Young Adult Literature

7 YA Authors You Should Be Following On Instagram

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Rachel Brittain

Contributing Editor

Rachel is a writer from Arkansas, most at home surrounded by forests and animals much like a Disney Princess. She spends most of her time writing stories and playing around in imaginary worlds. You can follow her writing at rachelbrittain.com. Twitter and Instagram: @rachelsbrittain

Everybody knows about YA twitter at this point, but what about YA Instagram? Authors don’t spend all their time writing…at least some of that time has to be spent taking selfies. And trust me, there are some great selfies out there just waiting to be double tapped. So let’s dive into the wonderful world of YA Instagram with these seven YA Authors you should be following on Instagram.

7 YA Authors You Should Be Following on Instagram | bookriot.com

Adam Silvera (@adamsilvera)

The author of More Happy Than Not, History Is All You Left Me, They Both Die At The End, and the soon-to-be-released What If It’s Us posts a great mix of writing updates, books, and personal posts.

 

Aminah Mae Safi (@aminahmae)

Follow Aminah Mae Safi, the author of Not The Girls You’re Looking For, for super fashionable selfies (I aspire to her sunglasses game), writing updates, and info about her next novel, Tell Me How You Really Feel. Also lots of pictures of her adorable kitties.

 

Ashley Woodfolk (@ashwrites)

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Rooftops, tho. 🌤

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If you enjoyed The Beauty That Remains, you should definitely be following author Ashley Woodfolk’s instagram. Cute pictures, bookish photos, life and book updates, plus her sweet puppy.

 

Dhonielle Clayton (@brownbookworm)

https://instagram.com/p/Bl37Xj8Foo1/?taken-by=brownbookworm

When not writing great books like The Belles, she’s posting so many adorable pictures with her other author friends that make my heart go *squeee*.

 

Julie Murphy (@andimjulie)

Follow the author of Dumplin’ and Puddin’ for books and lots of great body positivity. Not to mention adorable pictures like this one. 

 

Nina LaCour (@nina_lacour)

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“Do characters haunt you?” . . . My friend Julia asked me this question and I’ve been thinking of it ever since. And then, coincidentally, another friend mentioned the name Seth and I was thrown back into the world of a story I worked on for months and months—years, probably—but never finished. Seth and Gina: They taught me so much about writing but never made it to a finished piece. They are still sitting on their picnic blanket under the palms in Dolores Park, still traipsing down Valencia Street, still twenty years old, the age I was when I was writing about them. . . . I don’t know if I would call it a haunting exactly, but sometimes I will stumble upon the memory of a character and it will startle or delight or embarrass or confuse me. And at first I’ll think of them as real until I remember that they are invented—that *I* invented them—that they came from some place of longing or hope or hopelessness or discovery. They spoke to the person I was when I was writing them, whether I understood what they were telling me or not. . . . One of my favorite quotes about writing is from Arthur Miller: “The writer must be in it; he can't be to one side of it, ever. He has to be endangered by it. His own attitudes have to be tested in it. The best work that anybody ever writes is the work that is on the verge of embarrassing himself, always.” If we pour ourselves into our work this much—which must be the goal if we are attempting to capture a fully human experience in our fiction—then maybe it’s inevitable that we’ll be haunted by our characters. They are pieces of ourselves and they need us to remember them. They are suspended and preserved on the pages, while we live and change and leave them behind. . . . The more I think of it, “haunt” feels like the perfect word. What happens to you when you leave your characters behind?

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The author of We Are Okay and Everything Leads to You started a new Instagram series recently where she ruminates about writing, and it’s really lovely and deep. Definitely worth checking out whether you’re a writer or just a lover of books.

 

Tahereh Mafi (@taherehmafi)

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at it again 🕺🏻

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The most fashionable, aesthetic author Instagram to ever Instagram. Honestly. Also, book updates and other cool stuff—but guys, the artistry. I mean, come on! Follow her for the gorgeous photos or just because you love the Shatter Me series, Furthermore, or are super excited for the release of A Very Large Expanse of Sea

 

Want even more great bookish stuff on your Instagram? You should definitely follow Book Riot and while you’re at it check out these comic creators to follow in Instagram50 school libraries to follow, Instagram accounts for picture book enthusiasts, bookish hashtags to follow, and these awesome bookstagrammers of color. Who are your favorite authors to follow on Instagram? Let us know in the comments!