WARNING: THIS BLOG CONTAINS SPOILERS

Age is such an important part of The Luke Bright Series and all young adult books but if you’re writing from the point of view of someone of that age group, there’s a lot to consider. In this week’s blog, I’m discussing that age old question – does age really matter?

Let me start off by discussing a common misconception – that the young adult genre is only for kids and teenagers. It’s most definitely not and there are some amazing young adult protagonists that adults too can and really should relate to, as they can be a lot more mature than adult characters! Many young adult books have important morals and themes that we can all learn from, no matter what age we are, and sometimes it’s nice to be able to go back to that time in your life. A time where you feel younger and the world just seems like a different place. It’s not something to be ashamed of, and the young adult genre is filled with variety – something that readers shouldn’t ignore or miss out on.

For Luke, age is a very touchy subject because he’s always been put down and babied by his parents, meaning he’d never really had a chance to grow up for himself. It was only when he met James and Steve and stood up against the Atlantic Split that he really started to grow (despite Steve calling him a kid all the time!)

At nineteen, he’s still not that grown up, and even though he’s desperate to transition into the adult world (and does in fact fake his age in At Liberty To Live,) in An Undercover Dream, he realises that the transition needn’t be so rash. Age is a massive feature in this book and that’s because a lot of the characters are actually around Luke’s age as opposed to being older. It’s the first time in a long time that he’s not been the youngest and this really gives him a different perspective on life and on his own age, which he becomes a lot less insecure about.

But, that doesn’t change the fact that Luke has been through an awful lot more than any other teenager has been through – probably more than most adults have been through! Compared to typical teenage problems of studying, friendships and relationship dramas, Luke’s problems outweigh them greatly. Having been through so many difficult experiences does give him a new sense of perspective for what’s really important in life, and how much he would value a normal life with these typical teenage problems. It’s something a lot of people take for granted – normality – and believe me I know!

This story arc is something that I’m really excited to share with you, as it’s something that does underpin the whole book series, but also I think it’s something a lot of young adults can relate to. Being in that stage of life where you’re still learning about yourself and you’re not quite grown up, but you still want people to take you seriously.

Many young people have been through the same difficulties that adults face so, to answer the age old question? Yes. Age does matter – young age. It’s such a crucial theme and such an exciting genre to explore. It matters just as much as adult genres and young people mater just as much as adults too – sometimes, even more.

Atlantic Split and At Liberty To Live, the first and second books in The Luke Bright Series are available to purchase NOW! An Undercover Dream – the third book in the series will be released in SUMMER 2019!

Please follow me on my blog and social media links below, and use the links on my website to purchase a copy of each if you have not done so. Don’t forget to leave a review! Thank you once again for taking the time to read this blog post.

N.A.K.