So I’m reading my way through the Edgar nominees, as you have probably noticed from my blog posts. It’s good stuff (the Edgar noms, not my blog). But I can’t help but notice that genre definitions work a little differently.
The book I’m reading now, for instance, hardly qualifies as a mystery at all. Sure, there’s a plot question, which I suppose qualifies. But it’s not fitting the genre, in my opinion. And most of these YA ‘mysteries’ really don’t qualify—and we’re talking Edgar nominees here. Which makes me wonder: where are the true mysteries in YA? I’ve read a few over the years, but can count those on one hand, to be honest.
So here’s another question: how are we going to have adult mystery readers in the future, if we’re not putting out YA mysteries?
And when I say ‘we’, I really mean ‘you big publishing house people out there.’
When I look at what’s on TV and in the theater, I’m delighted to see lots of crime stuff, noir stuff (Watchmen, anyone?), and mysteries. So why are mysteries so absent in YA??
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
April 2022 News (or: on reading slumps and lots of editing...)
April snuck up on me like a thief in the night! I’ve been so busy writing, editing, and coming up with ideas for Daybreak on Raven Island...
-
Popping in from my winter (and writing) hibernation for a moment to tell you about a class I'm teaching over at Savvy Authors on how to ... -
Cute kitty, no? Happily stolen from I Can Has Cheezburger. I'm a bit off-topic here, but it's not like that hasn't happened befo... -
Friday links (a.k.a. time-wastery) come early, since I’m actually hoping to get some writing done tomorrow. So here you go: It’s a book! It’...
Sounds like there's an empty niche that you can fill. Your stand alones are so great. And don't you have a series planned?
ReplyDeleteThe next Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew anyone?
Maybe I'll talk to D.B. about thinking along the YA lines. She might like that.
I would love to see DB go YA...
ReplyDelete