Today I welcome Jen Greyson, author of a fascinating new book called Lightning Rider.  She is here to tell us about this new genre that I see all the time with book review requests but was afraid to ask!  So on with Jen’s post!

A huge thank you to Leslie here at StoreyBook Reviews for letting me come visit. Today I wanted to talk about this new genre popping up everywhere, new adult.

What the Heck Is New Adult?

There’s a lot of excitement surrounding the newest genre to hit the shelves, but it’s leaving some readers confused as to what new adult really means. Is it YA with sex? Is it YA with old people?

New adult is a little bit of both, and a lot of neither. NA is to YA what YA is to MG (GAH! Jr. high math!)

New adult is similar to young adult in that the characters are still dealing with firsts. YA characters are dealing with first kisses, first cars, first jobs, first betrayals. In NA the stakes are higher because the characters are older. NA characters are now dealing with life during or after college, first place, first “real” relationship, first step toward a career. Now the repercussions of choices are bigger, the stakes are larger. Skipping a day of work holds more weight than skipping a day of school. Sex does show up in NA books, but it’s not the focus. Characters are maturing, they’ve moved out of puberty and realize they’re on the cusp of adulthood. One of my favorite parts of writing and reading new adult is that these characters have the world at their feet. Life is full of endless possibilities and they’re no longer hampered by the restraints of high school and parents. Most of them have “left the nest” for the first time and they’re now responsible for their own choices. Sometimes they make good choices, a lot of times they make bad ones..and now those bad ones have serious repercussions.

Young adult characters are usually between the ages of 12-18, but are classified more by the issues they’re dealing with, same goes for NA. The NA characters are usually older—18-26, but some YA books can cross-over into NA based on what, and more importantly, how, the characters are dealing with issues.

To learn more about NA and find some amazing reads, there are a couple of great resources. Goodreads has a New Adult Book Club and NA Alley is a great site to find some fantastic reads as well.

My new adult fantasy, Lightning Rider, released May 31 and features a Latina who had her life all figured out until she claimed her birthright as a time traveler. Now she’s battling the repercussions of her future-altering power as it affects her business, her family, and your future.

You can find more Lightning Rider on Goodreads or The Writer’s Coffeshop

Available everywhere on May 31, 2013

Kobo * iTunes * Amazon * Barnes & Noble

About Jen:

From the moment she decided on a degree in Equestrian Studies, Jen Greyson’s life has been one unscripted adventure after another. Leaving the cowboy state of Wyoming to train show horses in France, Switzerland, and Germany, she’s lived life without much of a plan, but always a book in her suitcase. Now a wife and mom to two young boys, she relies on her adventurous, passionate characters to be the risk- takers.

Jen also writes university courses and corporate training material when she’s not enjoying the wilds of the west via wakeboard or snowmobile. Her new adult fantasy, Lightning Rider, comes out May 31 and features a Latina heroine with some serious superpowers.

You can find Jen here:

Twitter * Goodreads * Facebook * Blog

About Lightning Rider:

Heiress to a time-traveling dynasty, Evy Rivera is finally claiming her birthright as a lightning rider. Problem is, she’s forced to learn it alongside Constantine, a prickly, obstinate Roman warrior who constantly challenges her to be the woman he sees in her.

Thrown back into ancient Spain, Evy must rely on guts and instinct to wield her lightning as a weapon and outsmart Ilif, her quasi-mentor who believes time traveling should be left to the Rivera men.

During her training, Evy and Constantine battle the push-pull of their explosive relationship, aware the 2,000-year span between their lives is an unavoidable hurdle.

Caught between a centuries-old battle rife with secrets, Evy must learn whom to trust before she risks everything and the wrong history repeats itself. When the heritage her parents have suppressed mingles with the past, Evy must find answers . . .

Which history is the right one? And who is she becoming?