There's
a new kid in town going by the name NEW ADULT - have you heard of it by
chance?
If
you have then you're probably aware of a few things:
1. It's full of female writers
2. It's very romance centric
3. It's been termed as smut
for teenagers and steamy young adult
It
might be strange to learn, then, that a man's trying to break into this genre
and convince people it's good idea. Never one for conforming, I'm doing just
that - my name is Matthew Turner and I'm embarking on a campaign called The New Adult Man
Should
I Stay Or Should I Go?
This
week my debut novel, Beyond
Parallel is FREE (18/03/2013 - 22/03/2013), the reason being to show
that MEN can be part of this wonderful New Adult World, too. I see great
potential in this genre, and although I have absolutely nothing against romance
or steamy sex scenes, I think limiting NA to this would be like limiting YA to
vampires and wizards.
New
Adult is about the young life,
it's about a world away from the teenage years but before the real world hits,
and it's about going through issues that those young folk know oh so well: careers,
love, commitment, new beginnings, leaving old one's behind, friends, family,
etc, etc.
Although
trying to break into a genre full of romance may be hard, I honestly believe
this is the home for my writing. No other book I write will be like Beyond
Parallel, but my general style is to craft stories that focus on very real
issues - for the most part those we go through when we're still coming-of-age.
During
the writing process I worried where my book fit, but as soon as I found New
Adult I knew I'd found home. The only issue was, was it ready for me?
Overcoming
Adversity
There
once lived a man who appeared in Titanic, appeared on every pre-teen magazine
cover around, and was generally seen as an adorable sex symbol rather than an
actor. I for one hated Leonardo DiCaprio, but I can't say the same these days.
Today
he's one of my favourite actors because he's shown himself to be amazing.
That's
the strange thing about perceptions and assumptions. They're so important, but
they can easily change over time. Apple were once seen as Microsoft's geeky
little brother, but is today the coolest, most successful brand around.
Fashion, too is a great example. What's cool one minute isn't the next.
At
the moment outlets like ABC News have painted New Adult with a particular
brush, but that doesn't mean it will be like this forever. I believe New Adult
fulfils a genuine need, but like most things in life it has to mature and earn
it's stripes.
This
is what I hope The New Adult Man Campaign achieves.
Beyond Parallel is set around relationships, but isn't overly romantic. It's
about the young life, a world after college, and a time when you can achieve
anything.
For
me, this is what New Adult is all about.
Will
You Spread The New Adult Love?
I
hope you'll download Beyond
Parallel for FREE, but before that I hope you'll give New Adult a
chance. Head to Goodreads and find a few books you think you might like, give
them a read, and try and discover what New Adult means to you.
There's
so much talent out there and the limits to what NA can achieve is infinite. I
hope you'll uncover, discover, and share the love...
Should
I Fight or Flight?
Heck, the easy thing would be to flight I guess, but I have no plans to do
this. In a year's time I hope I'll be one of many male writers happy to fit
into the genre, and not only will journalists be happy to spread the word,
they'll spread a varied and eclectic one - a word that helps everyone
appreciate what New adult is really about.
It's
about the young life.
Are you on board? >>> JOIN The Party HERE
Matthew
Turner - author of Beyond Parallel
****
Matthew Turner is a Male New Adult Writer who's debut
novel, BEYOND
PARALLEL is FREE all week (18/03/2013 - 22/03/2013).
The New Adult Man Campaign is
geared toward exposing this great new genre and showing that men can play a
part too. JOIN THE FACEBOOK EVENT and help spread
the word, discovering some great New Adult reads along the way.
