I often get asked why I chose to write a young adult series? After all, my young adult days are far behind me. Shouldn’t I write books for people my own age?
First of all, I read young adult fiction all the time as do many adults I know. A well-written book draws a reader in, no matter what the age. I’m always amused when someone is surprised that I read YA. It’s just another genre like historical fiction or horror. They don’t card you before entering the YA aisle in the library, thank God, so it’s OK to be an adult and still read YA.
There’s something about that time between childhood and adulthood that is so compelling. It’s a phase of change and discovery; endings and beginnings. You’re discovering who you are as an individual, outside of your family and friends. You’re finding your voice, learning and stretching your boundaries and asserting your independence. Living through middle and school high school is not for the faint-hearted. All the social pressure, cliques and drama have got to be more stressful than any job at the CIA. For me, when I was a teen, everything seemed so big because there was so much I didn’t know yet; that I hadn’t experienced. I wanted to make my own choices, but I feared making a mistake. I wanted to conquer the world and hide under the blankets all at the same time. It was exhilarating and exhausting.
For me, I think, as an adult things seem less intense because we usually have a grasp on who we are just by the mere face we’ve been alive a bit longer. We have our habits, our issues, anxieties and we’re used to dealing with these things. While we can certainly choose to change at any time and be someone different, it’s a lot harder to make those changes because of marriages, jobs, children and the general expectations of those around us. The deeper our roots grow, the more we are anchored to who we’ve become. The less free we feel to change. And the scarier the change becomes because we have so much to lose.
It’s when you’re younger that you have the freedom to really choose who you are. To me, that is the most exciting time. If you can keep from getting caught up in social pressures or outside noise, you’ve got an almost unlimited chance to choose your path and go as far as your wits can take you. It’s one of the scariest and most exciting times in life and I think that’s why so many adults like to look back and reminisce about it. So many possibilities were at our fingertips, so many versions of ourselves that never came to be. It’s bitter-sweet looking back on all those choices we made and the ones we passed on…all those roads taken and paths ignored.
I chose to write this YA series because I wanted a chance once again to explore all the possibilities life has to offer, living vicariously through my character as she makes her choices, and forges her path. It’s a reminder to me to live more boldly than I have gotten in the habit of doing lately; to look at things daily with a fresh perspective and break up my routine. There’s magic to be had in trying something new, seeing something differently. And I think we can all use a little more magic in our life. I know I can.