What I Read and What I Write

I typically read YA fiction and, therefore, typically write YA fiction (see The Inventor’s Slave and Hunger Is the Best Sauce), but I don’t usually make an effort to fit my stories into genres - which leaves me with problems when they’re done and it’s time to market them.

I personally tend to enjoy YA books because I feel like they’re usually quick reads but don’t swerve from heavy issues. A lot of adult fiction gets me bogged down in political/love interest subplots and I tend to put the book down (I’m a busy person!) and not come back to it.

Children’s fiction is delightful but doesn’t always hit home for me because I appreciate books that discuss real issues. That’s not to say that children’s fiction usually avoids real issues, but I tend to like the level of thinking I find in YA books.

There are exceptions to every rule, of course. John Hart’s The Last Child was not a YA book but had a young protagonist and really moved me, and my current work-in-progress will probably be an adult book rather than a YA book.