What’s In a Great YA Fantasy? Guest Post & Giveaway with Stephanie Keyes

Hi everyone! A special thanks to Melissa for having me as a guest today!

For today’s post, I thought I’d write about what makes a great YA Fantasy book in the “World of Steph”. It’s like that t-shirt: “I live in my own little world, but it’s okay. They know me here.”

Anyway, I’ll also include some examples of books that I’ve enjoyed along the way. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject, too, so read on and use the Comments section to share at the end.

1.     Conflict: With any book, you need conflict. However, with a YA Fantasy book, you want conflict that is out of this world, literally. Usually, the conflict involves a problem that can’t be solved by normal means, but only by paranormal means.

A great example of conflict in a book is Maggie Steifvater’s Shiver. In this work, Sam keeps changing into a werewolf. Sa’s girlfriend, Grace, believes there’s a cure, but time is against her. The weather is growing colder and he could change any day. As readers, we know that Sam can’t pickup and go to the nearest hospital for treatment. There is no other alternative than for Sam and Grace to come up with their own solution or for Sam to change.

2.     Romance: In Fantasy books, the romance is usually secondary to the journey of the characters. They may end up having a romance, but there are so many more pressing things that Fantasy characters usually have to worry about first like staying alive and trivial things like that.

The Summer King by O.R.Melling does a great job of allowing romance to build in the middle of a serious conflict. Laurel has no idea that there is a Faerie King with partial control over Ian’s mind. As she fight’s her feelings for Ian, they continue to build. Even when she realizes that, she might have to destroy Ian to kill the monster inside him.

3.     Strong Characters: I’ve never enjoyed books with wimpy characters. If you don’t have the guts to change your situation, then why should you be featured in a book? If I don’t agree with a character’s choices or think their decisions are poor, then I usually can’t get into it.

There are so may great books out there and I know that no matter who I pick as a strong character, you’ll think “That’s not who I would have picked”. Why? Because we all have our favorites. I love the character of Morgan from Sweep by Cate Tiernan. This character starts out in the series as a backwards, frumpy teen, and turns into one of the most powerful witches of all time, pulling on an unbelievable amount of inner strength.

4.     Killer Plot: It’s got to be original for me to like it. Don’t write a book with a plot like Harry Potter or Twilight because they’ve already been written. It should be something that’s fresh, not something that plays to the trends.

Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz is a constant puzzle. I’m always wondering where the story line is going and what happens next. There is nothing predictable about her writing for me.

Thanks very much for having me as a guest blogger today! Check out The Star Child below for some information on my debut novel!

Title:  The Star Child

Author:  Stephanie Keyes
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy

Release Date: September 21st 2012
Publisher: Inkspell Publishing

Size:  310 pages

Find the book: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The world is about to be cloaked in darkness. 
Only one can stop the night.

Kellen St. James has spent his entire life being overlooked as an unwanted, ordinary, slightly geeky kid. That is until a beautiful girl, one who has haunted his dreams for the past eleven years of his life, shows up spinning tales of a prophecy. Not just any old prophecy either, but one in which Kellen plays a key role.

Suddenly, Kellen finds himself on the run through a Celtic underworld of faeries and demons, angels and gods, not to mention a really ticked off pack of hellhounds, all in order to save the world from darkness. But will they make it in time?

 

Stephanie Keyes holds an undergraduate degree in Management Information Systems as well as a Master's in Education. A seasoned, facilitator, Mrs. Keyes worked in Training and Development for an international telecommunications corporation for twelve years; spending the first eight years of her career as a Software Trainer and Technical Writer and the last four working in Human Resources and Employee Development.

In May of 2012, Mrs. Keyes left the corporate world to focus on her family and her writing full-time. She also operates a freelance graphic and instructional design business, Sycamore Road Design.

Inkspell Publishing will release her first novel, The Star Child, on September 21, 2012. She is now currently at work on the second book in The Star Child Trilogy, The Fallen Stars.

Keyes lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, two children, and Riley the dog.

Connect with the Author:  Website   | Twitter  | Facebook 

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