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PEOPLE & ARTS Friday 21 February 2020
Bestselling young adult authors are aiming at older readers

By HILLEL ITALIE adding that the main dif-
AP National Writer ference between writing
NEW YORK (AP) — After for younger and older peo-
gaining millions of young ple is in the language. "I will
readers for her "Divergent" admit that I can now get
fantasy series, Veronica away with quite a bit more
Roth decided she and her swearing!"
characters were ready for V.E. Schwab, who writes
the next phase — a novel adult and young adult
for adults. novels, says she doesn't
"I grew up on stories like change her style or vocab-
'Dune' and 'Harry Potter,' ulary: The difference is in
and 'Ender's Game' about her mindset. For her "Mon-
people who shoulder bur- sters of Verity" duology, she
dens when they're too inhabits her 17-year-old self,
young to bear them," says a "pretty angry teenager."
Roth, who tells the story of For "The Invisible Life of Ad-
Sloane Andrews and her die LaRue," an adult story
fellow fighters against the coming in October about a
havoc of the Dark One in woman who endures and is
"Chosen Ones," scheduled forgotten for centuries, she
for April. "So the question of is closer to the person she is
what comes after those sto- now.
ries just kept nagging me. "One of the primary themes
'Chosen Ones' is about that in the book is this concept
'after' — about a group of of 30 as a threshold for true
30-somethings who saved adulthood, the feeling like
the world when they were you look down for a mo-
younger, and they're still ment, and when you look
dealing with the repercus- back up, everyone else has
sions of it." raced ahead, and you're
Roth, Tochi Onyebuchi and still trying to get your bear-
Sarah J. Maas are among ings," she said. "I wrote it
several writers popular essentially for a version of
with young people who myself who never found
have books out this year writing. If I hadn't become
intended for older read- an author, these are the
ers. Some have never writ- questions I'd be facing, this
ten for adults, while others is how lost I would feel."
move freely among teens Over the past decade,
and older readers. All are Christina Hobbs and Lauren
navigating one of the more Billings have combined to
complicated paths in pub- write best-selling adult and
lishing — how to conscious- young adult novels under
ly appeal to different audi- In this undated photo provided by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, author Veronica Roth poses for a the name "Christina Lau-
ences for different books, portrait. ren." They started out with
from the use or absence Associated Press romance books, among
of profanity to the choice them such very adult stories
of subject matter and how completing his first book young people strength- with the help of a fallen an- as "Beautiful Bombshell,"
to present it. The history is for adults, "Riot Baby." It is ened his storytelling, forc- gel — seeks to track down "Wicked Sexy Liar" and the
mixed: Judy Blume and Neil set in part around the 1992 ing him to write clearly and the killers of her closest upcoming "The Honey-
Gaiman are among those Los Angeles riots following not "to obfuscate." For "Riot friends. Don't List." Meanwhile, for
who have succeeded well, the acquittal of policemen Baby," he was able to ex- Maas told the AP that the young adult novels such
while others, including Dan- who beat Rodney King. pand upon that discipline. new series had been a se- as "Autoboyography" and
iel Handler and Stephanie "Riot Baby'' is a dystopian "I could be straightforward cret "passion project" for "The House," they adapt the
Meyer, never fully caught fantasy about Kev, who has and short and concise, years, an idea came to her themes of love and desire
on with adults. been jailed in Rikers Island, and I could have a lyri- when she was on a plane for a more impressionable
Roth's first "Divergent" book and his sister Ella, who holds cal style that abounded in during a book tour, listen- and sensitive audience.
came out in 2011, and she the power and the horror of subjunctive clauses," he ing to the soundtrack from "We want to give our adult
reasons that enough of seeing the future. said. "I didn't just have to "Gravity." The "epic scene" readers a literal escape,
her original readers have A graduate of Yale Uni- be Hemingway. I didn't that came to her became like when they turn on a
reached an age that they'll versity and Columbia just have to be Faulkner. I the ending of "House of Netflix show," Billings says.
be open to a mature ap- Law School, among other could be both." Earth and Blood." Bryce's "When we are writing of
proach. She considers her schools, Onyebuchi has Maas, whose bestsellers age compelled Maas to teens, we are trying to be
new work a "pretty natu- worked in private and gov- for young people include think about a different entertaining, yes, but we
ral" moment in her career, ernment law and thought the "Throne of Glass" fan- readership. also want to be more care-
when you "get curious a long time about a book tasy series, has her debut "The moment Bryce Quin- ful that they feel seen and
about other genres, other that could draw upon adult book out in March. lan walked into my head, understood. You want to
types of writing," his education and back- Her "Crescent City" series I knew she was in her early make sure you're writing a
Onyebuchi had published ground. He considers adult begins with "House of Earth to mid-20s — an age that story for them and that it
"Beasts Made of Night" and books his first passion, but and Blood," in which pro- placed her story firmly in the doesn't feel like a grownup
"Crown of Thunder" before he found that writing for tagonist Bryce Quinlan — adult range," says Maas, talking down to them."q