Guest Post with Author Darynda Jones and Giveaway

Today I am happy to welcome back to RFTC the ultra fantabulous Darynda Jones. I cannot express enough how much I lurve Darynda. Seriously, she's awesome! Darynda is celebrating the release of Death, Doom and Detention and has stopped by to chat about the differences between writing in Adult and YA. Please give Darynda a warm welcome!

NYTimes and USA Today Bestselling Author Darynda Jones has won numerous awards for her work, including a prestigious Golden Heart®, a Rebecca, two Hold Medallions, a RITA ®, and a Daphne du Maurier, and she has received stellar reviews from dozens of publications including starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, and the Library Journal. As a born storyteller, Darynda grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, annoying man and beast alike, and she is ever so grateful for the opportunity to carry on that tradition. She currently has two series with St. Martin’s Press: The Charley Davidson Series and the Darklight Trilogy. She lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband of almost 30 years and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys.

Places to find Darynda:

| Site | Blog | Facebook | Twitter |

I get asked a lot about the difference between writing YA versus writing adult novels. A lot of writers will tell you it’s the voice. YA will naturally have a younger, fresher voice. For me, that is not a concern. I kind of write with a young voice anyway, so I really don’t even think about that. In fact, if anything, I try to “up” it a little. My voice is so young that I worry I will be offensive.

Other than that, I guess the main difference between the two (for me) is I have no sex in my YA. I’m not saying there is no steam! There are some rather hot scenes, just nothing too explicit on the page. Let’s face it. Teens have sex. I’m not a prude. Far from it! But I still think sex is something best left out of YA’s. There are tons of adult books with all kinds of heat levels if that is the reader’s wish. I think readers, for the most part, go into a YA with the expectation of no explicit sex. Upending that expectation is jarring. But I do like hot! Hot guys. Hot scenes. Hot kisses. I am so there.

The only other differences for me are the length and the layers. The length of a YA is generally shorter than your average novel. The average adult book (and, yes, this varies widely) is around 100k words. The average YA is around 75k. Also, I tend to have fewer layers in my YA. Fewer subplots. I tend to be more focused on the romance in YA, the discovery of that first love, though I still have lots of action. I do love action.

That’s about it. The main thing I would recommend if you are planning on writing YA is to just be yourself. Do not ever try to “write like a teen” or “sound like a teen.” Believe it or not, they don’t sound that different from the rest of us and patronizing them will get you nowhere fast. Just remember, teens today are sharp and quick witted. They are intelligent creatures full of creativity and imagination. Treat them as they should be treated and you’ll do fine.

Thanks so much for having me, Danielle! ~D~

The normal part of Lorelei MacAlister’s life didn’t just slip away quietly the day Jared Kovach came to town. Nope. The normal part of her life shattered. It exploded. It burst into a gazillion shards of fleeting light.

It went out with a bang.

Goodbye normal.

Hello dark and eerie.

While her best friend, Brooklyn, is focusing all of her energy on helping Lorelei hone her abilities, Lorelei is dealing with the reality that Satan’s second in command has taken up residence inside her body. Oh, and the fact that she has a crush on the Angel of Death. But what a beautiful death it is. If those weren’t bad enough, something sinister has come to town and it wants nothing more than to hear Lorelei’s dying breath as it strangles it out of her. Thank goodness the gang has a supernatural champion. But what happens when the only being who can save them switches sides midstream? How can a group of misfits capture one of the most powerful beings ever created? And will they find out how to bring Jared back to them before it’s too late?

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | Audible |

Check out the Darklight series: 

Click for info

Check out whats up for grabs.

Up For Grabs:

• 1 lucky winner will win a copy of Death, Doom and Detention

To Enter:

• Please leave a comment/question for Darynda. 
• Please fill out the Rafflecopter form. 

Good Luck =)

a Rafflecopter giveaway