My Motto This Week

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Yup. Butt in the chair until I finish book two. ;-)

Happy Memorial Day to my American friends.

Hope you're doing well. See you in June!

Quiet Reflection

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This has been a week of highs and lows, personally and professionally. For me and people around me.

And sometimes, it's not until the very still of the night that our inner voice whispers, soothes, lifts, cradles us in her arms. Gives us the strength to work through another day.

Hope you find some MAGIC in this day.

 Look for it, in the little things. The quiet things. It's all around you.


See you next week!

Dripping Ink

“Novels aren’t just happy escapes; 

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they are slivers of people’s souls, nailed to the pages, dripping ink from veins of wood pulp. 

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Reading the right one at the right time can make all the difference.”

(Brandon Sanderson)

See you next week!

This Month I Love

Birdies that whisper the signs of spring:

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Tweet, Chirp. Happy Spring!

What In The Heck Is New Adult?

I noticed this week's Publisher's Marketplace included a brand new deal category.

My deal was listed under it, like this:

"New Adult"
Christina Lee's debut ALL OF YOU, a New Adult with a virgin hero, to Jesse Feldman at NAL, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, for publication in Fall 2013, by Sara Megibow of Nelson Literary Agency (World English). European translation: jenny@meyerlit.com Asian translation: amumm@nelsonagency.com


Prior to this, New Adult deals were listed elsewhere, like in Women's fiction or under Young Adult. Once Publisher's Marketplace made this distinction and people took notice, Twitter was abuzz with conversations about it. Some supportive, others not. Which didn't surprise me. Change is disconcerting and confusing. And leads to questions and misconceptions.

But the overriding question I heard on social media was: What exactly is New Adult?

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As an avid reader and writer of New Adult, I thought I'd throw in my two cents.

First, much like Young Adult, New Adult  has implied age parameters. New Adult protagonists are  roughly between the ages of 18-26.  Just like Young Adult used to be included under the Children's section until it was defined, New Adult could be classified separate from adult, chick lit, or romance.  There is wiggle room, however, which I will mention later. 

Second, the theme of New Adult would be: new found INDEPENDENCE. The protagonists have graduated high school and gone on to college. If not college, they've entered the workforce or some other form of higher education, maybe joined the military, and are attempting to make it on their own. They're experiencing life for the first time, without certain parental, social, or age restrictions. They are wondering what the heck they're going to do to make ends meet and how they're going to do that successfully. 

They're balancing all of this new found FREEDOM with sexuality, alcohol and drug experimentation, and adult peer groups (different than high school peer groups, but college has it's own set of peer pressures), and sometimes even marriage and pregnancy. These issues might be front and center in New Adult novels, and other times, they're in the background.

Third, New Adult novels are NOT ONLY Contemporary Romances. Romance is only one of the genres in this category. It just happens to be the most public and popular genre recently. Many talented New Adult authors paved the way by self-publishing and finding a very enthusiastic audience. The genre took off like wildfire--leading some of them to a big six publishing contract (Tammara Webber and Cora Carmack, for example) and/or status on bestseller lists.

But, there are other New Adult genres out there (paranormal, fantasy, historical, science fiction) that are popular and/or finding footing. The exciting thing is, there's room to grow these audiences.

So, New Adult is not sexed-up YA, erotic YA, or only about virgins and sexual escapades (there is plenty of sex in YA, already). There are different levels of sexual encounters you'll find in NA novels, from no sex to explicit sex, but this depends on the genre and/or themes inherent to the plot. I chose to write about a male virgin in my NA Contemp Romance, but there are other overarching themes.

Fourth, my New Adult novel, as well many others I've read, tend to be written in first person point of view (present or past tense). Much like young adult novels, this point of view makes the characters and the story line more accessible and personal. But I suspect this won't always be the case.

Fifth, just like in Young Adult, there is crossover, depending on the audience and subject matter. For example, HOPELESS by Colleen Hoover and CRASH by Nicole Williams, have protagonists in high school, but the books are considered New Adult by many. Much like SOMETHING LIKE NORMAL by Trish Doller and WHERE SHE WENT by Gayle Forman, have protagonists post high school, but they're considered upper YA.

It just happens, based on different factors. And there's nothing wrong with that. Except, people might get confused, which is why parameters help. Mostly, they help readers find the kind of books they want to read, and that's a good thing!


I love @DearAuthor's definition of NA:

My rambling has come to an end. ;-) HAVE A GOOD WEEK!

CREATE

‎
"Every artist dips his brush in his own soul,

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and paints his own nature."

(Henry Ward Beecher)


I'm dipping and painting all the words this month for book two. What are you up to?

See you next week.

GRATEFUL

It's been a lovely, surreal, happy, and overwhelming week.

I just want to thank anyone who reached out to me here, by email, on Facebook, or on Twitter to share kind and encouraging  word about my GOOD NEWS.

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I've got my work cut out for me and I've already gotten started.

I've added some things around here in my novels and news sections and some other tinkering may come.

I've also made a professional FACEBOOK page for my jewelry business and book news, if you wanted to check it out, or "like" me. Virtual cupcake if you do.

Thank you again. Truly. Madly. Deeply.

See you next week!

MY BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!

I can FINALLY tell the whole world my wonderful news!

*taps microphone*

I had to keep it secret a whole month. I know, I know, feel sorry for me. *wink*

Anyway, a few weeks back, I completed a NEW ADULT contemporary novel. I'd been reading this genre like crazy, loving it, and felt an overwhelming need to contribute something to it. It was a departure from my other Young Adult novels, but not a huge one. In fact, the very first novel I'd ever written back in 2008 would have been considered New Adult--but thankfully, that one will never see the light of day. We'll just call it *practice*.

When I finished writing this novel, I had a special feeling about it. Like maybe this might be *the one* to find readers and a good home.

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My agent loved it. My CP's and betas gave it two thumbs WAY up. I went on submission to publishing houses. And within a very short week, I had several editors interested!

 *faints*

I am THRILLED to announce that I sold my New Adult novel, ALL OF YOU,  to PENGUIN Books, in a pre-empt, in a two book deal! 


*YEAH, BABY*

*wipes away the tears*

Here's the announcement from Publisher's Weekly:

Lee’s New Adult Goes to NAL
In a deal at Penguin’s NAL imprint this week, Jesse Feldman bought world English rights to two books by Christina Lee, including the author’s new adult title. Agent Sara Megibow, at Nelson Literary, represented the author and said six publishers made offers on the book before she accepted “an aggressive preempt” from Feldman. NAL will be releasing the book as All of You—it’s about a nursing student who meets a handsome guy at a party, then discovers he’s a virgin—in September 2013, with a second book, a tie-in, scheduled for early 2014. In an unusual twist, NAL plans to make the series an e-only one, exercising its print option if it feels there is a market for the book in that format.

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*pours champagne*

*dances*

Leave it to Chance

"When nothing is sure,

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 everything is possible."

(Margaret Drabble)


This quote rings true--despite not doing very well with instability, uncertainty, unresolved issues, or imprecise data.

It requires patience, living in the gray, for an indefinite amount of time. 

But along that blurred horizon lies the hint of a promise. That things will grow and take shape the way you might have envisioned them, or maybe not. Maybe lead you down a different path, an even richer one.

Like that saying: LUCK is PREPAREDNESS meeting OPPORTUNITY. 

It requires a chance taken, a movement forward, a dream set, a door opened.

 If you can exist, thrive even, in that instability for a bit longer, stuff can happen. Good stuff.

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So here's to imagination and chance and dreams and LUCK.

I'll meet you on the other side.

HAPPY EASTER

*waits for spring weather*

SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!

Splinter

"There is a crack in everything. 

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That's how the light gets in."
(Leonard Cohen)


As writers, we want to make sure our readers can see the gaps, the fractures, the holes.

 To infer on their own what may happen next or what might have been. 

To go on their own trip of discovery, awareness, unearthing, with your characters.


HAVE A GOOD WEEK!

This Month I Love...

The Color YELLOW

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"Look at the stars. Look how they shine for you. And everything you do. Yeah, they were all YELLOW." 

(Coldplay lyrics)

HOPE I'VE BRIGHTENED UP YOUR MARCH!