Beacon Goddess Fish Tour & Giveaway - Writing Romance: Teen vs. Adult

I am excited to welcome the lovely and talented Angela Brown to my blog today. She's promoting her newest novel, Beacon. It's my favorite book from her yet. Check out my review. She's talking romance and holding a mega giveaway! Be sure to follow her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions and increase your chances of winning.

Writing Romance: Teen vs. Adult

Hey Christine and thank you so much for letting me drop in for a visit. 

As some of you may know, I write and publish across the romance spectrum, from teens to adults. Beacon, my YA urban fantasy dystopian, is written for a teen audience with a lot of focus on the main character’s journey of self-discovery. Part of that involves her romantic feelings for a certain best friend with smoldering silver eyes.

Being a YA novel, I chose to approach the romance angle the same as I’d done with my other YA novel, Neverlove. In YA, there’s an opportunity to jump on the newness of crushes and first loves. Couple that with the yo-yo crazy hormonal tizzy that is adolescence and writing romance for teens becomes a deep dive into angst, confusion, and blossoming love from lenses unclouded (This is regarding an unclouded - or less than really grimy-dirty - past and present with experiencing romance).

Within YA, I also tend to keep things a little sweeter, cleaner, especially when it comes to sex. Touches are evocative. Kisses are fire, but if I have my characters embark on a sexual encounter, I’ll keep “the act” details to a minimum or perhaps go with the “fade to black.” This is a preference, not a necessity for writing romance for teens. As much as we adults would like to think young people don’t know - or shouldn’t know - about some of the grittier things when it comes to romance, think again. Writing is an art (to some it isn’t but that’s a debate for another time) and art is certainly an imitation of life.

My new adult and adult romance differs slightly for a couple of reasons.

1. By the time we’ve hit college or step into the first day at that new job, we’ve experienced a first love, maybe even a second or third. We’ve crushed on someone who had no intentions or desires to reciprocate those feelings. Many times, they probably had no clue of the unrequited love. When we’ve reached adulthood, we’ve harbored the anger, frustration, and pain of heartbreak. So when I write my romance titles geared toward a new adult/adult audience, the main characters tend to experience the ups and downs of the romance through lenses clouded by past hurts as well as past joys. Love may not be brand new, but can spring from a beautiful place of renew-ness.
2. Sexual encounters are purposeful and may include more details. As a note, the titles I publish under my Rayven Godchild pen name are erotic in nature so yes, the sex is far more detailed than projects under my Angela Brown name.

So yeah, writing romance for teens is different for me than when I write for adults. Having some of the differences helps so that when I approach a writing project, I know what bounds - or lack thereof - I’m working with to direct my word choices.

What are your thoughts on writing romance for teens vs. adults?

Blurb:

Tsunamis reduced the USA into a shell of itself, called The Fold. Surviving humans and vampires joined forces to form The Colony, where registered citizens do as they're told.

They donate blood quarterly and dream of being chosen as Attendees for the Jubilee celebrations, that is, everyone except Macie Breen. With high school graduation near, she’s anxious to ditch the rules in hopes of starting a new life with Thane, an unregistered and also her best friend.

Her hopes fizzle when Macie is selected as an Attendee, forever registered. Any future with Thane…impossible. Being chosen comes with another unexpected price.

Truths about The Colony blaze into ashes and lies when she discovers the vampires haven't kept their part of the bargain. Worst still, Macie’s life unravels as her stint in the city of Bliss forces her to face daunting truths about who, and what, she really is.

Excerpt:

Thane tapped the door. “Would it help if I said I didn’t see anything?”

“No!”

He snickered some more. I cringed. Embarrassment coursed through me, heating every inch of my skin.

“Would it help if I told you what I did see looked beautiful?”

I hesitated half a heartbeat. “Don’t lie to me!”

“It’s not a lie.” He didn’t laugh. His voice, his tone, quiet, honest.

I stared at the door and wanted to giggle myself. Flutters erupted in my belly.

Buy Beacon at

Amazon * Evernight Teen

About the author:

Born and raised in Little Rock, AR, Angela now calls Central Texas home. She's a lover of Wild Cherry Pepsi and chocolate/chocolate covered delicious-ness. Steampunk, fantasy and paranormal to contemporary - mostly young adult - fill her growing library of books. Mother to a rambunctious darling girl aptly nicknamed Chipmunk, life stays busy. Her favorite quote keeps her moving: "You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result." ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Author links: Blog * Goodreads * Amazon * Facebook * Twitter

Angela will be awarding a $75 giftcard to one lucky random winner!

  

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A to Z Challenge - F is for Freakin' Fae

This is part of an ongoing story.

If you're just joining me now, please start with A is for Abby.

F IS FOR FREAKIN' FAE

"You scared that girl more than the monster." Abby wiped her face with an old towel from her car's trunk. She ignored the blood splattered fae when he held out his hand for one.

"I did not. She saw how handsome and heroic I am and swooned." Demetrius snatched the towel from her when she was done. The black blood was like jelly, but the stench didn't whet the appetite in the least.

"You came barreling in through her window growling like an animal just as I had the monster. The girl screamed and fainted." Abby opened the driver's side door and unhooked Tawa from her belt. She tossed the hippo into the backseat. "I told you to stay outside and watch."

Hey! I don't care if you're mad at that brute, but be a little more gentle with me. Tawa complained.

"The beast was going to suck you dry. If I hadn't helped-" Demetrius threw the towel back into the trunk and slammed it shut.

"It was not! I could've tied its proboscis in knots, but I was going for the quick clean kill. You're the one that made it messy." Abby sat in the driver's seat and jammed the keys into the ignition. This night had gone to hell. First a pack of monsters in the attic. She'd never seen so many together. They were usually solitary creatures. Then this damn annoying fae had attached himself to her and gotten in the way of what would have been an easy kill. The mess from the fight was extensive, but all evidence of the monster in the closet would be gone as soon as the sun rose. The little girl would remember, but her memory would fade with time. Unfortunately Abby's would not.

Demetrius stood beside the car with his arms folded. The moonlight highlighted and complimented his profile. Even covered in filth, he still managed to look hot. Abby yanked her door closed and cursed herself for noticing.

"Well?" Abby glared at him.

"Well what?" He snipped back.

"I'm going home now." She couldn't believe she was waiting for him.

Neither can I. Tawa huffed.

"Where do you live? I'll meet you there." Demetrius said with a nonchalance that made Abby frown all the more.

"It's a bit of a drive. Just get in." Abby sighed.

"I'm not getting into an iron box for the second time tonight." He stood his ground.

Ha! That's right. The fae hate cars. Tawa laughed. Drive off and leave him in the dust.

"All right then. Can't say it was nice meeting you. Bye." Abby shifted the car into drive and pulled away from the curb. She saw him curse and snarl in her rearview mirror and then run up to grab the passenger side door.

"I'm coming with you." Demetrius sat down and shut the door. His hand gripped the handle and he seemed to be concentrating on not looking ill. Yet that expression alone made him appear constipated.

"Don't worry." Abby smirked. "I won't take advantage of you in your weakened state." She drove down the street and headed to the highway.

"You can give it a try, if you'd like, babe." His sly smile made hers evaporate.

"Enough with the pet names already!" Abby gripped the wheel tight in both hands. "Freakin' fae. Prancing around all fancy and pretty, thinking they can have any woman or man. I'm sure you all laugh about it at court and drink your fruity fairy wines. I will not be one of those humans. Flirt with someone else."

"So you think I'm pretty?" His smile was weak, but it was still there, still tempting.

Open the car door and kick him out. He won't have the strength to fight you. Tawa offered up her suggestion. You should have listened to me.

"Enough with your comments too." Abby shot a look over her shoulder at the hippo. Then she poke Demetrius in the arm with a rigid finger. "You're an egotistical jerk. You're only here because of your blood debt or whatever. Act like you're an honorable being, for goodness sake."

"My honor demands that I give my life for yours if the situation demands it. I will hold true to it. Do not doubt me." Demetrius' voice was quiet and serious. He swallowed thickly. "I'm not one of those, as you said, freakin' fae from the court. Those are distant cousins and I dislike them as much as you. I'm of the wild, a hunter. One of the best of my clan. No prancing, no fruity wines, no silly gossiping."

No matter the chill of the night, Abby pressed the button to lower his window and let the fresh air wash over him. He breathed in deeply, looking a little less tense.

He's still an egotistical jerk. Tawa grumped.

"You're one of the Fearless. I have much to prove in your eyes it seems." Demetrius stuck an arm outside and rested his hand on the roof.

I wonder if he'll stick his head outside like a dog. The hippo chuckled, but it tapered off as she was ignored again.

Abby said nothing. Her gut told her he was being honest. He was also proving that he would risk a lot by riding in a car. It was clearly weakening him and making him sick. She sped up to get them to her place a little faster. She didn't know what she was going to do with him, but perhaps another person to fight with her with the increase of monsters lately would be a good thing.