Why I Love the YA Fantasy Genre by Allie Burton

 

1.      1. I get to make stuff up. Sure, there’s real research but if I can’t find what I’m looking for I create the device or the magical power or the world.

2.     2.  I get to combine different characters, genres, and anything else I want. For example, A Glass Slipper Adventure series is based in a made-up kingdom in a futuristic world. I’ve twisted fairytales, which usually take place in medieval times, and put it in modern time. I’ve filled my stories with witches and fairies, giants and werewolves, trolls and banshees. Most of these usually don’t go together.

3.     3.  I get to take a fantasy quest and turn it into an adventure. Hiking a mountain, swimming in a dangerous lake, competing for a magical artifact, and meeting fantastical creatures and interesting challenges.

4.     4.  I get to write about romance and friendship. My books are about a quest, but also coming of age. Discovering ones’ place in whatever world the characters find themselves. Making friendships and finding that one special person.

5.     5.  I get to create scenery, setting, and the world the characters live in. If I need a volcano, I add it. If I need a waterfall, boom, it’s there. While I do start with a real location, I can add or takeaway items that don’t fit with the plot. For example in Snow Witching White, the next book in A Glass Slipper Adventure, I based the location on 10,000 Smokes in Alaska. But my version leads to the gates of the underworld.

6.     6.  I get to write fun things. My books do have serious themes underneath but nothing that hits you over the head. My stories take on social injustice but instead of what we have in the real world, mine are the magical vs. the unmagical, technology vs. powers, and stereotypes.

My hope is that readers will enjoy the adventure, the romance, the scenery as much as I do, while soaking in the lessons buried deep.

*One more thing: I get to celebrate release days! Snow Warrior White released yesterday and I’m so excited it’s finally out in the world!