Guest Blog with Sherry Soule

“Why I LOVE the Young Adult Genre”

Hi everybody, I’m author, Sherry Soule—waving from the SF Bay Area, where it can get pretty foggy. And I can’t believe that summer’s over, and Halloween (my favorite holiday) is right around the corner.

Thanks for letting me visit today, it’s an honor to be a guest here and meet other fellow book lovers.

Since I was a child, I recognized that books were a way to travel to other places and have remarkable adventures. Even though I am older (you’re NEVER too old to read young adult novels, IMHO) than the average teen reader, I’ve always loved reading Young Adult literature.

I think I love reading YA because I think that most novels in this genre are fast-paced and thrilling, and the stories are written in a style that is engrossing, with story-driven or character-driven plot lines. I also love that there are so many books created into a series nowadays, so that you can continue to have additional adventures with your favorite characters.

Could my love of YA be simply because I’m still stuck at age sixteen, just a teenager-at-heart in disguise?

Could be. And like many of you, I’ve read hundreds of YA books and I can actually say that I enjoyed them all. Some I genuinely loved and these books became like good friends that I didn’t want to part with, so they adorn my bookshelves and wait patiently to be reread again one day. Other novels were simply read and then disregarded with a contented smile.

And you know what? I am NEVER embarrassed to buy YA books (although I buy most of my books online through Amazon) in bookstores, or carry them around with me. I love the genre and always have and always will.

Of course, I realize that we all have diverse tastes in literature. Most of you will have varied genres that you love to read, and probably some of my favorite books are simply your forgotten reads. That is what makes the world of YA, and reading as a whole, so dang fascinating. Each one of us will enjoy different types of characters, plots, and of course, a writer’s voice, the way only they can tell a story.

Personally, I like to read and write darker, edgier young adult novels. As you can probably tell if you’d read my books, I tend to write dark, tormented heroines, too. I love the angst of a female teen protagonist trying to come to terms with some dark secret or horrific event in her past, and usually, she ends up facing this fear, vulnerability, or threat, with a handsome, strong hottie by her side. Oh!—and I love to create an evil villain that is unquestionably devious, but complex. My antiheroes always possess some redeeming features, and because of these factors, I think it makes them much more interesting villains.

My heroines are typically intelligent, snarky, and full of fight. Like my girl, Shiloh Ravenwolf in the Spellbound series. You gotta admire Shiloh’s spunk and determination. When I grow up, I wanna just like her. Or a vampire. Or a ninja. Hmmm, not sure which… Anyhoo, thank you so for letting me chat about my love of young adult literature. I hope you enjoyed this post. Now go feed your mind and read a book! Preferably mine. :-D

Author Bio 

Sherry Soule is the bestselling author of the acclaimed YA Spellbound series. She writes urban fantasy, an odd hybrid of the horror genre that includes elements of mystery, romance, fantasy, and suspense for teens and adults. Right now, she’s working on a few different young adult series: Spellbound and Tales of a Teenage Succubus. Plus, an adult novel, Immortal Eclipse.

Places you can cyberstalk Sherry Soule:

Official Website: http://sherrysoule.com

Official Blog: http://www.sherrysoule.blogspot.com

Official Spellbound Series Universe: http://thespellboundseries.blogspot.com

Twitter @WriterSherry: http://twitter.com/writersherry

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11634793-beautifully-broken