It’s banned book week. YA novels are often banned for reasons centering around diversity, sexuality, and ‘bad’ language. But teens need diverse role models, books that depict sex realistically and honestly, and books that reflect the language they actually use.
I was recently talking to a woman about my book at a wake (yeah, I promote wherever I can 🙂 ). When I said, “It’s a YA thriller,” her eyes glazed over. I quickly added, “But I originally wrote it…
The lists of YA novels to look out for this fall are coming fast and furious, and already overwhelming me. So many I want to read, so little time. I’m actually starting to feel list fatigue, i.e. a longing to…
The debate about whether YA is good for teens or adults or space aliens has surfaced again, and much as I wanted to resist the click bait, I read the article. I got annoyed.
Today I’ve decided to stir up a little controversy with some links that challenge popular YA tropes and trends. Nothing, not even the current push to make YA more diverse, is above criticism, and I’m glad to share links that…
Between the Zika virus and the latest warnings for Olympic athletes not to put their heads under the water in Brazil because it is full of disgusting stuff I’d rather not talk about here, it feels like the summer Olympics…