As promised, the second of my guests, the lovely Emma Adams, writes about what started her on the road to writing and why she loves YA.  The floor’s yours, Emma…

I was a strange child. I never wanted to talk with the other kids. I had a couple of close friends, and we spent most inventing bizarre games with complicated rules no one else could understand. Really, it was inevitable that I’d go on to write fiction.

When I was ten, I was writing for people my own age. And they liked it. I loved being picked to read out my writing. Then secondary school happened. Suddenly, writing for fun was no longer an option. I found it hard to fit in, and people thought I was odd because I preferred to sit in a corner with a book rather than go outside. All everyone else seemed to want to do was to grow up as quickly as possible. But I wanted to be a writer.

My teachers insisted I needed to think of a ‘real’ career. Books were my only escape, and even as I struggled awkwardly through adolescence, I knew I never really wanted to grow up. And that’s why I continue to write books for children and young adults. I want to live in that world where endless possibility exists, and hasn’t been stamped out by the Real World. I want to fight against the imperative to ‘grow up’, because it isn’t something that necessarily means being happier. University has been the best time of my life, and I think that’s because it’s like an extended childhood. Where else do you find yourself singing Disney songs at the pizza take-out at four in the morning?

I think that’s why I chose a university setting for my next book series – a young adult/new adult supernatural fantasy series. Writing for teens gives more scope to explore those essential life decisions and at twenty-one, I’m still going through the same thing myself! As a young adult you’re discovering who you are and what you want to do, and there are endless possibilities. Above all it’s about exploring boundaries, whatever the genre – between human and non-human, real and unreal, life and death. YA voices aren’t jaded by experience, and I think that’s one of the reasons it appeals even to adults. I want to read and write books that excite me, because I want to be excited by life. That’s what YA fiction gives us, and that’s why it’s here to stay!

About the Author:

Emma Adams is 21-year-old author of THE PUPPET SPELL, a quirky YA fantasy published by Rowanvale Books. She is currently studying English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University whilst writing the sequel and also working on the creepy paranormal Darkworld series. Check out her fab blog about her writing journey, where she posts weekly updates and writing tips, and also regular book reviews and features.