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Sand Dollar Press Blog:

Supernatural characters in young adult fantasy novels

Supernatural characters in young adult fantasy novels 150 150 srvvsa

With the success of young adult fantasy novels such as the Twilight and Harry Potter series, supernatural protagonists were the standard over the last few years. Even though readers may be tiring of vampires and wizardry, it seems that characters with supernatural powers or paranormal tendencies are here to stay. Supernatural protagonists are everywhere in…

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Why young adult novels are so compelling

Why young adult novels are so compelling 150 150 srvvsa

Source: womanaroundtown.com While young adult novels are typically geared to those in the 12-18 age range, they’ve become increasingly popular amongst all age groups and genders—it’s no longer surprising to find middle age readers frequenting the young adult aisles of your favorite book store. In fact, it’s become the standard. Readers embrace books for young…

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Command of the Genre

Command of the Genre 150 150 srvvsa

Whether your goal is to write young adult fiction books or end of the world books geared to a more adult audience, one of the most valuable talents you can have is a command of the genre. Even if you want to blend several genres or cross the boundaries with different pieces, fully understanding the…

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Strong female characters in young adult novels

Strong female characters in young adult novels 150 150 srvvsa

Katniss Everdeen, Eden Newman, Bella  Swan—if it weren’t for some of these strong female protagonists in young adult novels, teenage girls may still be looking for that fairy tale ending of being rescued by their knight in shining armor—on a white horse, of course. Beautiful as those fairy tales may be, there’s nothing like having…

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Tips for Writing Paranormal Romance Novels

Tips for Writing Paranormal Romance Novels 150 150 srvvsa

Paranormal romance novels are hot as ever—more are being made into films or televisions shows, installments are churned out incessantly and conventions are teeming with fans. Yet with so much competition, how do you write one that stands apart from the rest? A sub-genre of romance with roots in Gothic fiction, paranormal romance novels may…

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Trends among young adult fantasy novels

Trends among young adult fantasy novels 150 150 srvvsa

In the past few years, there’s been a surge in popularity among young adult fantasy novels. There was a huge boom in paranormal romance novels with all the Twilight fanfare, spurring a multitude of vampire novels that seemed never ending. Yet now readers seem to be losing interest in vampires in wizardry, but not necessarily…

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Writing young adult novels—the basics

Writing young adult novels—the basics 150 150 srvvsa

Writing young adult novelsis not as easy as you might think. It’s not just about writing something hip or trendy, nor is it as simple as writing from an adolescent perspective or having a teenage protagonist. While a major part of the audience is in the standard young adult demographic (12-17), people from all ages…

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Why young adult fiction books make the grade

Why young adult fiction books make the grade 150 150 srvvsa

The widespread popularity of young adult fiction books is an anomaly to many—it’s hard for people to understand why adults want to read books targeted to a teen audience. “Want” is an understatement—teens and adults alike line up at bookstores to get their hands on books the day they’re released, flock to conventions and wait…

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Our Fascination with End of the World Books

Our Fascination with End of the World Books 150 150 srvvsa

Does the majority of our society believe we are doomed? Our fascination with end of the world books seems to indicate that we do. Whether it’s the Mayan predictions of 2012 or the words of Nostradamus, prophecies about the end of the world have been debated in books, idealized in films and flooding our pop…

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Why Young Adult novels appeal to everyone

Why Young Adult novels appeal to everyone 150 150 srvvsa

It’s clear that young adult novels appeal to all ages—adult women flock to Twilight conventions and book signings, and it’s not just to accompany their teenage daughters (though clearly, they’re big fans of as well). Everyone from tweens to the middle aged swarm the bookstores for the latest young adult fiction books. It’s an interesting…

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Writing characters for young adult novels

Writing characters for young adult novels 150 150 srvvsa

Creating characters for young adult novels may not be the easiest thing to do, especially if your teenage years seem a lifetime ago—but they can definitely be the most gratifying to write. An author has to really know and understand their characters, even the antagonists, so that they can create real individuals who readers can…

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The Boom of Dystopian Novels

The Boom of Dystopian Novels 150 150 srvvsa

If we were back in 2005 and you were an author trying to submit dystopian novels to publishers, you probably would not get much response. The thought of gambling on young adult novels written about depressed societies just didn’t sound like a good one. Fast forward to present day—dystopian literature is flourishing. The success of…

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The Popularity of Paranormal Romance Novels

The Popularity of Paranormal Romance Novels 150 150 srvvsa

Paranormal romance novels are hot as ever—more books are being made into films or televisions shows, sequels are being churned out and conventions are teeming with fanatic readers. It’s an interesting phenomenon that many experts have differing opinions about, but that writers and publishing houses across the world are capitalizing on. With roots in Gothic…

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