You know the type.  Naive, small town girl suffering from big-fish-small-pond syndrome. Thinks she can take on the world.  As soon as she hits the quad, the wolves scent her underlying fear.  Our heroine merely puts on more perfume, thinking herself clever, and heads out into her strange new world. “Stupid,” you mutter to your Kindle, and swipe to the next page…

Where she leaves the frat party alone in a tank top and stilettos in January, practically frostbitten by the time the tall, dark stranger crosses her path.  “Run!” you scream at the screen. But she doesn’t listen. He’s so polite, and unassuming, and cute.  And the pale girl waiting in his car, couldn’t possibly be a vampire.  That kind of evil doesn’t exist.

“Remove From Device” may not give you satisfaction of throwing the story of small town girl turned vamp against the wall, but it still prevents you watching Miss Too-Stupid-To-Live bite it.

This is a Hollywood-style dramatization of my college experience.  And yes, I survived to graduate and thankfully mature into a much wiser woman.  Perhaps that’s why I tend to have a higher tolerance for naive heroines and less for Lara Croft wannabees. No one can dodge a battalion-load of artillery fire, vampire fangs and demonic energy unless they’re computer generated, let alone with only a month of training and a broadsword.

My time on the dark side didn’t get me arrested.  It did lead me to write a New Adult Paranormal, Seducing Death, which has a kick ass heroine that is a tad naive. As you might imagine, being both gets her into plenty of trouble as she attempts to prove to her team and herself that she’s smart enough to beat Death at his own game.

Now it’s your turn.  Was your new adult experience TSTL, or did you have both feet firmly on the ground, eye fixed on the promise of your first big paycheck? Or maybe it was all an alcohol-induced blur? Did the experience affect your book throwing?