Why We Write MG: "30 Going on 13"

GUEST POST on Forever YA

When we decided to write our first novel, we weren’t thinking about who we were writing the book for. We just knew it was a story we wanted to tell. But looking back, it’s no surprise that we now find ourselves writing middle grade fiction. The truth is, we are two early 30-something guys going on 13. When Andrew was a seventh grader, he remembers going to see a midnight screening on the opening night of Tim Burton’s Batman. Two summers ago, he went to see the midnight screening for the opening of The Dark Knight. And while his voice is no longer cracking (most of the time), he still loves superheroes and comic books just the same. When Adam was a middle schooler, he would stay up late at night hungrily devouring The Lord of the Rings. Recently he found himself rereading the same Tolkien opus, only this time he was doing it after his young daughters went to sleep. The stories we love to tell are the ones we would have loved growing up and would still love today. This genre allows us to write all the wonderful fantasies we dream up in our heads. To bring the action figure shows we imagined as kids to the page. The bottom line is that who you write for is dictated by the story you tell. We hope that “The Familiars” is not just read by tweens and teens but adults, as well. These labels – YA/MG – they shouldn’t define a book. Look at “Harry Potter” or “The Hunger Games.” A great yarn should transcend the aisles of the book store. And whether you’re 13 or 30 you’ll love the book just the same.