Who is my audience?

Harry Potter has redefined the fantasy audience. J.K. Rowling proved that it's possible to write novels that appeal as much to 12-year-olds as 72-year-olds. Though her subject matter became grittier as she progressed deeper into her series, it remained pretty tame when compared to darker, more violent fantasies. Yet, it outsold them all by an absurd margin.

If my only goal had been to sell books, I would have written a series appropriate for young adults. Certainly there is a massive built-in audience for YA fantasy. That doesn't mean, of course, that anything YA is a guaranteed success, but it's a big step forward.

My series is not for young adults. As I've said several times in this blog, if The DW Chronicles were made into a series of movies, they would be R-rated. To be honest, my series contains violence and sex inappropriate for young adults. Some 15-year-olds are more mature than 25-year-olds, but I tell people that my series is for people 18 and above.

So where does this leave me? Well, my hope is that there is a large segment of fantasy readers out there that think like me. They are the types that enjoy Stephen King more than J.K. Rowling. They are the types that aren't offended by a John Updike sex scene. They are the types who throw out an F-bomb or two when they accidentally smash their thumbs with a hammer. They are the types who enjoy books appropriate for adults, not children. They are the types whose religious preferences don't get in the way of their artistic preferences.

And yes, a novel or series of novels can contain graphic descriptions of fantastical wars and supernatural sex and still be artistic. Believe me, The DW Chronicles has plenty going on between the lines. In fact, that is what truly makes it a read worthy of your time and expense.

Are there people/readers out there like me? If not, maybe I've screwed up.

Then again, being the person I am, maybe I didn't have a choice.