Today I'd like to welcome author Lauren Hammond to the blog. She's going to take over for a bit today to talk about - The “New Adult” Genre. Where do you see it going in the next few years and why do you write for it?
Thanks so much for having me on the blog today and I’m so excited to talk about this topic.
To kick this post off, I’m going to say that I write NA not only because I loved my life experiences at that age, but because I’m a bit of a writing rebel. I used to write YA and while there’s a lot you can get away with, there is also a lot that you can’t get away with. There are boundaries that you need to set up. Specific things that may be too graphic. Me, I’m a living breathing boundary pusher. Every time I wrote a new novel, I read parts of it back and would be like no, I can’t do that. Or I dropped the f’ bomb too many times.Or the intimate scenes got steamier and steamier. And every time I wrote a new novel it became less of a YA novel and more of a NA novel. And well, it wasn’t long after that, that I said to myself; Lauren, you are without a doubt an NA writer. After that point of self-discovery, there has been no looking back for me and my writing endeavors.
But where do I think it will go in the future? That’s a tricky question to answer. I think that all depends on the market really. Indie authors seem to do quite well with it. I can speak for myself because I happen to be an indie author and my NA titles do well. I can’t speak for other authors, only for myself. More than anything though, I think with time, NA can really be a hot new genre and take the literary world by storm. All it needs is a solid readership and for bookstores and libraries, etc to be able to know how to classify it. The down side is, it’s not YA and it’s not Adult, so where does it fit? But if there is a demand for it and the readers keep craving it, I can see it staying around for a long, long time.
Thanks so much for having me!
This was such a great topic!
If you guys get a chance, check out my NA romance, 12 Rounds and stay tuned for the sequel in November!
Lauren, Thanks for stopping by and talking about one of my new favorite genres!
Looking forward to reading 12 Rounds... I hope soon!
This title is part of the ever growing "New Adult" genre and is intended for 18 or older readers.
Synopsis: Sean (Right-Hook) Reilly knows a few things about himself. One, he's the middle-weight boxing champion of the world with an undefeated record. Two, women find his cocky persona, chiseled biceps, and inked body sexy. Also, the fact that it's known that he doesn't do relationships only adds to his sex appeal. And three, he's Irish, proud of it, and a member of the Braithreachas Don Saol, a branch of the Irish mafia and king pins of the drug cartel taking over the streets of Cleveland.
Connor Doyle(aka Connie) the boss and leader of the Braithreachas Don Saol, has been like a father to Sean, taking him under his wing and teaching him how to survive on the streets after the death of his parents. Sean has never been ungrateful, but has always wanted one thing...
More. More to live for. More to fight for. More to believe in. A chance at a future without drugs or guns. A chance at a future without wondering which day will be his last.
There's only one problem with that. You live by the braithreachas. You die by the braithreachas. And Sean knows whether Connie considers him to be family or not, the only way he'll be leaving the braithreachas is in a body bag.
Hadlee Flax has had a year to overcome her issues. After almost being raped and brutalized, she's putting her best foot forward, seeing a therapist, and has even(with some persuasion from her best friend, Lara) enrolled in self defense classes. And she's doing well moving on with her life until she meets the dark, and conflicted Irish boxing champion of the world, Sean Reilly.
Hadlee is immediately drawn to the gorgeous, cold, and mysterious man who speaks with a slight Irish brogue. She soon learns that there is much more to him than his darkened gaze, cool demeanor, and body covered in tattoos. He's not the type of man she thought he was. And Hadlee finds herself doing something she never thought she would do in the last year...
Falling for a guy.
Falling for Sean Reilly. A man who is on the path to becoming a boxing legend.
One thing Hadlee doesn't know is the other part of Seans' life. His life of drug running, and killing. Or the fact that when he's not boxing he's walking the streets with a gat tucked into the back of his loose jeans, and glancing over his shoulder at every turn.
But it doesn't take Hadlee long to learn that some attractions and relationships can be fatal.
And sometimes...
They just might be worth fighting for.
About Lauren: It all began with a dinosaur, a T-Rex to be exact. He was the main character in my very first short story. Me and T, well, we went places. He is the reason I won my first essay contest at age ten. And he is probably one of the number one reasons, I pursued a career in writing.
Throughout highschool, I was what you would call a rebel. Someone who had convinced herself that she had life figured out at age sixteen. Still, writing was my only safe-haven during that time. I wrote notebooks full of poetry, even writing fellow classmates papers for them.
Unbeknowest to me, creative writing, seemed to be my one, true calling, my passion in life.
At age twenty, I began writing my first novel. After that, everything seemed to fall into place.
I won Best Poets and Poems of 2007, and The Editor's Choice award for my poem, Summer Days.
Also, during that time I wrote or co-wrote fifteen different screenplays, some which earned me finalist spot in various screenplay competitions.
In 2010, I've come full force, with my novel Love Sucks, that was released by Punkin House Press, in August of 2010. On top of Love Sucks, I have six novels that are slated to be released through the next five years. Also, doing some various marketing work for authors and publishers.
I pride myself in telling fellow writers to always follow their dreams. Who knows where I would be if I would have given up.
Find Lauren Online:
Website | Blog | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook
Add to: Goodreads
Order the 12 Rounds eBook Online:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble
*I am not compensated at all for any of the links within this post.
I find the whole idea of "New Adult" interesting. I hope it does take off. I guess that will depend on the success of the marketing departments!
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