The Not-So-Immediate Turning Point
I've often thought of turning points as those moments when reality reaches from nowhere and smacks you in the face. But I've had to reevaluate because, for me, my turning point in getting the guts to tackle a YA thriller is only visible from my rearview mirror. Here's what happened. I'd been very happy in my lane, writing upper-middle-grade/tween books... Until I grew frustrated with my inability to make my stories sing like they needed to, like they had in the past. Time for a breath. Or ten. Refreshed and re-energized, I approached my agent asking which of several shiny, new story ideas she and the industry might best be able to get behind. We talked. We chose. Then she asked me a question: "Have you ever considered writing a YA thriller? I think you'd be really good." YA, yes. I wrote a few (bad ones) when I was trying to figure out this whole writing thing. But thriller? Definitely not. Thrillers and mysteries were for other people to write and for