Hopeful, Not Necessarily Happily-Ever-Afters in Young Adult Fiction

with Guest McCall Hoyle

Being a teenage girl is tough. Believe me. I teach high school. I’m a mom and, although it was twenty plus years ago, I was once a teenage girl.

Willa Cather, one of America’s first well-known female authors, once said, “Most of the basic material a writer works with is acquired before the age of fifteen.” I agree, which is why I enjoy writing young adult fiction. It is a gritty, emotional phase of life that shapes and molds all of us. Because I was less than perfect and because I made my own bad choices, it is important to me to deliver honest stories about the challenges of growing up but also to deliver a message that there is always hope—no matter how flawed we feel physically or emotionally, there is always hope.

Luckily, I found a publisher who shares this belief. HarperCollins/Blink defines their mission like this: Blink brings true stories and fiction to YA readers. The literature published by Blink is a positive reflection of what is inspiring and heartening while maintaining a tradition of imaginative and exciting storytelling that will bring readers to the edge of their seats, immerse them in a heartrending love story, or engross them in a story of a life well lived. Readers will see themselves in all facets of Blink’s literature and will find new levels of entertainment that enrich and uplift.

Blink books do not shy away from tough topics. My debut novel, TheThing with Feathers, deals with some heavy issues, a teenage girl grieving the death of her father and coming to grips with how her teenage life is affected by her epilepsy. The main character’s issues are not tied up with a neat little bow at the end. That would not be realistic to most of my readers. But my hope is that readers will be encouraged enough by Emilie’s strength and resilience and channel some of her character as they face the inevitable difficulties in their own lives.

There is a central romance to The Thing with Feathers, but it remains totally PG, which is where books in HarperCollins/Blink lineup generally fall. Blink had librarians and booksellers asking for what they described as “clean YA” and thought that was a need they could fill. Now Blink is home to award-winning and bestselling authors and dozens of beloved books. If you are interested in finding clean YA, check out the titles Blink publishes on their website. If you’re interested in writing clean YA, visit the “About” page on the Blink website as it outlines in much greater detail how the imprint came up with its guidelines.

I have another wish, in addition to writing hopeful stories, and that wish is that more teenagers with disabilities could experience the unconditional love that my main character receives from her assistant dog, Hitch. In fact, Hitch is symbolic of what we, as humans should aspire to. He is forgiving, patient, brave, and kind. I was thrilled when I learned my release date was September, as September is National Service Dog Awareness Month.

Blink made this debut author’s dreams come true in that I was able to write for my favorite audience—teens. I was able to write about tough issues in an inspiring way. I was able to include a service dog and an element of romance. But ultimately, The Thing with Feathers and Blink books, are about more than epilepsy. They are about more than relationships between young people and pets. They are about more than first love. They’re about enriching and uplifting.

If you want to learn more about Blink, The Thing with Feathers, or a growing segment of young adult fiction, I hope you will check out my book at mccallhoyle.com or check out Blink on their website at blinkyabooks.com.

If you are really interested in The Thing with Feathers, please let us know in the comments that you’d like to be entered for a chance to win a free copy. (International entries accepted.) Winner announced in the Weekend Edition.

I’ll be around all day. I would love to chat, and I’d love to know what book stuck with you for a long time because of its inspirational or uplifting message. If it’s a young adult book, you earn a virtual gold star.

McCall Hoyle writes young adult novels about friendship, first love, and girls finding the strength to overcome great challenges. She is a high school English teacher. Her own less-than-perfect teenage experiences and those of the girls she teaches inspire many of the struggles in her books. When she is not reading or writing, she’s spending time with her family and their odd assortment of pets—a food-obsessed beagle, a grumpy rescue cat, and a three-and-a-half-legged kitten. She has an English degree from Columbia College and a master’s degree from Georgia State University. She lives in a cottage in the woods in North Georgia where she reads and writes every day.

Emilie Day believes in playing it safe: she’s homeschooled, her best friend is her seizure dog, and she’s probably the only girl on the Outer Banks of North Carolina who can’t swim.

Then Emilie’s mom enrolls her in public school, and Emilie goes from studying at home in her pj’s to halls full of strangers. To make matters worse, Emilie is paired with starting point guard Chatham York for a major research project on Emily Dickinson. She should be ecstatic when Chatham shows interest, but she has a problem. She hasn’t told anyone about her epilepsy.

Emilie lives in fear her recently adjusted meds will fail and she’ll seize at school. Eventually, the worst happens, and she must decide whether to withdraw to safety or follow a dead poet’s advice and “dwell in possibility.”

From Golden Heart award-winning author McCall Hoyle comes The Thing with Feathers, a story of overcoming fears, forging new friendships, and finding a first love, perfect for fans of Jennifer Niven, Robyn Schneider, and Sharon M. Draper.

Motivate Kids to Read and Write!

with Guest Brock Eastman

I hated reading. I really didn’t enjoy writing, and my grades reflected it. I wasn’t exactly the prospect for becoming an author. Why did I need to read anyway when I had Sonic the Hedgehog on Sega Genesis? There was always a new Sonic game and a more enhanced Dr. Robotnik to beat. I’d sit for hours in my blue video rocker chair glued to that black controller, connected to my character through a five foot black chord.

Occasionally I’d venture outside with my friends, but that addictive little blue hedgehog always called me back. I remember one of my friends trying to get me to read Louis Lamoure, I think I made it halfway through a chapter. I’d skim the required reading books, and the grades on my book reports would prove it. In High School, my streak of ‘not reading’ continued and my writing reflected the minimum page or word count required to get a B or C.

It wasn’t until college that I read a book because I wanted to. The series I chose is the oft hated, but mostly beloved Harry Potter series. Now some of you reading this are already averting your eyes, and that’s okay; that’s your choice, like reading the books was mine. But let me tell you something the series did for me and many other kids like me; it got me excited about reading. We could debate the magic of the Harry Potter world as good, bad, etc. but the real magic about the books was the creative world that drew young readers in. My imagination was opened and the characters felt like friends. In fact, it inspired me to become a writer, which I now am. Before I talk about the writing thing, let’s take a bit of a tangent first.

Now why did I decide to pick this series up? Well I met this beautiful girl, and we challenged each other to see who could finish the entire book series first. The only title not out was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The only reason I was able to catch up to her was because we both had to wait for the release of the final book. So when it finally came out, we sat in a Borders bookstore (sadly they went the way of the dodo bird) and waited for the midnight release.

The next few days were devoted to reading as much as possible and I am proud to say I won. Now it is debated if my winning was completely above board or not and here is why. Early on in our competition, we went to a friend’s house for a nice home cooked Italian dinner. As we ate, I excused myself from the dinner table to use the restroom. As I passed my girlfriend’s purse I slipped out her copy of The Half Blood Prince and took it with me. Then I proceeded to read it for the next half hour, needless to say my absence in the restroom for so long, was causing everyone else some concern, but no one checked and I made quite a bit of ground on my reading. Now with that confession over, you can judge if I won or not. But I did indeed win in the long run, because the girl married me!

So Harry Potter inspired me to read and it also inspired me to write, but the writing thing is twofold. One I thought how cool would it be to create my very own world, or at least my very own characters. And two I want to write a book series that is a bit more ethical than Harry Potter. You see my real beef with the Harry Potter series is not the magic, because, sorry to burst your bubble, but magic isn’t real. My opposition to the series is the lack of an honorable hero. You see, though Harry appears to be a great hero, he sort of got there through a whole lot of lying, disobedience, and arrogance at times. To tell kids that Harry is a hero, when he overcame evil by committing many wrongs of his own, seems wrong. Sure little Billy, steal that candy bar as long as in the end you overcome a great trial. NO! WRONG!

I wanted to give readers characters they could really look up to, characters they could learn from and trust. Something else I wanted to do, specifically for The Quest for Truth, was provide a story without unnecessary death. This wasn’t in reflection of Harry Potter, but of many series for kids and young adults, and not just in the secular marketplace. How often do our kids read of a sword slicing through someone, or a gun fight? We probably wouldn’t let them watch it on TV, so why would we let them read it in a book?

So with the desire to provide authentic moralistic heroes and a storyline without unnecessary death, I began writing The Quest for Truth. And though this kid who hated reading and writing, hadn’t read anything until he was in college, and hadn’t written anything larger than a few thousand word research paper, wrote a 100,000 word manuscript with no prospect of getting it published. After all I was a college student in the middle of the cornfields of Illinois getting a degree in Marketing. It wasn’t until later that God opened up some pretty amazing doors.

The fact is God has His plans for us. Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) says; ‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.’

So what are you waiting for? You just read this nearly 1000 word article; go read some books. Perhaps you’ll be inspired to write some of your own!

As a thank you for taking time to read this article I wanted to offer a giveaway for a copy of Taken and Risk, the first two books in The Quest for Truth series. [Please let us know in the comments that you'd like to be entered. Winners will be announced in the Weekend Edition.] You can find the next two books of the series, Unleash and Tangle, online or at your local bookstore.

Also at this time Taken (book 1) is available for FREE on Amazon Kindle and Apple iBooks. And the latest release, Tangle (book 4) is at a special price of $2.99 on Amazon Kindle and Apple iBooks. So grab your copy now.

Brock Eastman

www.brockeastman.com

The Wikk kids have been separated on their quest to find humanity's home planet. Reunited with his parents, Mason makes new friends and clashes with old enemies on board the sinister Übel ship, the Black Ranger. Meanwhile, Oliver, Tiffany, and Austin race to rescue their friend Ashley from a toxic moon—and find themselves in more trouble than they'd bargained for.

Newly added from Brock who said: "This is how a kids' author takes their morning perk up…"

SO ... WHAT IS YA FICTION ANYWAY?

Hi, I'm Dina Sleiman, and unless you’ve been hiding under a rock somewhere, I’m sure you’ve heard that YA fiction is all the rage. Books like The Hunger Games, Divergent, The Fault in Our Stars, and Twilight have not only taken the world by storm, but have also been made into blockbuster movies. Even the Christian market has been opening to YA fiction. But what exactly does “Young Adult” fiction mean, and how does it differ from regular adult fiction? That’s precisely what I had to figure out when I started working on my new Valiant Hearts Series from Bethany House a few years ago. Here’s a little of what I learned to help introduce you to the world of YA fiction.

Know Your Age Range - The age range for these so-called “Young Adult” books is typically about 12-18, although these days many of the books are crossing over and having success with adults as well. Younger than that (aimed at 10-13) is called “Middle Grade,” and a new, slightly older category (aimed at 18-25) called “New Adult” has recently emerged. So be sure to know which group you are writing for, and keep in mind that kids love to read about characters a few years ahead of them in life. So the typical age range for main characters in YA books is around 15-19.

Don’t Talk Down – There is no need to dumb down your thought processes or language choices when writing for teens. Considering that a newspaper is written at a fifth grade level, teens should be well able to handle whatever you toss at them. The last thing they want is for you to treat them like children. In fact, because teens are used to reading challenging literature in school, they are actually much more willing to tackle tough subjects and vocabulary than their adult counterparts. While adults are often looking for fluffy entertainment, teens love to learn and grow through fictional experiences.

Through a Teen’s Eyes - The primary difference between adult and teen fiction is in the perspective.  Remember, your main characters should be teenagers, and teens don’t see things the way adults see them. They are questioning the status quo, figuring themselves out, and trying to find their place in the world. They have the intelligence of an adult, but not quite the wisdom or maturity. When writing teen fiction, you must take yourself back to those days, or attempt to view the world through the eyes of your daughter, granddaughter, niece, teenage neighbor, etc... Also, be sure to understand the teen culture of your chosen time period. If you try to tackle a contemporary young adult novel, you will face the extra challenge of grasping the lingo, the styles, and the popular trends without seeming “lame.”

Keep the Pace Fast – While books like The Hunger Games and The Fault in Our Stars clearly demonstrate that teens are willing to read about tough issues, politics, and even philosophy, the pace should be fast and punchy. The descriptions are quick and tightly woven into the other elements of the scene. The conversations are fast paced and often witty. The books are full of action and excitement, twists and turns. I sometimes joke that teen novels are just like adult novels—only more exciting!

Get Real and Raw – As I mentioned, teens are interested in learning about the world through fiction. But not some fake, fluffy, sugar-coated world!!! Not something oversimplified or didactic. They can get all of that in children’s literature. No, they want to understand the real world in all its raw, gritty glory. Often, they will experience issues (and learn how to think and feel about them) in fiction long before they will in real life. They want you to tell them the truth, guide them, but ultimately let them make their own judgments.

Tools to Face the World – Teens want to be ready to face the world of adults. Top teen fiction issues include identity, sexuality, drug and alcohol abuse, poverty, suicide, prejudice, depression, bullying, corrupt politics, family struggles, etc… Serious, real-world stuff! Hopefully they aren’t actually dealing with these issues, although some are, but they want to be prepared when the time comes. If you are a Christian writer, what could be better than introducing these challenging sorts of issues from a godly perspective?

Romance but More – Teens love romance. Especially teen girls. As I mentioned, the awakening of sexuality is a major theme in YA literature. This does not mean having sex, it means learning to understand their bodies and the strange new feelings and sensations they are experiencing. It means making good decisions about the sexual and romantic parts of life at a time when they are often fumbling, giddy, and full of angst over boys.  However, in keeping with the fast pace and grittiness I mentioned, most teen romances offer more than just romance. You will typically find romance mixed with adventure, sci-fi, dystopia, fantasy, suspense, or tough contemporary issues.  So offer your teen reader romance, but also give them something more.

That wraps up the major differences between teen and adult fiction. I think as secular teen fiction becomes darker and more liberal, the market for Christian teen fiction will continue to grow. Likewise as more Christian adult readers discover this entertaining genre, they will boost sales and open even more doors for YA in the future.

What are some of your favorite young adult books? Come on, ’fess up, we know you love them!

GIVEAWAY: 

SO ... leave a comment answering Dina's question above or whether or not you read YA fiction and you will be entered for a signed copy of Dina's latest book, Dauntless, and GOOD LUCK!!

ABOUT DINA SLEIMAN: 

Dina Sleiman writes stories of passion and grace. Most of the time you will find this Virginia Beach resident reading, biking, dancing, or hanging out with her husband and three children, preferably at the oceanfront. Since finishing her Professional Writing MA in 1994, she has enjoyed many opportunities to teach literature, writing, and the arts. Look for her novels, Dance of the Dandelion, Love in Three-Quarter Time, and Dance from Deep Within. Currently she is working on her YA Valiant Hearts Series with Bethany House Publishers. Book 1, Dauntless, is now available, and book 2, Chivalrous, will release in September. Dina serves as an acquisitions editor for WhiteFire Publishing as well, and she loves to teach at writers conferences throughout the US. For more info visit her website.  http://dinasleiman.com/

GUEST BLOGGER AMANDA BARRATT: Sailing Through Unchartered Seas (AND giveways!!)

Julie here, and you know, there just has to be something special about the age of twelve in a girl's life because I know WAY too many authors and writers who began writing at that impressionable age. Who knows—maybe because as a pre-teen, the idea of romance is just beginning to burgeon within a gangly little-girl body. Most of you know I began writing A Passion Most Pure at the age of twelve after I read Gone With the Wind, penning 150 single-spaced pages about characters who are like family to me today. But ... the difference between me and our very special guest is that I let forty years go by before I finished that first novel and embarked on the journey to publication. Our guest, Amanda Barratt? WAY more on the ball than me, beginning her first novel at the age of twelve and now, at the tender age of sixteen, racking up five novels under her belt. I'm guessing by the time this sweet, little thing hits my age, she's going to be an icon on the New York Times Bestseller list with more books to her credit than Nora!

I first met Amanda at last year's ACFW Conference when I was talking to somebody in the hallway outside the main ballroom and noticed a mom and daughter hovering out of the corner of my eye. When I finished my conversation, I turned to them, and in that very instant, I experienced one of the true highlights of the conference. The mom handed me a beautiful gift pack of a scented candle and soap, and although I suppose it might have been a hint that I should "clean up" the excessive passion in my prose, it turned out that her 16-year-old daughter was a devoted reader friend of mine. Never, ever have I been so struck by a young girl as I was with Amanda. Shy and gentle, she evoked such instant affection in my heart that I kept hugging the poor thing, probably traumatizing her for life. Today, we are the best of friends and I am SO excited to see what God is going to do in her life. To celebrate our month of "firsts," it is my pleasure to introduce you to the "first" incredibly young woman I have ever met who took the bull by the horns at such a young age and is pursuing her dream of publication. Please welcome, Amanda Barratt:

Hello to everyone here on Seekerville!! Thank you all so much for having me today! I’m so excited to be here!

Writing is a lot like sailing isn’t it? You row smoothly along with calm seas and blue skies, until suddenly a storm hits, rocking the boat, ripping the sails, and terrifying everyone onboard. Or maybe you hit an iceberg and a hole rips through the side of your ship. Hopefully, if you’re dedicated enough to keep chartering your course, you’ll repair the damages and continue sailing on.

Writing novels in a genre where you’re younger than most of your audience can be compared with sailing through uncharted seas. It is a course that hasn’t yet been mapped out. You never know what kind of response you’ll get and what’s around the next bend is completely unexpected. It’s a fun cruise to be sure, with plenty of twists and turns, rocky seas and calm ones. Just like every writer’s journey.

If you’re a young writer reading this, let me give you what has almost become a mantra for me. Age doesn’t matter, but writing quality does. Sometimes age works as an advantage and sometimes it can be a disadvantage. But if you’re dedicated enough, and determined enough to sail straight and navigate the storms, age is really not important. What is important is perfecting the craft of writing, becoming industry savvy, and most of all- just writing.

One of my favorite movies, Becoming Jane, about the life of the amazing Jane Austen, contains some wonderful advice for all writers. Ann Radcliff is giving Jane, who is a relatively young and inexperienced writer at the time, some advice. She says, “Knowledge will come in time. But until then, that’s what the imagination is for.” Isn’t imagination the main ingredient for good writing at any age? After all, how many of us have lived as English aristocrats or slew dragons? Although a young writer may not have experienced all the emotions of someone much older, they have experienced some, and possibly many, depending on their life experiences. Everyone has knowledge of regret and disappointment. Everyone, to some extent, has loved and lost. Drawing on those emotions can be the building blocks for the emotions of characters. What is lacking can certainly be accomplished with the imagination God has given every natural born writer.

Many (if not most) authors write about younger characters. This is where being younger can work to our advantage. I once read a review for a historical romance written by an author in her late twenties. The reviewer said they thought the author gave a more accurate depiction of the way a young woman would think and feel because the author was very close in age to her heroine. After all, someone with a great deal of life experience might have to remember what it was like to be eighteen again, in order to write that emotion accurately. (By the way, so many authors do this extremely well, including all you amazingly talented Seekers!) In our current culture we tend to relegate youth to a static existence. Thinking all that’s capable of them is biding, or even wasting, their time until adulthood. This is great shame. My great-grandmother was married at 15! Not that I’m advocating this, but young people are capable of so much, if only this mindset could be erased. One great advantage to being a young writer, is the freshness of it all. We’re excited about sitting down and putting words on paper, because most of us aren’t doing it because we have to, but because it’s what we love and are passionate about. Not that older writers are not in love with what they do, because the ones I know certainly are. However, when we age, sometimes even the things we used to love, become work. Our mindsets need to keep the freshness and enthusiasm of youth.

Still, I must face the fact that due to my age there have been disadvantages. I’ve had industry professionals imply that because of my youth I’m not qualified to write in the genre I write (historical romance). My goal is, and I am sure other young writers would say the same, is to be taken seriously and to have my work assessed in the same fashion as a writer of any age. As young writers, we don’t want favoritism, nor do we want boundaries or segregation. Personally, I don’t want to be known as a “teen writer” but as simply - a writer.

Lastly, I will admit, lack of experience can be a disadvantage. Young writers do lack the compounding knowledge that other writers have. We haven’t done all that we will do and see in our lifetimes. However, as we experience new things, and new challenges come our way, we will continue to embrace them and learn, thus aiding our writing.

Getting published may take longer because of age and young writers usually are willing to accept this. Yet that doesn’t mean we’ll become any less persistent or stop trying. At the 2011 ACFW conference Tracie Peterson ended one of her talks with a question. She asked, “If you knew that you would never be published would you still continue to write?” To this, I can honestly answer yes. Although my stories would undoubtedly become a whole lot more Dickensian and I wouldn’t worry so much about that bothersome POV, I would still write because it is what God has called me do, and I could not stop writing any more than I could stop breathing.

Four years and five novels later, I’ve learned so much from when I started. I’ve had so many people offer encouragement, support, and advice and I hope to do the same for other young writers. I think many of them will become the future of fiction, adding new slants and new ideas to what already exists.

So keep sailing, young writers (and all writers too!) There’s bound to be rough seas ahead but staying the course can lead to unimaginable rewards.

About Amanda Barratt: Amanda is a Historical Romance author who has just finished her fifth novel. She has won several awards for her fiction and enjoys writing about eras such as the Gilded Age and Regency England. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Faith Writers. She lives in northern Michigan with her family where she enjoys attending writers conferences, reading, researching history, and of course writing.

You can learn more about Amanda and her writing by visiting her blog at:

Amanda Barratt Blog

GIVEAWAYS GALORE!!! Amanda is offering a special Seekerville giveaway of six awesome books from some of the writers here on Seekerville. So leave a comment with your email and you could possible win one of the following: A Heart Revealed by Julie Lessman, Out of Control by Mary Connealy, An Inconvenient Match by Janet Dean, Love By The Book by Cara Lynn James, A Family For Faith by Missy Tippens, or Mended Hearts by Ruth Logan Herne.

Winners will be contacted and annnounced on the Seekerville Weekend Edition.