What I Hope To Bring To Readers As An Author

As I've said before, I'm an avid reader. I was a reader before I was a writer. It was one of the biggest reasons I got into writing, to begin with. I've been consuming books since before I can remember. And even now as a writer I still read. Not as much as I used to or would like to because writing takes up so much time. But I still try to read whenever I can. So because I'm not only an author but also a reader I know what some people out there are looking for. Or at least a small majority.

I've read lots of books. (I still do) But finding good books is hard. Especially for me. I have a very particular taste that doesn't quite fit what the average author is putting out these days. That's one of the reasons I want to be an author and not just a writer. I want to put out the books I wish were on the shelves, the ones I wish I could have read. There's a portion of books missing from the shelves and I hope to bring about those books.

So, let me be more specific here, what kinds of books do I wish to bring to teen readers? That's a very simple yet complex answer all at the same time. Here are my top things and then I will explain them a little bit below.

1) No cussing

2) No sexual scenes

3) Complex storylines and characters

4) No worldly agendas

1) No cussing: I understand that in our world today cussing is a normal thing. Everyone has just accepted it. It's everywhere. It's in the majority of the books I pick up to read. However, I don't appreciate it. I personally think whether it's real life or fiction there are better words to use to express your feelings than cuss words. I don't appreciate that it's in most books. And I'm sure I'm not the only one.

2) No sexual scenes: Again this is another thing that has worked its way into the majority of books. Especially YA and I don't approve or appreciate it. Now I get that the sexual scenes in YA books are not allowed to be graphic and are censored to fit the age but I still think it's wrong if it's in the YA category at all. YA is for teens. Anywhere from ages 13-17 (I could also include 18 and 19-year-olds but they seem to fit into NA books better) Maybe sexual scenes are okay for 17-year-olds but they are certainly not for 13-year-olds. Honestly, I believe they aren't appropriate for anyone in the YA category. Graphic or not. And this is why I won't be having any of it in my books.

3) Complex storylines and characters: As a reader, I have to say that while I love reading cute, quick, and slightly cheesy books (specifically romance) my favorite books are the complex ones. I love the ones that make me feel on a deep level. The ones that have characters with interesting lives. Characters that are conflicted. Are struggling with something hard. And I love storylines that are deep and complex and take me on the lives of the characters. Sure, like I said, I love the cute books where the couples get together at the end and it's all happily ever after. But have you ever read a book where they get together halfway through, they fall apart not long after that, and the last 1/4 of the book is you rooting for them to get back together? And by the end they do. I love those books. The ones where you not only see them get together but get to watch them during the ups and downs of their relationship.

And complex characters. Don't even get me started. Military vets with PTSD, a teen girl with type one diabetes, one with dyslexia, one who's deaf, a teen football player who loses his father to cancer, a teen girl traumatized so much she stops talking. These are just some of the best complex characters I've read about. These stories with these characters have changed my life as a reader. But it's hard to find these types of complex stories. So, I hope to be one of the authors to provide these stories to readers.

4) No worldly agendas: The final thing I will say is that I don't agree with the majority of the things put in YA books. I personally think that authors are being pressured to put certain things the world wants into their books. I believe they think if they don't they won't be seen as a good author. I as a reader don't appreciate many things pushed into the books I read. I don't approve of the majority of them. So therefore I will not be including them in my work.

Thank you so much for reading! I'm really hoping this will help all of you see what I hope to bring to the table as an author. In the future, I hope to go more in-depth on these 4 things I will not be including in my works in a podcast. When that becomes a reality I will have the link below.

Take care, and please feel free to leave a comment or two. :)

With Love, Kathryn Hawke