Don’t let the Young Adult title fool you–YA romance is a genre for all of us. Think Stephanie Meyer’s bestselling Twilight Saga: you don’t need to be a high schooler to get sucked into the angst, adventure and romance of 17-year-old Bella and her immortal lover Edward.

Design Your Own YA Cover!

From Christine of The Happily Ever After comes a fun project where you can design your own randomly generated (or semi-randomly generated) Young Adult cover debut. I confess I cheated a little by clicking “refresh” until I got a word/image I liked. *sheepish* Check out my debut cover at left.

CREATE YOUR DEBUT YA COVER

1 – Go to “Fake Name Generator” or click http://www.fakenamegenerator.com/

The name that appears is your author name.

2 – Go to “Random Word Generator.” The word listed under “Random Verb” is your title.

3 – Go to “FlickrCC,” Type your title into the search box. The first photo that contains a person is your cover.

4 – Use Photoshop, Picnik, or similar to put it all together. Be sure to crop and/or zoom in.

5 – Post it to your site along with this text.

NEW Romance Writers of America Chapter for YA Authors!

A new RWA chapter for YA authors has formed and they have a lovely new website up and running. Are you an aspiring YA author? Join the chapter to learn the ropes and network with published authors in your genre. The RWA has supported YA romance authors for a while with RITA (published) and Golden Heart (unpublished) categories devoted specially to YA romance. Past YA RITA winners have included Melissa Marr’s WICKED LOVELY and Rosemary Clement-Moore’s HELL WEEK.

The webpage is www.YARWA.com. You can also follow the chapter on Twitter at twitter.com/YA_RWA for current industry news, contests with YA categories, contest wins, and sales.

Never Cry Werewolf by Heather Davis

Heather Davis‘s YA paranormal romance debut is on shelves now! Ms. Davis is a member of my RWA chapter, so of course you should run out and buy the book. It looks like it may appeal to Jacob fans. Here is the official blurb:

NEVER CRY WEREWOLF
September 1, 2009
HarperTeen

“Moonlight can totally change your life.
And it all starts so simply.
You. Him. The moon. You’re toast.”

Okay, so maybe Shelby has made a few mistakes with boys lately (how was she supposed to know Wes had “borrowed” that Porsche?). But her step-mother totally overreacts when she catches Shelby in a post-curfew kiss with a hot senior. Suddenly Shelby’s summer plans are on the shelf, and she’s being packed off to brat camp. It’s good-bye, prom dress; hello, hiking boots.

Things start looking up, though, when Shelby meets fellow camper (and son of a rock star) Austin Bridges, III. But soon she realizes there’s more to Austin than crush material—his family has a dark secret, and he wants Shelby’s help guarding it. Shelby knows that she really shouldn’t be getting tangled up with another bad boy…but who is she to turn her back on a guy in need, especially such a good looking one? One thing’s for sure, that pesky full moon is about to get her into trouble all over again.

What are your favorite YA books?

Romance is the most maligned genre of literature, despite being the highest grossing. How do publishers afford multi-million dollar contracts for first time literary fiction authors? On the backs of romance. We, romance readers, are the most loyal fans. We are powering through the recession, earning even more profits for Harlequin despite the buying downturn through the rest of the economy. Unfortunately, most people who criticize the genre as “bodice-rippers” and “crotch novels” have never read one. I’ll leave the eloquent arguments to Smart Bitches who Love Trashy Books and Dear Author. Check out the stats on romance readers from the Romance Writers of America to see that we’re a highly diverse, highly educated bunch. Escapist fantasies? What book, besides a textbook, isn’t an escapist fantasy? That’s what reading is. That’s what TV and movies are. ENTERTAINMENT.

Romance novels are delicious. Nom…nom…nomnomnomnomnom.

What I want to share with you now is the time honored wisdom: Don’t Knock it till You’ve Tried it

Here are 13 recommended books (all of which I’ve read and loved) in each subgenre of your reading persuasion. Go ahead, try one. I double-dog dare ya.

1. Contemporary: This Heart of Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
2. Paranormal: Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione
3. Historical: It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas
4. Regency: The Spymaster’s Lady by Joanna Bourne
   
5. Science-Fiction: Games of Command by Linnea Sinclair
6. Fantasy: The Moon Witch by Linda Winstead Jones
7. Suspense: Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard
8. Young Adult: Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith (sigh, or Twilight…but who’s left who hasn’t read it?)
9. Women’s Fiction: Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas
10. Erotica: Go Fetch! by Shelly Laurenston
11. Contemporary Category Romance: Marriage at the Millionaire’s Command by Anne Oliver
12. Paranormal Category Romance: Raintree Inferno by Linda Howard
13. Suspense Category Romance: Strangers in the Night by Kerry Connor

Stop by the Book Smugglers today for a fabulous interview with Melissa Marr, author of the 2008 RITA winning book for best YA WICKED LOVELY. The Book Smugglers posted excellent reviews of WICKED LOVELY and the darker companion novel INK EXCHANGE. I’ve had the pleasure of reading Wicked Lovely and strongly recommend it.

(photo above: Melissa Marr at the Publisher Signing at the 2008 RWA National Conference in San Francisco)

WICKED LOVELY

Rule #3: Don’t stare at invisible faeries.

Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in mortal world. Aislinn fears their cruelty—especially if they learn of her Sight—and wishes she were as blind to their presence as other teens.

Rule #2: Don’t speak to invisible faeries.

Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.

Rule #1: Don’t ever attract their attention.

But it’s too late. Keenan is the Summer King who has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. He is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost—regardless of her plans or desires.

Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working anymore, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; her life; everything.

Faerie intrigue, mortal love, and the clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in Melissa Marr’s stunning 21^st century faery tale.

INK EXCHANGE

Unbeknownst to mortals, a power struggle is unfolding in a world of shadows and danger. After centuries of stability, the balance among the Faery Courts has altered, and Irial, ruler of the Dark Court, is battling to hold his rebellious and newly vulnerable fey together. If he fails, bloodshed and brutality will follow.

Seventeen-year-old Leslie knows nothing of faeries or their intrigues. When she is attracted to an eerily beautiful tattoo of eyes and wings, all she knows is that she has to have it, convinced it is a tangible symbol of changes she desperately craves for her own life.

The tattoo does bring changes—not the kind Leslie has dreamed of, but sinister, compelling changes that are more than symbolic. Those changes will bind Leslie and Irial together, drawing Leslie deeper and deeper into the faery world, unable to resist its allures, and helpless to withstand its perils. . . .