Why YA appeals to adults, my take...and OS teaser #42

So, here is my little girl graduating junior high school.

I'm still trying to figure out how that happened. She was a baby just last week. It's totally crazy how fast time goes. I sort of wonder if there's something to those time travel stories, cuz I feel like I must have jumped forward at least ten years. And, the thing about time is, once it's gone, you can't get it back. Makes me think that all the time I wasted waiting for things was...well...wasted.

I'm one of those people who are always looking forward. When I was little, I wanted to be bigger. When I was bigger, I wanted to be old enough to drive. Then I wanted to be old enough to drink. Then I wanted to be out on my own. Then I wanted my graduate degree. Then I wanted to travel. Then I wanted kids. And, with every new goal I forgot to pay attention to the moment. Instead, when I accomplished one goal, I'd just set another and keep looking forward.

I recently heard an young author friend of mine (who I love dearly and am not criticizing) say that she thought the reason that adults were drawn to YA literature is that their lives were boring and they wanted some excitement. I worked really hard not to burst out laughing. I see it totally the opposite. My life is so nuts most of the time with three jobs and two kids that I just want to go back to the simplicity of childhood, even if for a short time. Many young adult books deal with the coming of age issues we all remember from our youth (because, really, it wasn't that long ago). And, as much as most of us wouldn't want to go through all of that again, it's a nice diversion from our crazy existences to remember how it felt.

As a writer, I've taken it one step farther. I've found my escape from my crazy life in my characters. They take me for some wild rides. Maybe my friend had it a little backward, but she was right in that I get to relive some of my misspent youth through my characters.

So, if you're a "grown-up," why do you read YA? (If you do.) Is it for the characters? The kick-ass plots? What draws you to the genre.

And now, Original Sin teaser #42. Once again, here is Matt. And he's not happy. I'll leave it at that and let you figure out what's going on. ;p

#OriginalSin p113 Matt: Finally, I slip back through Luc’s wall. But the first thing I see—a flash of skin in the tangled sheets—feels like a punch to the gut. I push back into the hall and sit with my head in my hands again, forcing myself not to storm in there and pull him off her. It’s too late. I got distracted and forgot where the real danger was.

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