Sarah Dessen on 'Once and For All' and YA

It's a first for Bookmarked! We sit down with New York Times Bestselling author Sarah Dessen to talk about her experience writing her latest book. We've brought on Bookstacked writer Amicha to conduct the interview and talk about Once and For All, writing, and -- of course -- YA! What to expect in this episode... Sarah Dessen joins us to talk about her latest novel, Once and For All. We learn about some of the inspiration behind Sarah's book. What are some of the challenges of writing 13 novels? How does Sarah approach some of the darker themes of her novels? Should YA books explore more of the darker themes behind teenage years? What role does the "happily ever after" play in YA contemporary romance? Sarah tells us how YA has changed since she started writing. We're seeing so much more diversity in YA! Would Sarah consider writing a book series? What's next for Sarah? Will she be writing for an older audience in the future? About Sarah Dessen: Sarah Dessen is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen novels for teens, which have received numerous awards and rave reviews. Her books have been published in over thirty countries and have sold millions of copies worldwide. She is the recipient of the 2017 Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association for outstanding contribution to young adult literature for her novels: Keeping the Moon, Dreamland, This Lullaby, The Truth about Forever, Just Listen, Along for the Ride, and What Happened to Goodbye.  An NC native, she currently lives in Chapel Hill with her family. (Courtesy: Sarah Dessen) About Once and For All: Is it really better to have loved and lost?  Louna’s summer job is to help brides plan their perfect day, even though she stopped believing in happily-ever-after when her first love ended tragically.  But charming girl-magnet Ambrose isn’t about to be discouraged now that he’s met the one he really  wants.  Maybe Louna’s second chance is standing right in front of her. Sarah Dessen’s many fans will adore this latest novel, a richly satisfying, enormously entertaining story with humor, romance, and an ending that is so much more than happily-ever-after. Related Linkage: Sarah Dessen's Website Learn more about Once and For All Bookmarked is brought to you by Audible.com! You can get a FREE audiobook (including any of the Harry Potter books) when you sign up for a 30-day free trial membership. Click here for more info! If you like the show, please RATE AND REVIEW it on Apple Podcasts!