Crossing boundaries

The line between standard adult fiction and YA fiction becomes more blurred every year. Adult authors of fiction and nonfiction have often decided to try their hand at writing for children or young adults, but now it seems a definite trend is starting in at least one genre. Romance writers usually see their audience as young, or not so young, married women who enjoy the sheer escape of falling in love with dashing Arabian sheiks or stalwart cowboys. The audience for romances is creeping lower and lower and now editors of YA books are actively recruiting some experienced romance novelists to aim their books at a youthful audience. As SLJ reports, several prolific romance writers have turned their attention to writing a series for teens. As romance fiction incorporates more and more fantasy elements, just as YA fiction does, there is less of a difference between the two. And books for teens can now be more erotic than they were a generation ago, so the romance writer is a natural to appeal to girls. Librarians may want to check out some of these new authors and sample their wares.