A number of interesting questions arose about what young adults are reading, and why the genre of fiction designated for them attracts adult readers as well. The general consensus was that most adult readers (definitely all those present in the audience) do read children’s books in general and that “crossover” is little more than snappy marketing jargon. What follows are some thoughts on the subjects talked about.

There have always been books that have appealed to a universal audience — Alice in Wonderland, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Treasure Island, Moby Dick, Gulliver’s Travels, the Arabian Nights, authors such as Charles Dickens, the Brontë sisters… heck, this list could run into pages. And right now there is just some really good literature being churned out for young people that adults don’t want to be excluded from. Thus, the burgeoning of terms such as “crossover”.

Crossover or young adult (YA) are, therefore, trendy shortforms that makes it easier to target these books to a particular audience. Is this a good or bad thing? Speaking from the point of view of a reader and an author, I find it pointless. Youngsters — just like adults — generally hate to slotted into easy categories. Do you start picking out books from the YA shelf the day you turn 13 and stop on your 18th birthday? That’s a ridiculous question. If you’re 12 and want to read illustrated and picture books, is that a bad thing? Certainly not.

Children themselves are the best judges of what they ought to read, and if there are books that are addressing their concerns in an honest way, they will automatically be drawn to them. If they’re picking out adult books, then that’s fine too. After all, children live in the same horrible world adults live in. If they can watch the news and read the newspaper and see the mindless violence and hatred, really, why should they not read whatever fiction they choose? In an earlier interaction with Paro Anand, we discussed how we had all grown up reading books for adults, even trash. We are no worse for it.

To get back to the issue of YA fiction, over the past few decades, there has been a surfeit of literature for the pre-teen and adolescent audience that:

1. Portrays a realistic view of the world as they see it: Instead of treating them like mindless proto-adults who require a distilled view of reality as adults deem fit, children are being addressed as thinking, intelligent individuals, their differences acknowledged, and their problems, fears, dreams and questions given centre stage. Honesty builds trust, and youngsters appreciate it if you talk directly to them without patronizing them. This honesty and freshness is sometimes missing even in grown-up books, and thus adults’ fascination for them as well. Think of the literature we grew up with — Enid Blyton and all her attendant prejudices in my case, with stereotypical characters, no shades of grey, simplistic assumptions of right and wrong/good and evil — and contrast it with what we have available today.
2. Has lucid narration, at the same time being intellectually challenging: A 15-year-old doesn’t have time for you in her life. As an author you have a small window of opportunity to catch her attention. Thus, you rarely find YA books faffing about, showing off Booker-type writing that you don’t really understand but can’t really admit to. Therefore, “crossover” books typically have great narration — crisp, action-packed and fresh, yet not mind-numbing and childish or simplistic (see point 1!). Paro Anand made another great point related to this: catering to young people does not imply that books need to be dumbed down for them or that creative styles cannot be implemented. Just that if you want to show off your literary artistry, this is not the genre for you. YA writing is about the reader, not you. Altogether, having your work cut out this way makes for good writing, and thus attracts audiences across age groups.
3. Concerns characters who are stuck between childhood and adulthood: Growing up is hard, and the childhood and teenage years are a never-ending procession of one nightmare after another. Anyone who says otherwise is either lying or repressing. When no one understands you, the world is impossible, and every little choice you make threatens to have life-changing repercussions, it is a relief to know that you may have an ally, albeit fictional — someone going through what you’re going through, someone who might understand. This companionship is often what one gets from books. When a reader writes to me to say, “I know exactly what XYZ was going through/feeling/thinking when this/that/whatever happened,” that is the biggest compliment. And as adult readers, it is an opportunity to sail down the river of retrospection and shake our heads about the fact that we actually survived childhood.

All of these points essentially result in one thing: some great stories told well. However, though young people these days have an embarrassment of riches to choose from, it is mainly Western literature they resort to. Some great boks, but nothing to connect them with their own reality since there are woefully few good YA books coming out in India.

Only a handful of publishers have been brave enough to stride out from the “safe” path, and not many authors are comfortable talking honestly to a young audience. Even those that do take up “difficult issues” are guilty of moralizing, preaching or stereotyping. In our society, where “traditional” is a good word, children are policed at multiple levels — by parents, teachers and librarians, and should we add authors and publishers?

Authors are just as much to blame for not addressing the aforementioned “difficult issues”, including violence, abuse, terrorism, drugs, and especially sex and sexuality, which most Indian parents and teachers would rather believe have no relation to their children. The authors on the Jumpstart panel were agreed that no publishers has ever told them “not to write about something”. This seems to indicate that the ball is in the authors’ courts.

If parents truly believe their 15-year-old is not thinking about sex, they are never going to give her honest answers or pre-empt her needs. Or — let’s give parents a break — they might be hesitant to approach matters (heck, their parents never talked to them about sex, and if they ever mentioned “drugs” a good thrashing might have been the only result). Fiction can be a powerful tool to tackle difficult subjects. It can enable reluctant teens, and their parents and other adults in their life open discussions on matters of concern they have found hard to broach. It also helps them rationalize through what-if scenarios how such questions relate to their own lives.

To sum up (alternatively, to stop going on and on), myth or reality, crossover fiction has been playing a very important role in the lives of young people and adults, apart from giving them some great stories to read. The term crossover itself might be marketing jargon, but it is also enabling authors to fulfil a social responsibility of providing an honest portrayal of the world as young adults see it, and erasing the borders between childhood and adulthood to make for a more informed and hopefully easier transition.

~PD

That’s right, I was convinced to change the names of major characters in The Secret of Fezar. Thus, “Kinnel” and “Tasil” took a tumble along with some key concepts and other names of people and places.

The siblings are now called Yavi and Fahe. It wasn’t as easy as doing a search and replace. These were well-know, well-fleshed characters, and changing the names was almost like saying goodbye to them and reincarnating them as new people.

Yes, Tasil and Kinnel will be missed, but I feel the change is for the better. I am liking the new names, but more significantly they fit better with my world. Also, “Tasil” was not an original name, since a Tasil exists in the Shadow in Eternity series, albeit in the background (Wahid’s wife, if anyone remembers Wahid).

All these changes were the direct result of some astute feedback from my editor. It also spurred me to work on a date and time system for the world the story is based in. More on that later.

Goodbye, Kinnel and Tasil.

~PD

The Secret of Fezar is the first book in the series called Satin. I’m undecided which one sounds better, though I’m inclined to go with the former.

This is a story about a family secret, and a very apt demonstration of the proverb, “Curiosity killed the cat.” Find out more here.

The book is finally going into production, and watch this space for updates about cover, Website, etc.

Disclaimer: No cats were harmed in the writing of this book, and none will be in the reading of it.

~PD

The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency happens to be one such book. Detailing the adventures of the unconventional, intuitive, unflappable Mma Ramotswe, proprietor of the agency, this is the first in a series of eleven books. This is also the book that has, at long last, kicked me into adding to Writeside.net’s reviews section.

Here’s a teaser from the review:

Precious Ramotswe is about as unlikely a private detective as you would expect — indeed “the only lady private detective in Botswana”. None of the slick smarts of the Kinsey Milhones and Kate Brannigans of the world. That’s not to say that Mma Ramotswe is lacking in the intelligence department. Oh no… she is an extremely sharp and resourceful woman, and her Daddy would have been proud of her today if he had been alive to see her.

Read the rest here, but don’t forget to come back to comment.

~PD

Scholastic’s Spooky Stories has my contribution called “Mirror-Self”, which is about a young girl who discovers her grandmother’s creepy secret. In addition, it has eight other stories, from Anshumani Ruddra, Nilanjana Roy, Arunava Sinha and others.

The Puffin Book of Spooky Ghost Stories, edited by Jerry Pinto, is of course from Penguin’s children’s imprint, Puffin. It has illustrious names such as Ruskin Bond, Jerry Pinto, Subhadra Sen Gupta and Paro Anand. There are thirteen horrific tales in this collection, and “Virus Here” is the title of my story, about an 11-year-old who finds a little surprise lurking in her new laptop.

Check them out if you can. Targeted at the age group 10 and above, you’re never really too old for a nice little scare, are you? Chills down the spine are good for health!

~PD

The Secret of Fezar is the first book in the series (hopefully!) titled Satin. Here’s a short synopsis.

Tasil’s privileged birth makes her heir to the Marik family’s title, and her future is mapped out before her. Just 14 and about to enter the Academy of the Flame to train as a mage, Tasil is expected to take over the reins at Marik from her mother in the years to come. But the headstrong young woman is drawn to trouble like a moth to a flame.

Meanwhile, her older brother Kinnel has been pleasantly surprised to find that his late grandfather who hated him has bequeathed him his precious journals and artefacts from his travels to the North Lands. His curiosity is further piqued when he finds that none of the writing on the mysterious artefacts makes any sense to him, which is odd given that Kinnel is a talented word mage. As he considers a trip to the North Lands, he asks Tasil to accompany him.

Kinnel, Tasil and their friends’ search leads them to a mysterious North Land estate where they tumble into a remote, surreal world that blurs their own perceptions of reality. Who is the ageless woman Minar and what secrets does she hide behind her enigmatic smile? Is there a reason behind her reclusive existence? Where does she get the money to manage her vast estate?

Magic is forbidden in the North Lands, and mages are despised and distrusted there. Yet as Kinnel and Tasil unfurl the secrets of long-forgotten Northish magic, little do they realize how their own futures are wound with it.

Provided I finish writing it on time, The Secret of Fezar ought to be out in April November 2010. Watch this space for updates.

~PD

For those of you in Delhi, this appeared in the Indian Express on Monday, 10 August 2009. It’s in Newsline on page 6. For those without access to Express, including me, sadly, here’s a little glimpse:

~PD

After months of blood, sweat and toil, The Timeless Land‘s cover has been finalized and it looks like we’ll be rolling out soon. Just to recap — yes, it has been a long time and you’re forgiven for having forgotten — the Shadow in Eternity series consists of:

• Book 1: A Shadow in Eternity
• Book 2: The Key of Chaos
• Book 3: The Timeless Land

Hoping to be back very soon with news of the book being out! Meanwhile, what do you think is going to happen? Who will die and who will live?

~PD

Ideally one would like to describe a “fling” as an uncomplicated roll in the hay, but the sad truth is that one finds fictional characters fling-able because one is attracted to them in various ways that makes one find “potential” in them, as one friend puts it. And this truth is a sad one because these wonderful people we lust after are just a figment of someone else’s imagination, and ne’er the twain shall meet!

Which makes us challenge participants a sadder lot, but that’s besides the point. So here goes in alphabetical order:

1. Miranda Bailey: Of course, everyone knows and loves Dr Bailey of Grey’s Anatomy, that sarcastic, no-nonsense resident at Seattle Grace Hospital who is nicknamed “the Nazi” by her interns. Portrayed brilliantly by Chandra Wilson, Bailey would be horrified to hear that she is completely cute! If I’d been ranking this list, she’d be near the top.
2. Laura Holt:Portrayed by actor Stephanie Zimbalist, Laura Holt is the brains (you could say the brawn too) behind the Remington Steele detective agency in the series Remington Steele. She is strong, intelligent, resourceful, sensitive, with a dash of daring and a flair for finding herself in the middle of the excitement.
3. Edgar Wield: Sergeant Wield is a character in Reginald Hill’s Dalziel and Pascoe series of books. It has been televised as well, but it is the book character I refer to. Wield is ugly as sin, but has a heart of gold and a brain like a computer. He is also uncompromisingly gay, but this is my fantasy, right? (Read a profile of Wield.)
4. Dana Scully: There is no other way of putting it—Scully makes me go weak all over! And I love her logic and her need to explain and understand everything.
5. Spock: It is probably every Trekkie’s fantasy to break through Spock’s icy countenance, and I am no different. That raised eyebrow and those pointy ears have kept him on my list since I was a teenager. The only question that bothers me slightly is, does being with a half-Vulcan mean I’ll be getting some only once every seven years? Just as well I have all these other people on the list…
6. Barbara Havers: Right… now this is one that might surprise people who have read the Inspector Lynley novels. (Once again, there’s a tele-series, but I refer to the books.) Scruffy, unpredictable, abrasive—there seems nothing likeable about Sergeant Havers of New Scotland Yard. But beneath the rough exterior is a sad and lost soul that brings out the protective best (or worst!) in me. She is also a smoker, which would otherwise really put me off, but for some reason the completely ordinary and extremely flawed Havers has always attracted me.
7. Judge Gray:Judge Amy Gray from Judging Amy is a single parent living with her own mother. A family court judge, Judge Gray often called upon to make tough decisions that change lives. Despite being a strong and inspiring figure, she has a certain vulnerability about her that I find very endearing.
8. Mark Darcy:This is the Mr Darcy from Bridget Jones’s Diary as portrayed by the lovely Colin Firth, of course. No explanations required. And he’s rich too! (He’s also the only reasonably good-looking male on my list. I wonder why.)
9. The Ninth Doctor:The Doctor has a time machine, and he can take me to wherever and whenever I want—heck, who wouldn’t sleep with him? But it’s the Ninth incarnation played by Christopher Eccleston that I’m particularly interested in—the “northern” accent, those sticky-out ears and long nose… oh yes, make place for yet another ugly guy on my list!
10. Toshiko Sato: Sweet and nice and lost. That’s what describes Toshiko Sato (actor Naoko Mori) of TV series Torchwood completely. A complete geek, but with a sad and murky past, Tosh has also always been very unfortunate in matters of romance, and therefore is due a change!

And, finally:

(Also ran:: Captain Jack Harkness: I want to want to have a fling with Captain Jack of Doctor Who and Torchwood, but I just don’t see it happening. I admire his openness in matters of sex and sexuality, and the way he is unrestrained by the trappings of 21st-century [patriarchal?] perceptions of right and wrong. I think I am more attracted to his 51st-century morals than the man himself!)

So, that’s all folks… Well, in fact, not really. That’s only all the names I can think of right now. And, by the way, Swapna, you have been tagged!

~PD

The Man on the Balcony is the third book in the Martin Beck series by this husband–wife team. The series is so-called because it features a Stockholm-based police detective of the same name as the central character, even though his colleagues appear to get just as much print-space.

Without further ado, read the review. More will follow as soon as I am able to get hold of the other books.

~PD