You might have already heard but if not, it's my great pleasure to announce that our own Buzz Girl Heather Davis's The Clearing has been nominated for the prestigious RITA award which is given by the Romance Writers of America at their national conference each summer. (Read Donna's post below for more info.) This is an epic accomplishment and we'll be celebrating all week long right here.
Since The Clearing is a YA romance (and if you haven't read it yet, you're in for a treat once you do) I thought I'd talk about what we all love about YA romances, whether realistic or paranoramal or sci fi or whatever you like to read.
Here's what my agent, Christina Hogrebe, has to say about what makes YA romance so fun to read: "[It captures the] intense feelings of awkwardness that surround all of the firsts. ... It's messy and embarrassing and scary and irrisistible."
I couldn't have said it better myself. I adore a story where awkwardness reigns, and where there's an exciting mystique to the beautiful ordeal of falling in love. Where the ending of the emotional trip isn't necessarily a wedding or even a desire to get married (as it oftentimes is in "adult" romances), but a new level of understanding and self-acceptance--a golden piece of the puzzle of life.
Here are some quotes I found that nicely portray teen love:
"Once in a while, right in the middle of ordinary life, love gives us a fairytale." ~ Author unknown
"There is a time for risky love. There is a time for extravagant gestures. There is a time to pour out your affections on one you love. And when the time comes, seize it, don't miss it." ~ Max Lucado
What do YOU like most about YA romances in general and the romance in The Clearing in particular?
Posts
6 comments:
The Clearing has a magical feel about it...and the love is so real and genuine. I feel its appeal to romance lovers of all ages.
*blushes* Thanks, Wendy and Tina.
I love YA (reading and writing it) because the emotions are so accessible. I remember feeling awkward and how everything that is going on is so big and important -- I still feel that way as an adult lots of times.
It's easy to read a YA and find myself rooting for the younger me - that she will overcome, along with the character, whatever obstacle the book puts in her path. YA is unlike any other genre in that way...
so true!
I love YA romance because (and I haven't been a YA for a LONG time) no matter what the main character does, you empathize with him/her. Said something stupid? Yep, been there. Broke up? Check. Got back together once you realized you still love him/her. Mm hmm.
It brings me back to a fun, happy, ridiculous time of my life and I love that! Congratulations, Heather!
erica
Congrats Heather!! I agree - the appeal of YA romance is huge because everything is brand new. You don't run into world-weary, romantically bitter heroes and heroines (not that they're always bad by any means!). Everything is so novel and no emotion is too tiny or too common to expound upon. Fun to read and to write.
I love romance of all kinds, including YA. What's really great about romance though is that really it pervades all genres. Yes, it is definitely it's own genre, but it is also a subplot in so many more because it is such a large part of our lives.
I love YA romance mostly because it's that first exciting flush of love. It hits both the deep excitement of a crush and the fluttery first feelings of a deeper love. :)
Post a Comment