Everyone is wondering if Kaylee will fall in love with Davey. I don\u2019t want to give away any spoilers, but in DFF: Dead Friends Forever, the attraction between the teens has already begun. Too bad getting busted for grave robbing and later for arson force their parents to separate them.<\/p>\n
It’s tough to have friends, let alone a boyfriend, when Fate with a capital F has decided you’re supposed to rescue trapped souls across the country. Kaylee’s not exactly thrilled with this, especially since she ends up at Barclay Hall, a girl’s reformatory in School’s Out 4-Ever. Not much of a reward for battling evil and having to save her nemesis from the demon’s fire.<\/p>\n
So will Kaylee and Davey hook up? Most definitely!<\/p>\n
If I could take you on a walk through my ‘keeper shelf’ you’d find it loaded with paranormal romances, all the way back to Bram Stokers Dracula. Ann Rice set the modern bar for sensual supernatural romance. Before Interview with a Vampire, the most popular romantic pairing we had was King Kong and Jessica Lange, or The Creature From the Black Lagoon. I’ll take Brad Pitt over the dude with gills any day!<\/p>\n
I believe there’s something about the supernatural, how it taps into our fear of and desire for more than the mundane lives we lead out of obligation, duty or loyalty. To be free of these restraints, unchained from the shackles holding us back, is a timeless fantasy\u2014one that pairs particularly well with romance.<\/p>\n
Writing young adult, for me, has been both liberating and restrictive. I decided early on that I wouldn’t “dumb” down my writing. After all, by the time I was eleven, The Stand by Stephen King was my favorite book. Why in the world would I believe today’s teens would what anything less? My books may not be 1000+ pages long, but they contain real-world issues, struggles, and emotions.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t believe an author can dismiss honesty out of fear. If Kaylee has a visceral reaction, sexual or otherwise, if I’m too afraid of what a librarian might think, or what a school board might frown upon, to be honest about that reaction\u2014then I’m not being true to my character, to the book or to my readers. I do walk a tightrope, however, about how much is shown and how much is implied, keeping my own daughter in mind and what I’d feel comfortable allowing her to read at ten.<\/p>\n
Where I don’t hesitate, however, is in the horror. I adore horror books and films and when I approached this series, I swore I would go full-out scary as much as I could. My biggest compliment came from an adult reader, a man, who got creeped out in his hotel room reading my book. Very cool! Add to that the blossoming love affair between Kaylee and Davey, and this series becomes one I want for my own ‘keeper’ shelf!<\/p>\n
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