Ask the Author–How would you describe your book’s ideal reader?

Good morning, or afternoon, or whenever you read this. It’s November already. I can’t believe how fast time goes. And right now, I’m writing furiously for NaNoWriMo! Let’s hope I make it. If you want to know what I’m working on, I’m actually going to write the story I already plotted on here a few years ago. Here are the links if you want to see them and get an idea. This is where I develop an idea that could become a story. Here are the articles where I work on figuring out the main character and a few of the side characters. The exact location in Aviandria is changing, but I did look at the setting here. I also posted about the basic plot (I was careful not to give away too many major spoilers), and a few potential endings (and since the ending isn’t 100 percent decided as I’m writing this it won’t spoil it either). Anyhow, that’s what my NaNoWriMo book is going to be about. I’ll have to let you know whether I “win” or not.

A new month means a new author question. (By the way, if you have a question you would like to ask, you can leave it in the comments or email it to me and I’ll see what I can do to answer it.) The question for this month is: How would you describe your book’s ideal reader?

Really, my book’s ideal reader would be me back when I was in high school. I would have loved a book like the books I write now. I always had a hard time finding a book that felt just right to me. I didn’t like a lot of teenage drama. I liked a bit of romance here and there, but I didn’t love it being the entire focus of the book (chick flicks drove me crazy). I liked books that took me away from what I had to deal with on a daily basis, so I would usually choose something like science fiction, or fantasy, or historical fiction. I didn’t like books that got too dark, or scary, and I liked my books to be clean, without having to worry about swearing or R rated anything. I liked inteligent heroes who could stand up for something larger than themselves, and happy endings were a must. This is the kind of book I liked reading, and that is the way I tried to make my books.

So, if I could describe my book’s ideal reader, it would be a young-ish girl (or it could be a boy, but I’m guessing they are a little more appealing to girls) who likes to read about more adventure (or at least different adventure) than a typical day at high school would have. She would be reading to escape the problems that youth in our world have to deal with rather than just finding more of the same problems in the book. This reader would like a little romance as a side plot, but prefers most of the book to focus on other things. She would be looking for her books to be mostly PG, but with plenty of excitement. She would adore heroes who are a little bit larger than life, but still human enough to relate to. And perhaps most of all, this reader would like a good dose of hope in tough times, with the assurance of a happy ending. After all, I’m all about happy endings.

What kind of books do you look for? Would my books check any of your boxes?