Maureen McGowan – Compliance Promo – Guest Post
An Ode to YA by Maureen McGowan
If you talked to me five years ago, I’d have said, not only did I not read young adult fiction, I certainly had no plans to write it. I knew that publishers had started to acquire and publish more YA fiction, based on the success of Harry Potter, but I didn’t think that it was for me. I figured I’d have to tone down my voice, tame my storytelling style, reign in my ideas. No way did I want to write for “kids”.
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
The first (modern) YA novel I read was The Hunger Games and I was pretty much hooked after that. And I’m not the only adult who feels this way. Respected author, Nick Hornby (About a Boy, High Fidelity, etc.) said,
“I see now that dismissing YA books because you’re not a young adult is a little bit like refusing to watch thrillers on the grounds that you’re not a policeman or a dangerous criminal, and as a consequence, I’ve discovered a previously ignored room at the back of the bookstore that’s filled with masterpieces I’ve never heard of.”
And more recently, author and media guru, Chuck Wendig said in his blog article, 25 Things You Should Know About Young Adult Fiction,
“…some of the bravest, strangest, coolest stories right now are being told in the young adult space.”
And these two quotes encapsulate my own awakening. YA books are about teens, but they aren’t just for teen readers.
YA books are no longer juvenile. They’re no longer just for kids. And they sure aren’t like the books shelved in the teen section when I was a teen.
In fact, I realized my thinking about writing YA Fiction was backwards. Adult fiction was forcing me to reign in my voice and color inside genre lines. By writing YA fiction I could write whatever I wanted. I could blend genres. I could be sweet or passionate or brutal. I could be sweet and passionate and brutal within the same book!
I love how daring, challenging and well-written many YA titles are, but I think it’s the genre blending I love the most about today’s YA Fiction. My series, The Dust Chronicles, (Deviants, October, 2012, Compliance, June, 2013, Glory, June 2014) blends sci-fi, fantasy, dystopian, paranormal, spy-thriller, adventure, romance and even a dash of horror. But ultimately the books are (I hope) exciting fast-paced reads that raise both heart rates and interesting questions, without being heavy-handed or pedantic.
If I’d tried to publish these books as adult fiction, editors would have told me that there wasn’t enough focus on the romance to shelve it there, there isn’t enough science for the sci-fi aisle, not enough fantasy for that aisle, and they’re not nearly gory enough to be horror. Editors would have told me that I couldn’t write about a heroine, who’s done the things my 16-year-old heroine has done…
But in YA, none of those things were a problem. At all.
And based on my reader reviews on Amazon, the majority of my readers so far are adults, and many of them male. (The reviews from the men, often start with, “I thought I was going to hate this, but…”) Yes, I would love to capture more of the teen girl reader market, because they are so passionate about books, but I’m thrilled that adults are reading and loving my work.
So, my message to you, gentle readers, is: If you haven’t yet read any YA Fiction, you should give it a try. You don’t know what you’re missing!
A variety of suggestions from my favorites: The Hunger Games, Blood Red Road, Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Fault in Our Stars, Code Name Verity, Angelfall and, oh, perhaps one of my books. 🙂
Compliance, that just came out, is the second book in a trilogy, but also works as a standalone title.
Compliance
Book 2 of the Dust Chronicles series
Release Date: June 4, 2013
Links to order Compliance: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository
NOTE: Deviants, the 1st book in The Dust Chronicles series, is on sale at Amazon Kindle for $1.99 during the month of June.
Haven Equals Safety. This slogan is emblazoned on the minds of every Haven employee. But for Glory, life inside Haven is anything but safe. She must hide her Deviant gift–the ability to kill with her eyes–or face death. Training to be a Compliance Officer, expected to hunt her own kind, she secretly works undercover to save fellow Deviants, but when people she trusts turn against her and a powerful member of Management takes her under her wing, Glory questions everything she believes and can no longer tell her allies from her enemies.
Maureen McGowan always loved writing fiction, but side-tracked by a persistent practical side, it took her a few years to channel her energy into novels. After leaving a career in finance and accounting, she hasn’t looked back.
Aside from her love of books, she’s passionate about films, fine handcrafted objects and shoes. Maureen grew up in various Canadian cities and her previous career moved her to Palo Alto and Philadelphia, before she settled in Toronto, Canada where she attends the Toronto International Film Festival each year.
You can find her online at her website (www.maureenmcgowan.com).
On Facebook (www.facebook.com/MaureenMcGowanBooks)
On Twitter (www.twitter.com/MaureenMcGowan)
To make sure you catch the latest news, join her newsletter list. (http://eepurl.com/AlgIb)
Maureen has graciously offered one lucky member of The Reading Cafe a signed copy of her new release, Compliance.
1. You must be a member at The Reading Cafe. If you are not a member, please register using the Log-In at the top of the page, or by using one of our social log-ins.
2. If you are using a social log-in e.g. Twitter, please leave your email address along with your comment.
3. Giveaway open to US & Canada Only
4. Contests runs from June 16 to June 19, 2013
