So You Want to Write NA Contemporary Romance?

Photo credit: svacher on Flickr

What is it? 

College-age protagonists in everyday settings, falling in love. NA Contemporary Romance is quirky, funny, awkward, dark, gritty, real and everything in between. Every topic under the sun is up for grabs: military matters, drinking, pregnancy, marriage, drug abuse, sexual assault, first jobs, first time away from home, etc.

Pros/Cons of Writing NA Contemporary Romance: 

Pros: 

• It’s crazy popular (right now). NA Contemporary Romance is huge right now, which is great because there’s plenty of reference and interest in the genre. But it also has a downside, mentioned below. 


• YA energy with more mature NA themes. This is something I love about NA in general (not just Contemporary Romance)—the energy and raw quality often seen in YA novels is still present in NA, but now there are more mature themes and characters. As they say, “old enough to know better, but too young to care.” And it’s awesome. 


• It’s fun. NA Contemporary Romance is a really fun space for writers. There’s tons of room for experimentation and so much potential for some really great variety. 

Cons: 

• It’s crazy popular right now. As great as it is, this also makes life a little more difficult for a writer trying to get published, both because your book has to be awesome to stand out among the crowd and because, as it is with trends, this is a trend. I don’t know what will be next for New Adult, no one does, but every bubble eventually bursts. 


• Certain areas are over-saturated. This is pretty inevitable considering how popular NA Contemporary Romance has gotten. There’s definitely overlap with many of the plots, but to me, this is just a challenge to push the boundaries. There have been a lot of stories told, true, but there’s so much room for stories that haven’t been told and twists that haven’t been explored. 


• Stigma. Unfortunately, there are still people out there who believe NA is just sexed-up YA. I’ve already written about why this isn’t true, but the stigma, while not as bad as it used to be, is still there. 

Recommended Reading: 

As I’ve said before and will say again: you must read what you’re writing. So if you’re writing (or thinking about writing) NA Contemporary Romance, here are some great recs, all of which I’ve read and enjoyed:

• Only the Good Die Young by K.K. Hendin
• The Sound of Us (Radio Hearts series) by Ashley Poston
• Easy (Contours of the Heart series) by Tammara Webber
• Faking It (Losing It series) by Cora Carmack 
• Best Kind of Broken (Finding Fate series) by Chelsea Fine

Helpful Links: 

• What is New Adult? by the awesome people at NA Alley
• Young Adult vs. New Adult: What’s the Difference? by me. :)
• YA Common Clichés series: YA Romance by S.E. Sinkhorn on Maybe Genius. (Yes, this is for YA, but the clichés are definitely present in NA romance too). 

Do you enjoy reading or writing NA Contemporary Romance? Share your experience! 

Twitter-sized bites: 

Thinking about writing NA Contemporary Romance? Writer @Ava_Jae shares some tips, recommendations and more. (Click to tweet)   

Do you write NA Contemporary Romance? Share your experience at @Ava_Jae’s So You Want to Write series. (Click to tweet) 

On Writing to Make a Difference

Photo credit: Mine!

There’s been a lot of really wonderful discussion lately on diversity, sexism, ableism and so much more that’s been absolutely incredible to see. And it’s got me thinking about writing, and more specifically, about the messages we can send with our manuscripts.

Let me start by saying I don’t go into a book setting out to send some kind of message. Most of the time, I’m not even aware of the themes in my manuscripts until I’ve edited several times or a CP has pointed one out to me and I just smile and nod like, “oh yeah, I totally did that on purpose.”

Back to the matter at hand.

I’ve been thinking about books like Easy (Tammara Webber) which feature a love interest who very clearly understands and respects boundaries and shows one of the healthiest, most respectful relationships I’ve ever seen in a book.

I’ve been thinking about books like Every Day (David Levithan) which puts you in the shoes of characters who are depressed, who are addicts, who are of varying sexual orientations and all have fascinating and equally valid perspectives and challenge you to empathize with them equally.

I’ve been thinking about books the challenge the status quo with little things—with diverse casts and strong characters and calling out harmful tropes for what they are.

And I’ve been thinking we can make a difference with our writing. And it doesn’t have to be a big message book or a story with a moral—it can be a respectful relationship, or a respectfully represented minority or a couple well-placed lines.

Because you never know how that character, scene, or line will affect a reader. Or many readers. And really, that’s all it takes to make a difference.

Have you read any books that made a difference to you?

Twitter-sized bites: 

"You never know how that character...will affect a reader...that's all it takes to make a difference." (Click to tweet)  

Have you read any books that made a difference to you? Join the discussion on @Ava_Jae's blog. (Click to tweet)

Book Review: EASY by Tammara Webber

Photo credit: Goodreads

Yes, yes, I know, so many reviews, but I regret nothing because these books are fantastic.

So if a certain YA series involving vampires is an example of how not to have a healthy relationship, Easy by Tammara Webber is a beautiful example of relationships done right. But first, the Goodreads summary:

“Rescued by a stranger. 

Haunted by a secret. 

Sometimes, love isn’t easy… 

He watched her, but never knew her. Until thanks to a chance encounter, he became her savior… 

The attraction between them was undeniable. Yet the past he’d worked so hard to overcome, and the future she’d put so much faith in, threatened to tear them apart.
Only together could they fight the pain and guilt, face the truth—and find the unexpected power of love. 

A groundbreaking novel in the New Adult genre, Easy faces one girl's struggle to regain the trust she's lost, find the inner strength to fight back against an attacker, and accept the peace she finds in the arms of a secretive boy.”

So Easy has a reputation of being the NA book that made many people love NA books, and I definitely understand why. Easy is one of the books that kicked off the category and made people pay attention, and it is totally deserving of its praise.

Like many other readers have said, I don’t usually gravitate towards Contemporary Romance novels, but Easy still caught my attention right from the beginning and kept it until the last page. It took me all of a day to read it, and I have to say, it features one of my favorite relationships ever.

Besides being super attractive, smart, artsy, badass and kind, the love interest Lucas respects boundaries. This, to me, is what made him so incredibly fantastic, because his relationship with Jacqueline is a perfect example of what a healthy, respectful relationship looks like.

Not only that, but Easy does an excellent job portraying and speaking out against rape culture—but it does it in a way that isn’t at all preachy or lecture-y.

Easy kept me flying through the chapters, smiling very often and has a wonderful message to boot. 5/5 stars for sure.

Have you read EASY?

Twitter-sized bites: 

Curious about New Adult novels? Try EASY by @TammaraWebber. (Click to tweet) 

.@Ava_Jae gives EASY by @TammaraWebber 5/5 stars. Have you read this book? (Click to tweet)