Genre inspiration by author Jolyn Palliata

I asked author, Jolyn Palliata, what inspired her to write in the YA genre and what genre would she like to write in. She was kind enough to share the following with me.

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Hi, Michelle. Thanks for having me on your blog today! :)

I’m going to start by answering your second question first.

Each of my writing projects has started with “I wonder if I could write...”. And because I like to challenge myself, I’ve written a YA paranormal romance, a paranormal romance intended for adults, a YA crossover action/adventure fantasy romance (longest genre ever—I know!), a medieval fantasy romance, and a contemporary romance with an edge of suspense. The only thing I haven’t written much of is horror. That being said, I’ve made the attempt, but I didn’t know where to take it so it got shoved to the side. One thing I know for sure is that anything I write will have some sort of romantic entanglement in there. I can’t not include it. Maybe that’s why I had trouble with the horror book. How do you successfully blend horror and romance? Hmm. I’m going to have to work that one out. Love a challenge!

As I said, all of my writing projects have begun with “I wonder if I could write…”. For Amber Eyes, the full thought was “I wonder if I could write a novel.” The answer (apparently) was Yes, I can. And now the thought as become “I wonder if I could stop.” LOL The answer to that one is No! ;)

So, there I was—contemplating writing my first novel. I knew (loosely) what I wanted to write about: Soul mates. And it grew from there. But I needed a setting. When would be the most ideal time to meet your soul mate—someone who has this intimate, otherworldly link to your soul? When would you be most open to it? Most accepting of everything that came with it: the emotions, the memories, and the purest love imaginable?

As an adult, you have all these external struggles in life (job, house, etc), and all the responsibilities that come with it. And let’s face it, by the time most of us are adults, we’re just a little bit disillusioned and jaded by love in general. Would that be the best time to meet your soul mate? Probably not.

As a teen, you have all these internal struggles in life (identity crisis, self-discovery, etc.) and all the new and raw emotions that come with it. It’s the most volatile time in your life, and yet pivotal in so many ways. This is when you’re most open to the possibilities in life, when you’re the most emotional, when you’re getting in touch with who you are deep down and being okay with that person. It’s confusing, exhilarating, and terrifying. And at the same time, it’s the simplest time, before the burdens of the world are put on your shoulders, distracting you from life and love. Now, would this be the best time to meet your soul mate? Yeah, it made sense to me. And that was why I wrote Amber Eyes as a young adult book. :)

If I could, let me ask you this…

If you were to meet your soul mate (given you haven’t already ;) ), when would the best time be for you? When would you be most open to it?

Thanks for stopping by! And thanks again, Michelle, for having me!

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Author Bio:



Jolyn’s writing career began in 2009 when she looked across the sea of cubicles at work, and thought, “I was meant for something more than this.” That thought was immediately followed by, “I wonder if I can write a novel.” Four novels and one novella later, that question has been answered. She started with Amber Eyes (Entwined Souls Trilogy – Book One), a young adult paranormal romance. They always say, with the first book, you write about what you know. And she certainly did! Drawing off her teenage years in Oshkosh, WI, Jolyn incorporated her high school and favorite haunts. She even pulled out her favorite music from back then to help recapture the teenager within.

Jolyn has absolutely no qualifications whatsoever to be a writer, other than a knack and a passion. The knack she worked hard for through betas, critique partners, writer sites, editors, etc, but the passion she’s had since she was in middle school.

Being married, and mother to one very precocious six-year-old, doesn’t leave her with a whole heckofalot of time to write – not to mention working full-time – but that is where lack of sleep comes in very handy. Jolyn has a gift of functioning on minimal sleep when totally absorbed by a writing project…although she crashes like dead weight when it’s fully completed/edited (usually 2-3 months later).

Her current listing of published books includes:

· Amber Eyes (Entwined Souls Trilogy – Book One) – young adult paranormal romance

· Connected (Twists of Fate #1) – paranormal romance

· A Modern Love Story – contemporary / romantic suspense

Random information and quirks about Jolyn (because everyone has them):

· She likes to listen to loud music. Period. But especially when she has a headache (helps to drown it out).

· When she's overtired, she gets slaphappy. (Heaven help those around her.)

· She titles a book before she writes it, because she's anal enough to where that would bother her.

· She can't walk into a Barnes and Noble without buying a book. Even if she has a pile of unread books at home (which she does), it just doesn't feel right to leave empty-handed.



Links to Jolyn’s world:
website
Amazon (full store listing)
Twitter
Facebook
FB - Entwined Souls Trilogy
FB - Twists of Fate series
Goodreads