

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  4. Hi, Beverly! Congratulations on winning! What's your email address, and I'll send you your books!

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