Why I Write YA

Like most *ahem* "older" YA readers, Twilight was the book that got me turned on to YA again - a genre I had really considered since I was a teenager. Sure, I'd read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, but that's a book that really transcends age. I should have realized then that YA is so much more than Young Adult fiction - it's really about great storytelling, rich characters, and real life emotions. Who hasn't fallen in love or gotten their heart broken? Wished they were more popular? Or thinner? Or had better grades? Or that their family situation were somehow different?

Reading YA made me want to write YA. My voice seemed to fit the genre, according to my fab agent, so I decided to give it a try. I fell in love with writing it almost instantly. It seems a perfect fit. I tell people I write YA because I haven't grown up yet myself and I'm cool with that. Who wants to grow up anyway? Grown-ups have to pay bills and get jobs. No thank you! lol

The other aspect I love about YA is pretty much anything goes: from vampires, to fairies (Melissa Marr ROCKS!) to angst and boyfriends (Melissa Kantor) to real life situations that break your heart (Laurie Halse Anderson). YA is an open field for the imagination. I love it!