Why I Write YA Fantasy

My bookshelves include many genres; I do not discriminate. I've spent lots of time with my nose in mysteries, thrillers, sci-fi, and a long reading streak of horror. Alas, fantasy has my heart by the aorta, and always has.

My favorite fantasy includes interesting characters, high stakes, magic, and imaginative worlds. Dragons are a bonus. I love female leads who grow through or despite their trauma and circumstances. My brain wants to write because of the stories I read. I have dreams of characters and worlds and one day, my dream was so vivid I grabbed my laptop and didn't stop typing until I had 5000 words. I'd never written a story with that many words before, but I fell in love, not only with writing, but with other aspects of it; meeting other people who love to write, talking about the art, the quiet moments when all you hear is the clicking of the keyboard, the research so you don't make your character do anything too ridiculous or against their nature (magic being the exception).

I wrote those 5000 words that day and was devastated at how awful they were. I now write because I've learned that good writing is a developed skill, and it's one that I can and still am learning. I write because I have a folder of stories I think others might want to read, and I know I want to read. I write because life can be hard, especially for teens, and I know firsthand the healing balm of an amazing story.