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why ya matters hleo writing rebecca weller

Why YA Matters

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The book that sent the YA world on its head, love it or hate it, there’s no denying that Twilight shook things up. That juggernaut of a semi-bland, yet guiltily-entertaining romp of a vampiric/werewolf love triangle created a catalyst that’s ripple effects are still rippling today. It’s hard to walk through a bookstore without seeing at least one cover touting mythical monsters attempting to save the day, win the girl, or just blend in.

Twilight made reading cool again. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always thought reading is cool (that sounds very after school special doesn’t it?). But Twilight brought in a wave of other books about vampires and not; all marketed directly to that angsty, hormone-driven demographic we love to rag on. Who are usually more insightful and definitely less jaded than we give them credit for. Young adults; the age is actually defined as people anywhere from 12-20 years old. And although there have always been books written for this age group, Twilight seemed to ramp up their production.

The Beauty of Youth

YA books are attractive because they’re written about people in that glorious time right before adulthood. When, they might not always see it, but the world is theirs for the taking. The doldrums of adult life haven’t taken hold of these characters yet, squashing the positivity of youth. Their belief that they really can do or be anything they choose. And that is why the conflict often created in YA books of adult issues being heaped onto YA characters is so delicious to read about. The paradox is intoxicating and draws readers in from any age group.

We want to believe seventeen and eighteen year olds can cause corrupt political regimes to topple. That they can create a new better society in a post-apocalyptic landscape. Or that they can just find sincere selfless love that will forever alter their lives. There are certain genres I gravitate to when strolling up and down the library aisles, I think any avid reader would admit to that. YA almost always tops that list for me. I love relishing in the coming of age struggles, the young-love drama, and the happy endings that only a youthful spirit can bring.

If you’re looking for a good YA love story with a slight fantastic twist, why not check out Hleo.

Happy Reading,

Becky

In The Nick of Too Late

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Is it Too Late to Be A Writer?

Do you know the best time to plant a tree? The answer is ten years ago. Sometimes we can feel like we’re coming late to the game. Especially as an indie writer when you log onto Amazon and see that you’re precious body of hard work is hovering around the 734,567 ranking. When almost 1,000,000 books are published each year, in the US alone, it can be rather discouraging. It almost feels like throwing a proverbial needle into a haystack and hoping that everyone around will gravitate to it; by sheer force of will. Surely your needle has to be the pointier, shinier, and all around more interesting needle than any of the others being added to the stack, doesn’t it?

So with this sort of level of competition—it seems anyone with a laptop and an Amazon account has written a book and thrown it on there to see how it will do—it can feel like you’ve missed the boat. Has the time for people submitting their self-published works online and actually eking out some modicum of success come and gone? To a certain degree it’s not inaccurate thinking. There are seemingly countless book choices for readers of all tastes with more being added every day. And since there is little being done online to ensure quality of self-published works there can be a lot of, how do we say, less than good, stories out there. But not all is lost.

So What’s A Writer To Do?

Just because competition is fierce doesn’t mean things are hopeless. It simply means you have to rise to the occasion, and make sure that your work is top notch. It means you have to get someone besides yourself to edit your work. You have to network. Offer the book away for free, and beg for reviews. And you need to connect on as many social media platforms as you can. Gone are the days where you can just upload your book and watch it rise the ranks, but if you are willing to put in the effort you will get your words out there.

Maybe I waited too long for this to be easy, but it doesn’t mean I’ve waited myself into impossibility. I still believe in the world I’ve molded, in the characters I’ve created, and in the story I’ve written. They deserve their time to shine. So I’ll keep plugging away, trying to share Hleo with as many people as I can, because I’d rather have started late than never started at all.

If you’re interested in giving Hleo a read check it out here.

Happy Reading,

Becky