Why Young Adult and New Adult Romance? Blast from the Past by Lynn Lovegreen

(This Blast from the Past was first published in 2016.)

We’re celebrating New and Young Adult romance this month! I am honored to be asked to write an extra post for this theme. (My usual gig is the second Thursday of the month.) These age categories are my favorites, and I’ll explain why.

Young adult (YA) is usually defined as the teen years, when most kids are in secondary school and figuring out who they are. New adult (NA) is often defined as the period right after that, when young people are holding their first jobs, going to college, and learning to be on their own in the world. Both ages are full of drama and possibilities, especially in fiction. Add a little romance, and you have the perfect ingredients for a novel.

Depending on who I’m talking to, I often just say I write YA. But if my audience knows about NA, I will say YA/NA. In my Gold Rush books, there is a combination of YA and NA characters. Because of the time period, most of my teenaged characters are taking on adult roles earlier in life. Plus, there is not an obvious border between the two age groups then, so teens are spending time with what we might call new adults. In Quicksilver to Gold, for example, set back in 1900, Jeannie has never set foot in a school building, but today she’d probably be a senior in high school. The object of her affection, Clint, would have graduated high school already since he’s a little older. When they meet at their mining claims outside Nome, Alaska, they are both seen as adults. But when you see Jeannie’s emotional reactions to things, there is no doubt she is a teenager.

I write YA and NA because I remember my teen and college years vividly. I knew even then that it was a dramatic stage of life; I recall thinking that if I ever wrote a book, it would be set during that time. (No, none of my books are that close to autobiography, but you never know what I might write in the future!) For most of us, those years are an emotional roller coaster. Everything is important, and so much feels earthshaking. That’s built-in drama for a novelist.

While adults also enjoy reading YA and NA, I hope teens can use my characters as examples of what they might do with their own lives. If Jeannie can strike it rich with her mining skills or Charlotte can help create Denali National Park, why can’t our readers achieve their own dreams? I hope they will.

For more on why I write YA, see my video at https://youtu.be/rJDWwrSnXuMhttps://youtu.be/rJDWwrSnXuM.

Lynn Lovegreen grew up in Alaska, and still lives there. Her young adult/new adult historical romances are set in the Alaska Gold Rush, a great time for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com.

My Perfect Time and Place by Lynn Lovegreen

This month, we’re talking about our perfect time and place. I’ve already found my place—Alaska. As I’ve mentioned before, this is my home because I love the land, water, and people here. It’s great to be around beautiful landscapes, and friendly, independent  folks. But as an historical author, I’m always looking back in time.

The Alaska Gold Rush ran from the late 1800s through 1915 or so, depending on your criteria. The Gold Rush time period is attractive to me because anything seemed possible and the territory was full of hardy, adventurous people. And while life was not easy for women then, they had more opportunity in Alaska than they normally would have in other places. Many women in Alaska were able to push the boundaries by owning their own businesses, like Belinda Mulrooney, and proving that women were physically as strong as men, like Fannie Quigley. It’s no accident that the territory was one of the first to pass women’s suffrage, and had women representatives like Crystal Snow Jenne, who grew up in Juneau during the Gold Rush, early in its legislative history. 

As you can guess, many of my Gold Rush characters are based on these and other extraordinary ladies. I’m proud to be part of this legacy, and would like to think I would have been as remarkable as my Gold Rush heroines if I’d been there myself. This is as close as I can get, on the beach in Nome in my Gold Rush-inspired clothes. :-)

Lynn Lovegreen grew up in Alaska, and still lives there. Her young adult/new adult historical romances are set in the Alaska Gold Rush, a great time for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com.

Remembering My Teen Years and Writing About Them

By Lynn Lovegreen

Why do I write YA? Because I remember what it was like.

My young adult years were typical in many ways. My emotions kept me on a roller coaster, thanks mostly to hormones coursing through my body. There were big highs, and big lows. I recall being upset when my current crush didn’t say hi back, or devastated when someone treated me badly. I remember thinking that my life was awful and I couldn’t do anything about it. There were times when the prospect of entering the world out there was scary, and figuring out who I really was daunting. I wouldn’t want to relive those days.

But there were highs as well as lows. I remember the giddy feeling of my first kiss, the excitement of performing in high school plays. I loved the school dances and the fun of Spanish club celebrations. Sometimes life was wonderful. The closeness I felt with my best friends was something I’ve only matched with a few people since then. I have a lot of fond memories, too.

I dig into my younger years when I write. Most of my characters are young adults and feel the same kinds of things I did back then. I am drawn to describe what that was like, hoping it will help a teen reader to say, yes, I’m not alone in this, or someone older to say, I remember that. Whether it’s 1900 or 1980 or today, teens have many of the same emotions. We can all relate.

That is why writing YA or NA is so rewarding. It’s about more than entertainment, although I hope my readers will be entertained, too. It’s about connections. The best compliment I’ve had was a review Julie B. Cosgrove did of Quicksilver to Gold. She said, “This is a great tale of embracing who you are, struggling to achieve your goals, and discovering the value of family.” She got what the character was going through, and that made my day.

When I was teaching, sometimes my students would ask me, “Would you go back to your teens if you could?” I always answered no, because I remember the bad as well as the good. But if my writing can help one young person through their own roller coaster ride, then I’ve done something worthwhile.

Book Blurb for Quicksilver to Gold, released Aug. 21st:

Thieves took their claims…Now she wants to steal his heart. Gold mining is in Jeannie Kelly’s blood. But it’s a dangerous time to be an honest miner in Nome, Alaska—claim jumpers have invaded the territory. Jeannie has set her sights on Clint Tilghman, the strong, quiet man next door to her family’s claim. Clint fights his feelings for the impulsive lady miner, fearing he’ll lose his independence. Jeannie tries to change her tomboyish ways to attract Clint and gain respect from others, but there’s a lot to learn amidst gunplay and bar fights. Jeannie must woo Clint and beat the claim jumpers before summer’s end.

Link: http://www.prismbookgroup.com/QuicksilvertoGold.html

Lynn Lovegreen grew up in Alaska, and still lives there. She taught English for 20 years before retiring to make more time for writing. She enjoys reading, hanging out with friends and family, and hitting targets with a cowboy action shooting club. 

Her young adult historical romances are set in the Alaska Gold Rush, a great time for drama, romance, and independent characters. 

See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Tumblr, and Pinterest. 

Her novels Fools Gold, Quicksilver to Gold and novella Worth Her Weight in Gold are available through Prism Book Group or your favorite book vendor.