YA & NA Romance ♥ discussion

Hi guys. What's your take on the appropriate level of "romance" in YA fiction? This is a challenging question for YA authors who want to be considerate of parental concern, but also want to write authentic characters that teens can relate to.

Thanks for your input!
AC

In a YA I really wouldn't recommend anything overtly explicit. Your characters can maybe get away with groping and off-screen consummation, but it's a gamble and can't be shoehorned in.

YA - PG-13
NA - PG -13 on the verge of R

I'm writing a series and I think about the same thing. Heather is 16 and Mitch is 17. They have a relationship similar to what regular teenagers have. There are some slightly erotic make-out scenes. It's in first person present so there is mention of being arosed, but their is no sex or nudity, though mitch does feel her up.

In the rest of the series, their relationship will progress. In the last book, there will be sex, and I think it would be a cheap scape to not describe it. Readers have been investing their time and they want to the goods.

So, the first book pushes the envelop of NA but doesn't quite get it open, while book 2, 3, and 4 are NA. If it is like this for your book, I would just list as NA, because you do not want cautious readers to invest in the series, only to find out that it is out of their comfort zone when they are already attached.

I would not be comfortable with my parents seeing what I write, so mine is NA. But don't limit your audience. Always be true to the characters even if you as the author do not agree with what they do or if you think others wouldn't approve. You want people to like what you write, but you shouldn't keep the story a bay. It needs to be told - honestly.