I might fancy myself an intellectual, but it’s really all about story. I’ve been reading YA since before it was a thing. I remember my colleagues in the newsroom looking incredulous when they’d ask what I’ve been reading and I'd mention a writer like Megan Whelan Turner.
But you, Maggie, are genreless. Your characters might be teens, but the concerns and tropes are adult. Maura and Jesse matter just as much as Blue.
This Substack seems to me to be evidence of what you're explaining.
It's "about" why you chose to go this direction with your writing, but really it's a treatise on the merits and distinctions of genre.
I'm very excited to read The Listeners. I'd also be interested to learn more about your reading process that you described briefly here. YA often for me is a vibe, but it feels almost as though you broke down the differences enough to have metrics.
This was fantastic to read. As a now 40-year-old who loves your books (TRC & TDT audiobooks particularly), I'm looking forward to your "debut", even more so after reading this.
Thank you for this great discussion; it seems you went into this project with great intention, research, creativity, effort, and thought, so I'm really eager to read The Listeners and experience Stiefvatery literary fiction!
Why Maggie is it always you that puts my feelings into words for me. It's years I now fruitlessly tried to explain to people why my favorite genre is fantasy but not Fantasy (the genre), it's the small hard to find, never really promopted part of general adult fiction that plays with fantasy more than most.
And from a now 28 year old reader. I was so happy when you announced switching to adult. Like I can't tell you how seen I felt as a reader.
Thanks for the wonderful insight! I always viewed YA simply as having young protagonists coming of age, which is good but gets old to a long grown, jaded adult. My 2 30ish daughters, who control our audible account are still all about YA and fantasy. I am very much looking forward to your new book!!
This was a fascinating piece, Maggie. I really enjoyed the deep dive into your thought process.
You may or may not remember me from years ago, when I was the moderator at one of your appearances at Keplers Books. (I brought a bright blue electric bass guitar for you to autograph, as a nod to Cole St. Clair). I've loved following your career.
I'd love to have you on my podcast next year when your book comes out. Recent guests have included Alka Joshi (The Henna Artist), Kate Quinn (The Alice Network), J. Courtney Sullivan (The Cliffs), Alison Espach (The Wedding People), TJ Klune (The House in the Cerulean Sea) and more. The podcast has a video version on my Substack (close to 20,000 subscribers) and the audio streams on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all over major podcast platforms. If you're curious, you can check it out here https://www.creativeinspiredhappy.com/podcast .
Anyway, congrats on your shift into the adult fiction world. I look forward to your future newsletters!
I recently reread the Raven Cycle and found myself wanting something more grown-up— im 24 and first read your books around 15. I’m so excited to read the Listeners! Your depth of knowledge (specificity) about cars in the cycle and equestrianism in the Scorpio races really shines through, and I can’t wait to see you lean into that side of your writing.
Thank you for this! You have given me a new framework and perspective for appreciating General Fiction. I gave up on it years ago focused on genre fiction (although like you, I stopped reading YA in about 2018), because I think the realism of General Fiction was too much to bear along with the challenges in my own life. This piece made me wonder what your thoughts are about Magical Realism in General Fiction. It is anchored in real-world analogs, but it goes pretty far out there, too. Could it perhaps be a genre of Magical Realism?
As a writer of YA, I've been struggling with figuring out where my books actually fit in that category/genre... while starting to think that they might not actually do so. YA may be a chimera, but many people (myself included) tend to define it mostly by the ages of the main characters. I'm coming to realize that may have been a mistake, especially with the changes that YA is going through at the moment. (Things are getting pretty spicy in the teen section!)
You've articulated the genre issue so wonderfully and given us plenty to think about. Thank you for sharing your insights!
Frankly, I'm thrilled for this change; I think the Dreamer Trilogy was the last of the YA novels I ever read - I am 32 and outgrew YA after that; general fiction is my thing now, so perfect timing! Loved your insights on this topic.
I like to read YA, especially yours, because it offers me an escape from reality and generally the endings are happy. I need that. I need the fantasy. That said, I'll read anything you write. It can't not be good. And with all the work you put into this novel, I can't wait to crack it open!
I might fancy myself an intellectual, but it’s really all about story. I’ve been reading YA since before it was a thing. I remember my colleagues in the newsroom looking incredulous when they’d ask what I’ve been reading and I'd mention a writer like Megan Whelan Turner.
But you, Maggie, are genreless. Your characters might be teens, but the concerns and tropes are adult. Maura and Jesse matter just as much as Blue.
That was also my experience in the newsroom. I was a longtime YA reader and really didn't see a divide between the two parts of the bookstore.
Wow. This was an amazing read. I hope all of your research becomes your next masterclass!
Same! This is fascinating and I would like to think more about what I read in this way.
This Substack seems to me to be evidence of what you're explaining.
It's "about" why you chose to go this direction with your writing, but really it's a treatise on the merits and distinctions of genre.
I'm very excited to read The Listeners. I'd also be interested to learn more about your reading process that you described briefly here. YA often for me is a vibe, but it feels almost as though you broke down the differences enough to have metrics.
This was fantastic to read. As a now 40-year-old who loves your books (TRC & TDT audiobooks particularly), I'm looking forward to your "debut", even more so after reading this.
Thank you for this great discussion; it seems you went into this project with great intention, research, creativity, effort, and thought, so I'm really eager to read The Listeners and experience Stiefvatery literary fiction!
Why Maggie is it always you that puts my feelings into words for me. It's years I now fruitlessly tried to explain to people why my favorite genre is fantasy but not Fantasy (the genre), it's the small hard to find, never really promopted part of general adult fiction that plays with fantasy more than most.
And from a now 28 year old reader. I was so happy when you announced switching to adult. Like I can't tell you how seen I felt as a reader.
Thanks for the wonderful insight! I always viewed YA simply as having young protagonists coming of age, which is good but gets old to a long grown, jaded adult. My 2 30ish daughters, who control our audible account are still all about YA and fantasy. I am very much looking forward to your new book!!
Thanks so much for this clear overview.
This was a fascinating piece, Maggie. I really enjoyed the deep dive into your thought process.
You may or may not remember me from years ago, when I was the moderator at one of your appearances at Keplers Books. (I brought a bright blue electric bass guitar for you to autograph, as a nod to Cole St. Clair). I've loved following your career.
I'd love to have you on my podcast next year when your book comes out. Recent guests have included Alka Joshi (The Henna Artist), Kate Quinn (The Alice Network), J. Courtney Sullivan (The Cliffs), Alison Espach (The Wedding People), TJ Klune (The House in the Cerulean Sea) and more. The podcast has a video version on my Substack (close to 20,000 subscribers) and the audio streams on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all over major podcast platforms. If you're curious, you can check it out here https://www.creativeinspiredhappy.com/podcast .
Anyway, congrats on your shift into the adult fiction world. I look forward to your future newsletters!
Ah, thanks! I remember that guitar . . . I don't sign that many of them. And I passed on your info to Viking!
I recently reread the Raven Cycle and found myself wanting something more grown-up— im 24 and first read your books around 15. I’m so excited to read the Listeners! Your depth of knowledge (specificity) about cars in the cycle and equestrianism in the Scorpio races really shines through, and I can’t wait to see you lean into that side of your writing.
Thank you for this! You have given me a new framework and perspective for appreciating General Fiction. I gave up on it years ago focused on genre fiction (although like you, I stopped reading YA in about 2018), because I think the realism of General Fiction was too much to bear along with the challenges in my own life. This piece made me wonder what your thoughts are about Magical Realism in General Fiction. It is anchored in real-world analogs, but it goes pretty far out there, too. Could it perhaps be a genre of Magical Realism?
As a writer of YA, I've been struggling with figuring out where my books actually fit in that category/genre... while starting to think that they might not actually do so. YA may be a chimera, but many people (myself included) tend to define it mostly by the ages of the main characters. I'm coming to realize that may have been a mistake, especially with the changes that YA is going through at the moment. (Things are getting pretty spicy in the teen section!)
You've articulated the genre issue so wonderfully and given us plenty to think about. Thank you for sharing your insights!
Frankly, I'm thrilled for this change; I think the Dreamer Trilogy was the last of the YA novels I ever read - I am 32 and outgrew YA after that; general fiction is my thing now, so perfect timing! Loved your insights on this topic.
I like to read YA, especially yours, because it offers me an escape from reality and generally the endings are happy. I need that. I need the fantasy. That said, I'll read anything you write. It can't not be good. And with all the work you put into this novel, I can't wait to crack it open!