Hi everyone!
I’m happy to be part of the blog tour for Jessica Therrien, who just released the 3rd book in her Children of the Gods series, REDEMPTION. As some of you may know, I’m a big supporter of Jessica’s work, and am happy to encourage others to read her series. If you like Paranormal Romance, I highly recommend it. Children of the Gods is like Percy Jackson meets the Hunger Games.
You can purchase her third book, REDEMPTION, (or the first two) on Amazon, either in paperback or Kindle form as of Nov 2nd, 2015. Here is the link to Jessica’s AMAZON PAGE so you can check out all her books!
Now on to the guest post!!
Hello, I’m Jessica Therrien, author of the YA paranormal romance series, CHILDREN OF THE GODS. Thanks for having me on, Christa!
Here are my thoughts on what to expect from a YA book and what makes YA different from adult novels.
The Young Adult genre (or at least its explosive popularity) is still a fairly new phenomenon. Let’s be honest here. It started with Twilight. Despite the fact that Twilight is now so well-known that it has actually become “un-cool” to like it, Twilight mapped out the formula for Young Adult books everywhere. Granted, the typical YA has morphed from shy, plain-Jane, girl-next-door to hardcore badass 16-year-olds, the general equation is the same.
Unassuming high school aged girl meets cute boy who she doesn’t like. Unassuming girl finds out she is different. Unassuming girl gets into trouble. Cute boy helps girl out of trouble. Lots of making out, then they save the world.
Haha! It’s funny when you think of it like that.
Anyway, there is a reason this is a winning formula. So many of us out there don’t see ourselves as perfect, beautiful, or worthy even if we are. We connect with the main character in these books because she is the unassuming girl of our past. She is you (or me). Suddenly in this book that is carrying you (or me) away to a new and exciting world, the unassuming girl we connect with IS worthy and IS loved by her dream guy. She overcomes her obstacles. She falls in love at a time when we all remember falling in love (even if it was with a boy who didn’t love us back). When you’re young, love is SO fresh and new and deep. It’s an amazing emotion to relive.
So I guess YA is different from adult fiction in that it lets us go back to the insecure girl we were (or are) and be loved back, or be stronger, or do things differently in a world that is far more entertaining than the mundane. Whereas, many times, adult novels are less of a daydream and simply rehash the real world struggles we all face.
It all gets a little muddled when you consider adult science fiction and or adult fantasy, but I’m going to choose not to go there so I don’t ramble for three more pages, lol!
That being said, CHILDREN OF THE GODS, does follow the typical YA formula. I’d like to think of that as a good thing. It’s what I like to read. It’s what others expect to read when picking up a book of that kind. In the end, it’s my little daydream.
Thanks for reading! Enjoy the books.
About The Author
JESSICA THERRIEN spent most of her life in the small town of Chilcoot, California, high up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In this town of nearly 100 residents, with no streetlights or grocery stores, there was little to do but find ways to be creative. Her mother, the local English teacher, inspired her to do all things artistic, and ultimately instilled in her a love for language. Jessica currently lives in Southern California with her husband and their two children.
You can visit her online at www.jessicatherrien.com
Thanks Christa!! 🙂