Why do I write New Adult? Or perhaps a better question is – why do I call what I write New Adult?
Partially because I technically am a New Adult, experiencing said things in these labeled novels. I know who I am. There’s no need to go find myself, the way which seems often the case in Young Adult fiction. There is a need to find my place in the world. I’m still looking for that white picket fence. I know my raison d’etre – at least I think I do, and I need to find the path to make it happen. To me, that’s what New Adult is about.
For me, it’s easier to relate to a character who has similarities to me. Easy reminded me what it was like to feel vulnerable in college. Flat-Out Love reminded me how easy it is to fall in love with the idea of being in love. The Vincent Boys reminded me that sometimes doing the right thing for you is considered the wrong thing by everyone else – and that’s okay.
It’s much harder for me to relate fully to Bella Swann or the Katniss characters of the world. Which isn’t to say those stories aren’t written well, as I especially enjoyed Hunger Games – but simply that I have little in common with them. In the same theory, it’s hard for me to relate to the Carrie Bradshaws of the world, or even to the frazzled woman with a bustling career, kids to take care of, and a husband to bicker with. I’ve got a career, but the others? They’re distant stepping stones.
So why do I write New Adult? I write what I know. I write what I’m looking for in novels.
xo,
Krista
Krista Newport 