I HEART YA #2: Who's Your Freak?

Welcome to the 2nd weekly I HEART YA Blog Carnival! I HEART YA is a Blog Carnival for readers, writers, and lovers of young adult fiction. Every Tuesday there will be a blogging prompt that celebrates my favorite reading genre --YA fiction. Bloggers are invited to write their own take on the topic and post a link in the comment section, or if you prefer just put your thoughts in the comments. Either way, if you own a blog, grab the button to show your pride, and add your link to the list below. If you're not sure what to do, go to the I HEART YA tab for more details.

So here we go! Keep your hands in the car at all times and have fun! (Not really. I ALWAYS put my hands in the air on carnival rides.)

I don't think it's a stretch to say that Stephenie Meyers ushered in the beginning of a vampire, and to a lesser-degree, werewolf love fest in YA fiction.

For a while publishers were telling authors they didn't want to see anything but vamps. Then they reversed course and said they didn't want to have anything to do with vamps. Since writing a book doesn't happen in a day, that's a frustrating thing for an author. The best we can do is try to predict what readers will want a year or so in the future.

Fortunately, there is a whole slew (hmm...I don't think I've ever actually written that word. Slew. Kinda like it!) of paranormal creatures in the list of options these days. We have mythological stories, witches, time travelers, mermaids, aliens, and more. I suspect a lot of it has to do with indie authors who are now willing and able to say: "To heck with the publishers demands. I'm just going to write my story and get it out there."

And personally I'm glad. I think variety is always a good thing.

With that said, I'm obviously an alien fan, (Go Aliens!!!) And wouldn't even mind if aliens suddenly became the new IT genre.The go-to story that everybody just HAS to read. But I'm biased. And honestly, I hope to see the best books rise to the top, regardless of whether they have aliens or nerds or whales as the main character.

So what about you? Do you have a favorite paranormal character? Is there a new one that has captured your interest? Do you predict one type breaking out from the pack?

And don't forget: 1. Add your link to the linkytool (Only once is necessary. Links will be removed after two months of not participating.) 2. Add your link to the comment section so we know you participated this week. 3. Grab the button if you haven't already. Ready...set...go!