Why Write for the Young Adult Market?

Introducing another new author here at JPC Allen Writes, Donna Jo Stone. Her latest book just released last week. You’ll find out all about Promise Me Tomorrow after you read Donna’s answer to the question, why write for the young adult market? Take it away, Donna!

When I first began writing Promise Me Tomorrow, it was a story for my daughter. I am a voracious reader, so it seemed natural that every time any of my kids were facing some difficult challenges, I would supplement our discussions with reading. Because we are a family of faith, we believe in the God of all comfort, but at the time, I could not find a book that addressed the issue of how a family dealing with autism might handle grief from a faith-based perspective. When I couldn’t find the book we needed, I wrote Promise Me Tomorrow. Fulfilling a need is a good reason to write for young adults.

Here’s another. In fiction, readers become immersed in another’s life, vicariously living through the character’s. For young people, reading about an age-mate who survived what feels unsurvivable can have more impact than all of the advice and reassurances the adults in their life can come up with. Books can remove emotional and mental barriers, take us into another world, and speak to the heart. It’s a little more tolerable to go through hard times knowing someone else has been down this path before and came out on the other side. No matter how old, or young, you are, it’s a comfort to know you’re not traveling a path alone, and that others have been down the same path before. Someone understands, maybe not perfectly, but at least a little. Reading other people’s stories, even fictional people, help us understand and process our own stories and experiences.

Fiction provides a unique vehicle to speak to today’s teens. Part of the normal growing up process of maturating into an adult is finding our own way, testing boundaries, exploring new ideas, and formulating our own unique understanding of the world around us. Hopefully, teens have a stable and firm foundation during this time of exploration, but because I’d been living with angsty teens, I understood the need for a well-placed word, just as I knew what would not resonate with my young person. (Remember your teen years?) It’s a delicate balance, communicating with teenagers. They aren’t easily mollified. It can be challenging to write for teens, but it’s oh-so worth it.

My goal in Promise Me Tomorrow was to convey that someone will always be here for you. We don’t always get the answers we want, but we will have the love we need, from family, friends, and ultimately, from the One who is the source of all comfort, God.

Pointing teens toward the answers that will always speak to their hurts and needs may be the best reason of all to write young adult fiction.

*****

Three things consume sixteen-year-old autistic artist Nina’s thoughts: earning the privilege to paint the school mural, untangling her emotions about a certain boy, and finding a miracle cure for her mom’s terminal cancer.

For Nina, communicating her emotions is ridiculously hard. She expresses herself best through art, so when she’s chosen to design the school mural, she’s ecstatic. It’s a chance to make Mom proud. Then she learns her mother’s cancer has returned and is terminal. She can’t believe God would allow this to happen. Even worse, Mom refuses further treatment.

If mom dies, how will Nina prove she can be the daughter her mother wants?

Besides, the family can’t manage without Mom. Nina’s twin brother is a meteorite-loving genius, but helpless at navigating certain situations because of his autism. Even though Nina has always been ready to jump in when Mom’s not available, she can’t fill a permanent mom-sized hole.

As she struggles with her internal battle—and trouble at school—Nina gains a support system through a rag-tag group of classmates, but in her single-minded search for a miracle for Mom, she strays outside her own rules of behavior, risks alienating her friends, and pushes away the boy who only wants to help her.

BUY AT AMAZON.

*****

Award-winning author Donna Jo Stone writes contemporary and historical fiction, with the intent to leave readers with a sense of hope. When she’s not writing, she loves to read and talk about books, poke around in old bookshops and museums, and spend time with her family. Donna Jo is a regular contributor for the young adult column at Almost an Author. Connect with Donna at her website, blog, newsletter, Facebook, Instagram, and Amazon Author page.

June 12, 2025 6

Choose an Antagonist for our YA Story

Last week, I asked readers to vote on a main character, or protagonist, for a YA story. I had to break a tie and chose the girl in the photo above. This week I’m asking you to choose an antagonist for our YA story, someone to face off with the girl. Choose from the four photos. And, remember, an antagonist doesn’t have to be a villain–although #4 certainly looks like one. An antagonist is someone stopping the protagonist from reaching his or her goal. So for a YA story, it could be a parent or someone else in authority, who doesn’t support the goal of the main character.

Vote for you pick in the comments. You can see what readers picked as the building block for a previous YA story here.

June 9, 2025 1

The Appeal of Writing YA Christian Fiction

So glad to introduce a new author to you, Miriam Thor. She writes both YA and contemporary romance. She’s wearing her YA author hat today, writing about the appeal of writing YA Christian fiction. You can connect with Miriam with the links in her bio at the end of her post. The floor is yours, Miriam!

Every one of us was a teenager at one point. Chances are…it wasn’t pretty, at least not all of the time. Being a teenager means being caught in the middle, not truly a child anymore but still not an adult. For many of us, our teenage years were when we started to figure out who we were and who we wanted to be. We began charting our own course, rather than simply following the one laid out for us.

One of the best parts of reading and writing YA fiction is the chance to explore that dynamic time in a character’s life. Teenage protagonists have so much room for character development, to the point that it would feel almost unnatural for them not to change or grow significantly by the end of the story. As an author, I enjoy taking a character through that journey, telling the story of who my character is at the beginning and how they’ve changed by the end.

In my contemporary YA novel, the main character, Ally Griffin, begins the story as a high school freshman searching for a talent that will help her stand out and praying that God will help her find it. She believes finding it will make her life so much better, and for a short time, she thinks it does. Then, her cousin’s accident turns her life upside down. As Ally deals with the aftermath and all the changes it brings to her family, she realizes that she had her priorities in the wrong place. This helps her grow as a character, getting much closer to the woman she will one day become, the woman God wants her to be.

As much as I have enjoyed reading general market YA fiction over the years, I write YA Christian fiction because I want my characters’ growth to be rooted in their faith in God. As a Christian, I believe it’s important that when we grow as people, we do it with the Lord, learning to trust Him and His timing, following His will. Ultimately, that’s the message I want readers to take away from all of my books.

In my own Christian walk, my teenage years were when I truly started learning to depend on God, even when things were difficult, and to seek His will for my life. During those years, I read a lot of amazing books with inspiring protagonists, but very few of them were Christian fiction. I wish there would have been more books available about characters who were growing in their faith the way I was. It would have helped me as I walked with God through the ups and downs of my teenage years.

I am grateful that the YA Christian fiction market has expanded since then and that I have been blessed with the opportunity to add to it. Teenagers, and many adults, now enjoy the dynamic character development entwined with faith that can be found in YA Christian fiction.

Here are more blog posts from YA authors.

*****

During her freshman year of high school, Ally Griffin is determined to find her thing, a talent that will let her gain praise and recognition. Her cousins, Billy and James, have found theirs in sports and music, but Ally has yet to discover something that will make people cheer just for her.

At her best friend’s suggestion, Ally tries ballet. When that doesn’t turn out the way she hopes, she signs up to sing in the school talent show. Thanks to support from James, Ally’s performance goes well, and she thinks she has found her thing at last.

But when James gets into an accident, Ally’s whole world is turned upside down. As she tries to be there for her cousin, Ally wrestles with why God allows bad things to happen and whether she should keep doing her thing at all.

Buy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple Books.

*****

Miriam Thor started writing in second grade and never stopped. Her first (unpublished) book was an illustrated picture book about seals that is probably still on her mom’s shelf. Currently, Miriam lives in Alabama with her husband and six adorable cats. Her published works include Listening to the Rain, A Kringle Family Christmas, and a number of short stories. You can learn more about her by visiting her website, miriamthor.com. You can also follow her on Instagram, Facebook, X/Twitter, and TikTok.

June 5, 2025 10

Let’s Create a YA Story

We had a lot of fun with a series of photo prompts that led to the basic building blocks for a YA story last year, so let’s create a YA story again this month for my theme of YA fiction. Each Monday, I’ll give you a choice of elements in order to create a YA story. This week, I have four photos of teens, and you can tell me in the comments which one you would like to be the main character for our story. The one with the most votes wins!