Have you heard of a little book called Twilight? It’s written by an unknown author by the name of Stephenie Meyer, I think there are a few books in the series and they’ve been moderately successful…
Ahh, who am I kidding I devoured all four right along with the masses. But love or hate those sparkly vampires, one thing is certain, young adult paranormal romance is hot hot hot right now and does not appear to be cooling off any time soon. Throw teenagers, first love, a quest for an impossible dream and werewolves/vampires/fairies/witches/zombies (one, all or any combination of) together and voila you have a recipe that has proven successful again and again and…well you get the point.
Now, I am a self-proclaimed young adult literature aficionado (I have a wall plaque and everything) and haven’t been a teenager for almost 10 years. Yet, I spend my free time scouring bookstores and blogs for the next epic YA novel. I’m not the only one, most of my friends/colleagues read at least one young adult book for every three or four grown up novels. My point being, a well-written enchanting story transcends demographics.
(Warning: shameless plug alert) I am lucky enough to work in publishing and have the chance to share some amazing young adult debuts with you although I would be talking about them no matter what I did for a living.
Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel—Rebecca has created a complex heroine in Lenah Beaudonte, a 500 year old vampire suddenly turned 16 year old girl. This book has it all; sexy ruthless vampires, true love, sacrifice and a new twist on blood sucking eternity.
13 to Life by Shannon Delany—Shannon wrote a great post on Tor.com about the thrall of the new kid at school. And boy does she deliver! Pietr is sexy, mysterious…and hiding something. The closer Jessie Gillmansen gets to him the closer she gets to his dangerous secret.
Glimmerglass by Jenna Black—Jenna is no stranger to the paranormal romance world but Glimmerglass is her first young adult novel. I’m a sucker for books about magic and Jenna weaves a special brand of magic in Avalon, a mysterious fairy realm, and Dana, a human girl that can walk between the human and fairy.
I know what you are thinking. Eileen, these books sound great I want to read more. Well, look no further! Click here to read free original stories by these authors and stop by wordsnstuff.net for more young adult greatness.
And to celebrate, I’ll be giving away some fabulous books in a young adult grab bag!
The Rules: To enter the giveaway, leave one comment—duplicates won’t count—on this post between now and noon EST Friday, August 6. Six winners will be chosen randomly. The giveaway is open to everyone everywhere. Please check your email Friday or Monday; if we don’t hear back from you by noon on Tuesday, your prize will go to someone else.
Eileen Rothschild works in the Marketing department at St. Martin’s Press. She works on all types of books but has a special place in her heart for paranormal young adult novels. Find her at wordsnstuff.net!
