I’ve seen it brought up frequently online recently: Why are all the heroes in YA paranormals new kids at school?
Because new kids are hot.
No offense to the vast majority of readers who had more stable home lives and probably never needed to move around, but, having been a teacher of middle school and high school students, the new-kid-in-town phenomenon is a common occurrence in schools. I actually recall one teen boy (who was quite used to getting the girls’ attention) complaining to me between classes shortly after a new student was introduced because all of the girls were suddenly after the new boy.
As a member of RWA, I’ve come to expect that things labeled as romance come with a Happily Ever After (HEA) or at least a Happily For Now. So, when my characters made it clear in my debut series (starting with the paranormal 13 to Life) that there were significant romantic elements throughout, I had to wonder about teenagers and love.
