I’ve been going through somewhat of a writer-identity-crisis. Even though I really really want to write, nothing in this world, it seems will get me motivated or inspired.

It’s really a sad state of affairs.

So recently I was in Target and I stopped in the little Starbucks inside the Target (I promise this is relevant) and I ordered a Grande Vanilla Latte from the young gal behind the counter. I had a craving for one. I was also wearing my 2004–or was it 2002?– National Novel Writing Month shirt (that’s coming up, by the way – are you playing?). She asked if I was really a writer and I said yes. She asked if I was published and I said yes. She asked then if I wrote young adult.

I was stumped. No one had ever asked me this question before. I dutifully said, “No, romance.” She actually looked disappointed.

Again – I was stumped!

Me? Write YA? It had never occurred to me before.

So I was talking with a couple of other writerly pals one day and related the story. One of them said, “I can see you wrting YA. In fact, one of your WIPs I told you before was YA.”

I must have purged that brain cell because I sure didn’t remember it. But after I got to thinking about it, I realized – yeah, she did say that! And then I started wondering what was in the YA genre and what sort of stories there were.

Well, about the same time, my good friend in Wisconsin (who writers YA! – it’s plaguing me) emailed me and said, “YOU TOTALLY HAVE TO GET STEPHENIE MEYER’S BOOK TWILIGHT.” Yes, I think that’s a direct quote.

Apparently, it’s a vampire book and it’s – guess what? – YA. So she talked it up to me until I finally dragged another friend who is a boy (but we won’t go into that) to the bookstore the other day and bought it. As of this writing, it’s still sitting on my kitchen counter but I’m planning on starting it very soon.

In the meantime, I finished my edits for Nice Girls Do and in the comments of the manuscript, my editor asked if I was planning to write more Bitter End books.

All of this has come at a time when I’ve been struggling with myself as a writer and what I really and truly want to write. I started to really think about my career as a writer and where I really wanted to go. Even though I love writing the hot books because they’re fun and, well, hot… I don’t think that’s exactly where my heart lies as far as what I truly and really want to write. I think it’s truly and really fantasy. And possibly – yes, you guessed it – YA.

Perhaps I’ll have another latte and consider this some more…