First and foremost, I need to express my appreciation for Kiersten for answering this question. Being a very new reader to her books, I've been avoiding her blog for a little while because, I am only half way through her first book and she's spouting spoilers like there's no tomorrow (okay, not really, but I'm determined not to be spoiled at all until I'm done with her first one). But this post caught my attention. And man, did she hit it right on the nose!
The fact that 'adults' are teased for reading Young Adult (YA) fiction is laughable in my opinion. Who do you think WRITES those books? Not 16 year old high school students (normally), its the authors who are able to transport themselves into teenagers perspectives and give us a story that both entertains and teaches. They're the people who show us that as we grow older, it doesn't necessarily mean you have to BE grown up. As a 22 year old, working adult (as odd as it may be to call myself that), who can often be found in the YA section of any bookstore clinging lovingly to the shelves of her favorite authors (usually accompanied by her best friend, Helen), I proudly state that I usually find reading YA fiction more enjoyable than reading 'adult' fiction.
Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of adult books that I adore. But my true love is YA. It's what draws me in, it's what keeps me entertained, and its what I love to write. That is why Meg Cabot's quote about writing is one of the first on the sidebar over here ---->
"Write the kind of story you would like to read. People will give you all sorts of advice about writing, but if you are not writing something you like, no one else will like it either."
-Meg Cabot
Whether you like YA because of the drama, or the way that it takes you back to when you had your high school crush, whether it's because you get drawn in to the story by the epicness of the two main characters love, or because you want to transport yourself to a realm where anything is possible. Sure, a lot of the time you want to slap the main character upside the head and scream "DUDE! Wake up and open you're eyes." But that's part of the fun. I can't count the number of times I've actually laughed out loud at work while reading my books.
Young Adult fiction, at least for me, lets me leave my normal, mundane adult life, and flips the switch in my imagination not only letting me explore the worlds that authors have created for me, but gives me the inspiration to create my own worlds, characters and stories, and perhaps, it'll allow me to eventually be able to inspire others.
P.S. NEVER underestimate the power of YA networking. The main reason I started reading Kiersten White, was because Stephanie Perkins (one of my new favorite authors) suggested her book and raved about it.
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