GYDO: Kelly Fiore

Kelly Fiore, Author of Taste Test

A lot of people ask me why I write Young Adult fiction. Because my writing beginnings centered around verse (I have an MFA in Poetry), I think a lot of people would assume that I’d want to write things that are more…poem-ish. Not only that, but many also will ask what the appeal is in writing for young adults – as in, why write for children (who have seemingly less buying power) than for adults (who have, theoretically, plenty of buying power)?

People couldn’t be more clueless or wrong about young adult readers.

First, let me say that there is a reason young adult literature is booming – it’s the most visceral, exciting, emotional literature around. Teenagers feel things and they feel them hard. Their literature must be a reflection of that. As a writer for teens, it is my job to reflect that in my work.

Moreover – this whole buying power scenario? Trust me, there are lots of adults buying YA for themselves and the teens in their lives. When you write teen literature, you aren’t just writing for teens – you’re writing about a time period that everyone has lived through and that everyone can remember as, most likely, a dramatic part of their lives.

Another reason writing teen lit is such an amazing ride is because so many coming-of-age “firsts” happen for teenagers – there’s writing gold there, people! I mean, think about it – driving, proms, school, jobs, crushes, relationships. It’s not that adults don’t have those things – but isn’t the first time you do something way more exciting than the 200^th? I can still remember on my 16^th birthday, getting behind the wheel of my 1987 red Chevy Nova and jamming to Spacehog’s “In the Meantime” on my cassette player as I drove down the street. But if you asked me what song I listened to in the car just yesterday, I probably couldn’t tell you. Teenage moments matter and they last. Who wouldn’t want to catalogue that?

But, most of all, I write young adult literature because, the majority of the time, I feel like a young adult. I still dream the way my teenage self would dream. I’ve never lost that inexplicable sense of hope – of what if – of one day. If there were a way to encapsulate that wonder, wouldn’t you do it? I get to do it on the page and it’s pretty much the coolest job ever.

Ask any YA writer why they write YA, and you’ll probably get a different answer from each one. But, in the end, we can all agree that YA lit is the place where we can remember how it felt to do something amazing for the very first time. The fact that I get to share those feelings with others – well, that just makes it all the more important.

Taste Test Blurb
Nora Henderson has been basting baby back ribs for as long as she could reach the counter of her dad's famous barbecue joint. When she's accepted to Taste Test, a teen reality cooking competition, Nora can't wait to leave her humble hometown behind. On set, run-ins with the maddeningly handsome and talented son of a famous chef, Christian Van Lorten, make Nora wonder if it's him or the win she really wants, but as she and Christian emerge as front-runners for the final prize, Nora can't ignore the mysterious accidents plaguing the kitchen arena. Someone is conducting eliminations of their own, and if Nora doesn't stop them, she could be next to get "chopped" for good. 

With romance and intrigue as delectable as the winning recipes included in the story, this debut novel will be devoured by all.

Author Bio

Kelly Fiore has a BA in Creative Writing from Salisbury University and an MFA in Poetry from West Virginia University. Cooking and writing are two of Kelly's greatest passions; others include cupcakes, facials, and VH1 Classic. She lives in Maryland where she lives with her husband and son. Taste Test is her debut novel.

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