{"id":44425,"date":"2025-08-28T11:47:23","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T15:47:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redeemedreader.com\/?p=44425"},"modified":"2025-08-28T17:27:51","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T21:27:51","slug":"back-porch-book-chat-with-becky-dean-ya-author","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redeemedreader.com\/back-porch-book-chat-with-becky-dean-ya-author\/","title":{"rendered":"Back Porch Book Chat with Becky Dean (YA author)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Back Porch Book Chat: a casual conversation about books and writing. Today we’re visiting with Becky Dean, author of four YA romances including<\/em> Love and Other Great Expectations, and most recently <\/em>Love Unmasked. Per her author bio: Becky “is a fan of adventures both real and fictional. When she\u2019s not writing or traveling, she can be found drinking tea, watching science fiction shows or Jane Austen adaptations, or quoting\u00a0The Lord of the Rings<\/em>.” (Becky Dean Writes) Hayley had fun “sitting down” with Becky and chatting about her books and writing!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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Before we begin, tell us what beverage you\u2019d like as we sit in our (virtual) rocking chairs: What’s your summer beverage of choice? (I just tried blending lemonade with sparkling lime water and have been loving the results!)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I love iced tea of all sorts. My favorites are iced chai lattes or a good iced black tea, especially if it\u2019s flavored with something like mango or peach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ohh yes. I love a good iced mango black tea though I’ll usually add lemonade, too!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Love Unmasked<\/em> is your 4th YA romance. I have to ask, what inspired the Elven Realms?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The overarching concept of the Elven Realms comes from my first novel, Love & Other Great Expectations<\/em>. When I came up with the idea of a fan club devoted to fantasy novels for Love Unmasked<\/em>, I thought it would be a fun tie-in to my first book to make it Elven Realms related. Since I had established that the series spans multiple subseries, that meant I could do whatever I wanted for Love Unmasked<\/em>! I decided to use fantasy novels that I plotted several years ago but never wrote, set in a fictional version of Venice with magical masks. The inspiration for those came from the city itself, which feels magical, and from a mask I bought the first time I visited Venice that was sitting on my shelf!<\/p>\n\n\n

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I’m curious, having read 2 of your 4 books, each of your heroines is unique; how do you as an author relate to them? (Did you ever want to be a nature photographer, or do you enjoy creating fan art?)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I always put a little of myself into all my characters in some way. I\u2019m not necessarily like them in terms of personality, but I try to give them interests or opinions that I have to make them relatable to me. In my first book, the heroine is a soccer player, and I played throughout my childhood (even though I was nowhere as good as Britt!). The hero in that book loves British literature, which I also enjoy. In my second book, the main character is into nature photography, and I used my husband\u2019s love for photography combined with my love for the outdoors. My third heroine loves science fiction shows, and that\u2019s my favorite thing to watch. I don\u2019t do fan art, but I do love cons and cosplay and would definitely visit a secret fan club for books I love! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of my heroines is trying to find her way in the world, and I feel like teenage me would relate to them in wanting to know how best to use their interests and passions and what to do with their lives.<\/p>Becky Dean<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That’s a perfect segue to my next question. What kind of a teen were you? Did you like to read?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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I definitely loved to read as a teen. Young adult books weren\u2019t as big of a thing when I was a teenager, so I read lots of classic science fiction, Shakespeare and Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, and Christian romance novels. Even though I did play sports, I was also a straight-A student and a big nerd who liked science fiction but didn\u2019t really talk about it because it wasn\u2019t as cool to like that sort of thing back then. I wasn\u2019t overly popular, but I did have a great group of friends I was very thankful for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I feel like we had similar reading habits as teens -though I didn’t get into Christie till I was in my 20s. Now that YA books are a thing, what are some you have enjoyed recently?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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I got to read an advanced copy of Augmented<\/em>, the final book in Candace Kade\u2019s The Hybrid series, which releases soon. It was a great ending to a series full of cool technology, action, and deeper themes. I also enjoyed The Unraveling of Emlyn
DuLaine<\/em> by Lindsay Franklin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ooh, I’m not familiar with The Hybrid series, but I also just read and enjoyed The Unraveling of Emlyn DuLaine! (Readers, you can read our review here<\/a>.)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve noticed you mention faith, thanking Jesus in your afterword. How does faith influence your writing?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope that my faith influences all I do! My books are meant for a broader audience, readers of any faith and background. So faith and religion don\u2019t feature overtly in my books, but I believe my worldview shows in everything I write. I feature uplifting themes like embracing the person you were created to be, having hope for the future, living a full life and pursuing what you love, and surrounding yourself with people who support you. I also keep my books free of swearing or any romance beyond mild kissing
because I want to provide options for readers who are looking for that kind of story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a reviewer, I really appreciate that choice. I know it’s something a lot of our readers are looking for and appreciate in YA, particularly when it comes to romance! <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Now, a writing question: Did you always want to be an author?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I did always want to be an author! When they ask you as a kid what you want to be when you grow up, in second grade I started saying author. I wrote lots of stories as a child but took a break from it in my teen years and in college. I\u2019m impressed by teenagers who write books despite all the other demands on their time! A few years after college, I remembered that dream and decided I wanted to try writing a novel. After many years and lots of rejections, I\u2019m finally getting to live that dream!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hooray! Reading your books, I’ve noticed that you seem to enjoy travelling: any for future travel plans?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I do love to travel. However, my husband and I have discovered that we\u2019re decidedly less adventurous with a one-year-old than we were before having a kid! We\u2019ll go to California to visit family and probably to the Texas Gulf Coast, but we don\u2019t have anything else planned yet. These days, an exciting outing means the library, the playground, or Target! But we\u2019re starting to discuss what our first big travel adventure will be as a family of three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s a conversation my husband and I are having, too, as we look forward to our first kiddo’s arrival!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back to writing, what’s your advice for aspiring teen writers?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My best advice is to write a lot, read a lot, and never give up. Writing is like any other
skill\u2014it takes practice, and the more you do it, the better you get. It took me several
books to feel like I found the voice that was authentically me. And I learn new things
with each book that I can apply to the next, so each book is better than the last (I
hope!). Reading a lot in multiple genres helps a lot: classics and new things, popular
books, or niche stories that you love. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read for fun, but also read as a writer to study
how various writers handle things like characterization, plot, foreshadowing, humor, etc.
Analyze popular books to see what you like or don\u2019t like. <\/p>Becky Dean<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Then not giving up is the big thing. The writing industry comes with many forms of discouragement and rejection in all stages, so you have to decide you\u2019re not going to quit and keep going even when things get hard. Surround yourself with a community of people to encourage and support you on the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, that is great advice, and I love your point about community.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Becky, it’s been a pleasure “chatting” with you. Thank you!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n