Eternal Youth with Guest Blogger: Veronica Blade

Meet featured author Veronica Blade today at the Book Boost!

Here's what she had to say about her latest addiction...

Until a couple years ago, I’d only ever read novels for “grownups,” with the exception of Harry Potter. As a teen, I didn’t realize I had options other than Judy Blume, so I opted for Harlequin romances. In recent years, I couldn’t ignore the hype over a particular bestselling novel and finally picked up the book, reading these four lines on the back cover:

“About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him — and I didn't know how dominant that part might be — that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.”

That was it for me. I bought Twilight and it immediately sucked me in (pun intended). And thus began my addiction to reading YA. As a woman old enough to have grown kids, I found this slightly disturbing. I mean, in addition to writing, I run a successful business where employees call me “boss.” I’m also a published author who has completed writing six full length novels and two novellas. I’m supposed to be an adult, right? But there’s something about teen novels that’s unstoppable.

Wondering if I should hide my undeniable craving for teen novels, I was thrilled to discover many of my adult friends also devouring YA. I wasn’t the only addict! Teen series like Twilight, Wolves of Mercy Falls, and the Hunger Games are flying off the shelves. So, what’s up with the sudden YA craze?

I don’t know about you, but I don’t exactly look back fondly on my school days. I wasn’t popular or at the top of my class. I didn’t meet the love of my life and live happily ever after, like Bella and Edward. I did, however, deal with acne, hormones, weight gain, a broken heart, unrequited love, bullies, teachers I didn’t like, classes I sucked in and too many embarrassing moments to count.

Why would any sane person want to revisit that? Thank goodness we’re not! What we’re really doing is following the lives of young heroes and heroines as they navigate the toughest hurdles they’ve ever encountered: a/k/a "The Teen Years". The protagonists may not deal with challenges as well as an adult, but by the end of the book, they handle things far more maturely than I would have back then.

YA isn’t just about hormones, acne and awkward growing pains. It’s about being on the cusp of adulthood, about falling for boys, and other major life-changing twists and turns. It’s about firsts — first jobs, first kisses, first loves, first heartbreak. It’s about uncovering things — family secrets and betrayal. It’s about discovery — who you are and how you fit into this new adult world you’re rapidly becoming a part of. It’s learning — who to trust, how to be trustworthy, and the difference between right and wrong when the stakes are high. YA is about relationships and discovering how to co-exist with others. It’s about conducting yourself with honor, when it’s all you have left.

After dipping your toes into novels like that, it’s hard to go back to corporate espionage, mortgage payments, divorce, single parenthood, financial problems, etc. etc. Hey, I get that in real life, so why would I let it suck up my spare time? I’ll stick with my fantasies, thank you very much. The escape is, after all, why we lose ourselves in books in the first place – to be in someone else’s world with an entirely different set of problems.

As I read about teens battling their fears and conquering their enemies, I can live their lives with them and feel their emotions. In a way, I get a do-over of my teen years. With YA, we are forever young. In a sense, it gives us immortality. I don’t know about you, but I will forever be 17… a million different seventeens than the one I experienced.

Hello. My name is Veronica Blade and I am a YA addict. And I shout it out for all the world to hear. Or, in my case, I type it out. :)

A Note from the Book Boost: I totally get it. I'm secretly addicted to the show Vampire Diaries for the same reasons. Of course, I could only be so lucky to have two scrumptious "forever teen" brothers fighting over me. Sigh. Thanks for the post and please tell us about your latest release, Veronica.


Blurb:

Brainiac Tessa McClean’s newly discovered magical powers give her an escape from her self-absorbed parents. But the thrill of being a witch fades when she learns of a rival coven and begins to suspect her own coven’s motives. Evidence tells Tessa to trust one side, but instinct drives her toward the other.

When the school’s scrumptious delinquent, Hayden Anders, offers Tessa self-defense lessons in exchange for tutoring, his timing couldn’t be better. Although hanging out with him is a necessary evil in Tessa’s fight to stay alive, resisting a bad-boy she secretly yearns for might be more than she can manage.

Together, Tessa and Hayden work to unravel the mysteries behind the two covens to discover why they’ll stop at nothing to lure Tessa to their side. She must form an alliance with one of the covens before it’s too late. But the wrong decision could cost Tessa the lives of all who she holds dear — including Hayden.

Want More Veronica?


Visit her website here: http://veronicablade.com/

Pick up a copy of her book today! Click here.

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