Why Adult Fiction vs. YA?

I’ve never been one to fit nicely and neatly into any category or niche, and my fiction is no exception.

I get that in a world where the publishing industry has changed and sizable profits make or break the business, having some sort of indication that the unpublished novels under consideration will generate large revenue is crucial. But what if placing money as the sole target is putting the cart before the horse and failing to facilitate that cart’s meaningful and real progress?

In the fiction series I am writing, my protagonist is in her early thirties. Along with her three closest friends since middle school, the reader watches as she learns through immediate and in-the-moment, third-person point of view writing, that though one might feel damaged, imperfect, insignificant, different, or a misfit, no one’s beyond reach. Love, not just romantic love but love in its many forms, is there for the partaking and enjoying. It is always there. Never gone. Sometimes we lose focus or become blinded, but if we keep our eyes on the prize, we can enjoy love. This is communicated through humor, conflict, tragedy and magical elements.

Toward that end, I’ve been visiting locally owned coffee shops, partly because I love coffee, latte-art, and the unique personalities of these local businesses but also partly because I love to socialize and get to know people. I’ve noticed through chats that adults in their twenties or thirties, whether male or female, continue reading YA fiction for their magical or fantasy elements and would love to see adult fiction, where the protagonists are older than, say, sixteen to eighteen, that deals with age-appropriate issues while still using magical and fantasy elements.

Little side note: This castle, Glen Eyrie, provided some inspiration for my writing.

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That’s precisely where I fit. My love for magical elements, and the special way they can be used to unearth and enlighten adult struggles runs through the core of my writing.

I can’t guarantee sales, because no one has really done what I’m doing. I’m waiting for the person, the agent, who’s ready to take a chance on something, someone new and unknown, to encourage people to imagine, truly live, and enjoy or struggle through life together.