We Have Our YA Comic Mystery

After four different votes this month, we have our YA comic mystery to inspire you to write a story based on the elements readers voted for. I have my inspiration for the first scene below the photos. You can write a scene or just tell how you think the story could take shape.

We have our protagonist and antagonist.

We have our genre, YA comic mystery. And now we have our main setting: an amusement park, which is a wonderful setting for a comedy.

Here’s my inspiration for an opening scene:

The heat and humidity rolled off the ocean wrapping all of us preparing to open the Happy Holiday Amusement Park in a coating thicker than the caramel Mrs. Novak used on the candy apples.

“Here she comes, Eden,” Jaydon muttered, hooking stuffed animals on the wall of the Ring Toss booth.

I plastered on a smile and sped up placing the rings on the counter.

Mrs. Malone, who could have been anywhere from thirty to fifty, marched toward us, iPad in hand, wearing one of her dozen power suits.

She stopped at the booth, towering over me. I wasn’t sure how tall she really was because she always wore heels and her hair piled on top of her head. She swept me, Jaydon, and the booth in one glance of her serious, dark eyes. She pointed a stylus at Jaydon. “You’re working the-the-the–” she scrolled on her tablet. “You’re working at admissions.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said. “But Mary Jane said she didn’t need me to help her get ready, so I’ve been helping other people.”

Mrs. Malone frowned. “Don’t goof off. Or you’re fired.” Without a word to me, she strode to the next booth.

I watched her as she snapped orders at Kurt at the Shooting Gallery. “Mrs. Malone just doesn’t make sense. She’s not local. She doesn’t seem to like anybody who works at the amusement park. She doesn’t look like she’s ever been amused since she was a toddler. Why would she buy a little, beach amusement park?”

Jaydon shrugged and wiped his forehead with his wrist. “She made an investment.”

“But she could have made an investment in something she liked. The amusement park was pretty cheap for an attraction. That’s what Mom said. But Mrs. Malone still could have invested in something else.” I turned to Jaydon. “And why has she hired the Vincent brothers to help her? I know she’s new to Holiday Beach, but she could have found out quick what those two are like.”

“Good morning, Eden.” Liam Vincent oozed up to the booth, nodding at Jaydon. “Everything all right here?” The skinny, college-age guy, who would never see the inside of a college, gave us his usual sleazy smile, as if he was about to tell you a joke he knew would make you squirm.

*****

Please leave your inspiration in the comments! Find all the YA guest blogs and writing prompts from this month here.

June 30, 2025 0

Book Review of The Search and Rescue Files

If you know teens who enjoy adventure books, check out my book review of The Search and Rescue Files by M. Liz Boyle. This collection of seven short stories is the fourth book in her YA series, Off the Itinerary. If you haven’t read Avalanche, Chased, and Ablaze, you might want to read those first because the seven short stories in The Search and Rescue Files refer to them. But you’ll still be able to enjoy the different rescue scenarios even if you haven’t read the previous books.

College-age Marlee Stanley is the main character in the seven stories. She and her boyfriend Marshall are going to school to become wilderness guides and learns about herself and God during the rescues. What I enjoyed most about the stories was the detailed rescues. The author obviously knows what she’s writing about, and her knowledge makes the stories that much more realistic.

I also liked the variety of the rescues. Some stories feature ones you would expect in the American wilderness–lost hunters or an injured hiker. But one story involves possible drug dealers, and another concerns enacting a white water rescue without the proper equipment. The most unusual one involves hikers who start throwing up in the middle of a five-day hike. I like how Marlee suddenly has to become a detective and figure out what the sick people ate and drank in common so she can determine who will stay well and who might still get sick.

Ms. Boyle also shares some thoughtful insights into Marlee’s experience as a rescuer. It seemed very realistic to me for Marlee to feel like the world should stop and take notice when a young woman endures a possible life-changing spinal injury.

M. Liz Boyle has often been a guest blogger on JPC Allen Writes. You can also read more of my reviews of YA books.

What’s one of your favorite books for teens?

June 26, 2025 1

Choose a Setting for Our YA Story

Last week, I asked to readers to choose a genre for the protagonist and antagonist they selected earlier. Many people fused different genres, and comic mystery won out. Now we need to choose a setting for our YA story that would be useful in a mystery and a comedy, set during current times.

Here’s our protagonist and antagonist.

Choose a setting for our story from these photos. This should be the main setting, the one in which our protagonist and antagonist can come into contact easily.

Read a previous YA story in which readers have chose the story elements here.

June 23, 2025 1

3 Things I Learned from Reading Quality YA

Another new YA author to introduce to you. Annika Klanderud hasn’t published a novel yet, but she has published short stories and articles, and her unpublished YA novels have won national awards. She’s here today to share “3 Things I Learned from Reading Quality YA”. Welcome, Annika!

I recently read the first chapter of three very different young adult (YA) novels (The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron—Dystopian; I MUST BETRAY YOU by Ruta Sepetys—Historical; and THERE YOU’LL FIND ME by Jenny B. Jones—Contemporary). Each opening chapter was totally gripping and drew me in right away. So, it was no surprise that I found they all shared three craft elements that must be included in every YA novel to pull the reader in.

The experience reminded me of how the Apostle Paul, in Ephesians 3:4, assured Christians that “. . . when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ.” In Paul’s case, he was encouraging Christians to read the Scriptures in order to perfect their spiritual understanding. As far as YA fiction goes, I encourage authors to read quality YA in order to perfect the craft of writing fiction for teens.

Whether chapter one was about a teenager hiding from authorities on the wall of her city, a boy in school in Romania trying to get up the courage to talk to a girl, or a teenage girl sitting beside a celebrity on an airplane, every opening chapter grounded me, the reader, in time and place. I could taste the dust in the air, smell the sweat from the crowds surrounding the main character, and I felt like falling asleep along with the main character in the dimly lit airplane cabin.

Of course, no YA novel is complete without a healthy dose of teenage angst. But what I found in the first chapters of each of these novels was that the normal teen drama of testing authorities, crushing on a girl, and battling the emotional struggle of losing a family member too soon were all just small transitions. Soon each main character would learn that things can get much harder. Little did each main character know that a much bigger problem was just around the corner.

But to my delight, as the reader, I found that each main character was open and honest about their internal struggles. What they were passionate about. What scared and worried them. Okay, so maybe they weren’t completely honest with the other characters in the story. But they were honest with me, the reader. On every page they poured out their hearts. Always honest and raw with the reader. Never fake with me. It was as if they trusted me with their deepest secrets. What more could a reader ask for?

Each one of these authors proved that it is possible to transport a reader to a specific time and place, introduce a seemingly real problem, and convince the reader that a fictional character has just as much heart and emotion as a real live human being. I never would’ve believed it if I hadn’t experienced it myself by reading books like these. I guess it’s true what they say, “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have time to write.”

Read more guest blogs from YA authors here.

*****

There’s just something about an old house . . . Whether it inspires memories, fond or sad, or generates questions about the people who lived there, the things that might have happened within its walls, there’s just something about an old house that makes us pause and wonder, think, remember.

Join eleven authors as they explore the theme of “This Old House,” and invite you into the worlds of their imaginations. Whether it’s a mystery, a fantasy quest, a touch of romance, a scary story, a fond look back over the years, a touch of nostalgia or even heartache, there’s something here to satisfy every taste. Join the ACFW Ohio chapter in celebrating young writers, with the four top writers in our first scholarship writing competition featured in these pages. Students from Christian schools across the state were invited to send us their idea of “This Old House.” We think you’ll be pleased by what they created.

*****

Annika’s MG novel, I Lived Through a Wind Chill Advisory, won the 2024 Cascade Christian Writers Contest. Her YA novel, Red Rock, was the Cascade Christian Writers Contest winner in 2022. And her YA novel, Qualify, was a runner up in 2024. Over forty of her articles have appeared in numerous publications such as Keys for Kids.

In addition to seeking traditional publication for her novels, she is passionate about revolutionizing the Christian publishing industry. She has worked with numerous Christian authors to start a book fair in the state of Oregon, facilitate critique groups, and host events like the Author Spotlight and book clubs. Visit her on X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and her website. When she is not wrestling with words for her novels, you can find her in the utility room battling her twelve children’s mountain of laundry.

June 19, 2025 1

Choose a Genre for our YA Story

Last week, readers voted for the antagonist in the photo below. Now that we have a protagonist and an antagonist, we need to choose a genre for our YA story. I’m listing only the most general genres. Which genre do you think would best fit with our main characters? Please vote for the one you prefer in the comments. If you want to mash up a couple–like a comic mystery–go right ahead. Can’t wait to see what readers choose!