What is YA, YA romance & YA paranormal romance??

Think about your local bookstore. There are sections for general literature, romance, fantasy, self-help, on-fiction … you name it, it’s there. Then, over in the back, there is ‘that kid section’ which, strangely has grown over the years to encompass thousands (or so it seems) books in various colors for little kids. Right outside that section is a less colorful one that you often have to pass to get to the little kid section.

On those shelves are the YA, or Young Adult books — the ones your teenager might read if you could get them off the Wii.

In general, YA includes 14-21 year olds, or 13-19 if you are my son claims he knows more than the person to first coin the term Young Adult. ::rolleyes:: Teenagers — as if!

Well, that’s exactly as if.

In general, YA literature (no matter the genre: romance, fantasy, general literature, etc.) has a main character who is in the same age range as the readers of the work. On top of that, the stories typically revolve around said Main Character and the lives they lead in the context of their age.

Some consider this age group classification as ‘a trend’ when it was first coined in 1802 … that to me indicates it has long lasting appeal. I’m sure you can come up with a list of novels dedicated to the teen years … some with a wide presence even … vampires anyone? 😉

Now, if that’s YA, what’s YA romance?
Romance focuses on the relationship between two main characters and adds a happily ever after … well, merge the 13-19 or 14-21 year olds in and you have YA romance.

Now, there are lines that some cross and others don’t with the level of ‘romance’ that is included in YA romance. Yes, yes, in romance, sex is okay, perhaps acceptable or expected or in some areas of romance … downright gotta have it.

In YA? Well … that depends on who you talk with. Some say teens have sex, so the main characters should too. Me? Not going there. I will be sticking with bases 1 and 2. Third base and sliding into home will be reserved for my adult work.

So what’s YA paranormal romance?
Ah … now this is the part I love. I LOVE paranormal stories where by someone, usually the main character has an aspect of the unreal in their lives. Something I can ‘make up’ so I can flit them through motions and activities that are outside the scope of ‘normal’ … because they aren’t.

So take those 14-21 year old, add the sweet essence of sensual personal relationships between a boy and girl (in the 14-21 age range) and top it off with something otherworldly.

That is what I write. Ya paranormal romance.

What do you write? Tell me about it!