Paper Cuts: Guest Post: Sherry Soule #MMBlogTour

“Why I LOVE the Young Adult Genre”

Hi everybody, I’m author, Sherry Soule—waving from the SF Bay Area, where it can get pretty foggy. And I can’t believe that summer’s finally here, and even with the fog burning off by afternoon, I’m cranking the air conditioner and chatting on Twitter about my love of reading.

Thanks for letting me visit today as part of my epic Moonlight Mayhem Blog Tour. It’s an honor to be a guest and meet all these awesome booklovers.

Thus far, my tour has been so much fun for me and all the followers that participated. It is nice seeing the familiar names in the comments at each stop. For those of you who haven’t heard of my super fun blog tour it's not too late to join the fun!

Twitter Hashtag: #MMBlogTour

Since I was a child, I recognized that books were a way to travel to other worlds and have remarkable adventures, and I’ve been in love with both reading and writing ever since. Even though, I am older (don’t ask me “how” old), I’ve always loved reading YA literature. I am on a constant literary diet that mostly consists of the young adult fiction genre, but I’ve been known to occasionally stray into paranormal/romance or horror adult categories.

I love reading YA because I like to relive and experience, the excitement, romance, and angst of being a teenager again. I think most novels in the YA genre are fast-paced and thrilling, and they are often written in a style that is both engrossing and easy-to-read, with story-driven or character-driven plotlines. I also love that there are so many books created into a series nowadays, so that you can keep having more adventures with your favorite characters.

Could my love of YA be simply because I’m still stuck at age sixteen, just a teenager-at-heart in disguise?

Yup. And like many of you, I’ve read hundreds of YA books (you’re NEVER too old to read young adult novels, IMHO) and I can’t actually say I didn’t enjoy them all. Some I loved and I mean “LOVED”. Other novels became good friends that I didn’t want to ever part with, so they adorn my bookshelves and wait patiently to be reread again one day. Others were simply read and then disregarded with a contented smile. I am never embarrassed to buy YA books (although I buy most of my books online @ Amazon) in bookstores or carry them around with me. I love the genre and always have. Always will.

I realize that we all have different tastes in literature. Most of you will have varied genres that you read, and probably some of my favorite books are simply your forgotten reads. That is what makes the world of YA and reading as a whole so dang fascinating. Each one of us will enjoy different types of characters, plots, and of course, a writer’s voice, the way ONLY they can tell a story.

Personally, I like to read and write darker, edgier YA novels, and it must have romance. I write to connect with readers that love paranormal/romance themes, too.

Below I’ve listed a few of my favorite YA authors and major influences, in no particular order:

Jennifer L. Armintrout

Kate Evangelista
Angeline Kace
Carolyn MacCullough
Lauren Kate
Stephenie Meyer
Christopher Pike
Lili St. Crow
Lois Duncan
L. J. Smith
Ellen Schreiber
Joan Lowery Nixon
Kiersten White
Alyson Noel
Amanda Hocking

I mainly read the paranormal genre (obviously), add that with a dash of romance, a healthy dose of horror, but rarely contemporary genres.

I am a firm believer that reading has the power to change the world.

As you can probably tell if you’d read my books, I tend to write dark, tormented heroines. I love the angst of a female protagonist trying to come to terms with some dark secret or horrific event in her past, and usually, she ends up facing this fear, vulnerability, or threat, with a strong, sexy hero by her side. Oh!—and I love to create an evil villain that is unquestionably devious, but complex. My antiheroes always possess some redeeming features. Because of these factors, I think it makes them much more interesting villains. And my heroines are typically intelligent, snarky, and full of fight. Like my girl, Shiloh Ravenwolf in the Spellbound series—she’s feisty, witty, and kickbutt. You gotta admire Shiloh’s spunk and determination. When I grow up, I wanna just like her. Or a vampire, or even a ninja. Not sure which…

I love hearing from other avid YA readers at my blog. You can even send me an email with any questions you have about the Spellbound series and or if you just want to drop me a line and tell me how much you enjoyed one of my stories via email—that would be great. Or you can join me on Twitter, @WriterSherry for a fun chat! Hope you enjoyed this post. Now go feed your mind and read a book! Preferably mine. J

MOONLIGHT MAYHEM Blurb:

Otherworldly Creatures. Dazzling Magic. Fiery Romance.

Shiloh Ravenwolf thought she was getting used to the strange events in Whispering Pines, until the full moon brings another surge of supernatural threats to her coastal town. Ferocious wolves, deadly necromancers, and shambling zombies have descended upon the neighborhood, so Shiloh needs to gain control of her magical abilities—fast!

It sucks that she has a crippling fear of the dark, which for a demon hunter can be an epic problem.

When her classmates are attacked by a mysterious creature and her father is murdered, Shiloh vows vengeance. Forcing her phobias aside, she forms an unlikely coven of supernaturally gifted teens to help her eradicate this menace. Except that's not all Shiloh has to worry about. She’s battling a different monster within herself and struggling not to become the very thing she fights: evil.

But with demon blood inside her—anything can happen…

Moonlight Mayhem is the second novel in the unforgettably epic Spellbound series