24 September 2012
As part of the annual Open Book Festival I was invited to participate in a panel about censorship in teen publishing. I was joined by Scottish young adult author Keith Gray (Ostrich Boys, Next) The Book Lounge’s Verushka Louw and librarian Lona Gericke.
4 April 2011
I tend to wax lyrical about the importance of plot in YA novels.
Teens want to be entertained. They want to be thrilled, to sit on the edge of their seats. That’s why I love Kate Cann. She’s written about twenty books for teens, which are all nail-bitingly brilliant. Instead of deadpan girl-meets-boy stories that have as much depth as a small puddle, her books are enthralling, plot driven and most importantly, real.
Continue reading “Interview with Kate Cann” →
1o November 2010
The global best seller lists are teeming with paranormal romance titles from Melissa de la Cruz’s Blue Bloods and PC Cast’s House of Night series to Maggie Stiefvater’s werewolf love-fest Shiver. Speculative teen fiction is big business. Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight saga has sold over 100 million copies globally and has been adapted into three equally record-breaking films, with two more on the way.
Continue reading “Why do teenagers love vampires?” →
2 December 2010
Here’s another interview I conducted with a brilliant author as part of my quest to discover the secrets of writing the perfect teen novel.
10 September 2010
I recently interviewed several prominent novelists about their take on the young adult genre, asking them, among other things, what elements a young adult novel should include, what teens like to read, and how they deal with an aging readership.
The answers I received were quite surprising.
20 September 2010
I have just completed my article on young adult literature, so once its published, I’ll post it on my blog in its entirety. But before that, I wanted to post the leftover bits of the interview I had with young adult novelist extraordinaire, L.J. Smith.
Sally Partridge