Freaking Out and Frog Eggs

Happy Teen Tips Friday, Readers! PJ Sharon here, although I’m off this week enjoying the beauty of the Blue Ridge Parkway and all the wonderful sites of North Carolina’s inland natural wonders. I’ve always been an avid outdoorswoman and lover of all things wilderness. When my boys were young we spent a great deal of time camping, hiking, and exploring nature. In the fifteen years I spent as a scout leader, I learned some incredible lessons that I will carry with me forever, none more important than “Always leave a site cleaner than when you found it.” I’m sure there are a dozen other lessons equally as important, but that one sticks in my mind wherever I go. There are so many amazing places to visit and share on this incredible planet. My hope is that our children and the children who come after them will still have a blue planet to call home centuries from now.

 As I write my dystopian story that takes place fifty years in the future, I’m forced to face the very real possibilities of apocalyptic changes that will alter the face of our planet and the life we know. The climate is changing rapidly, our economic state is bleak at best, and people are in frenzy over how quickly technology is advancing and changing our way of life…not always for the better. I keep trying to imagine what our world will look like in the not so distant future, but it kind of freaks me out and seems very sci-fi to me. I’m not one to fear the unknown or worry over things that are beyond my control, but I’m not surprised that kids are very stressed out these days. It’s a pretty scary time in human history to be looking ahead and wondering what’s in store for us just around the corner. I’m a positive thinker and it’s even challenging for me to see beyond the gloom and doom that seems to be so pervasive. (See Ellie James post from last week about how to create your reality with positive messages).

When I get all caught up in the chaos I have to take a step back to nature and remind myself to breathe and enjoy the moment—to notice things like frog eggs and flowers, appreciate a warm spring day, and look at all the beauty around me. It reminds me to do my part in keeping it all from being destroyed. That means picking up trash on the side of the road when I walk my dog, recycling my cans and bottles, and driving an economical car, just to name a few easy choices I can make every day. All I can do is do my small part, pray for our mother earth, and try to pass on the love I have of nature to the next generation in hopes they will teach their children one day. If we all do our part, maybe…just maybe…there will be a happy ending around that corner.

What will you do today to spread your love for nature?

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Vietnam

Many of you know that I’ve been helping my son get ready for his trip to Vietnam where he’ll be doing an internship.  Well what a few stressful days we’ve had.  Nnow bear in mine my 19 year old son is just a country boy, who has never been to another continent before, let alone travelling to one by himself.  This trip came on very fast for him, so he had little to no time to learn the culture, try to understand a bit of the language or even prepare himself for what life outside his small Canadian home would be like!

It was a culture shock to say the least, and quite the learning experience for him.  He set out on his journey, 35 hours worth of flying, on Friday morning.  On Saturday morning I skyped with him from the Hong Kong airport then NO ONE heard from him again.  I was STRESSED!!  At four in the morning I called his hotel, but the language barrier made it quite difficult.  When I finally got ahold of him I was crying from relief.  He knew I was going to be stressed but his phone didn’t work, and he couldn’t get internet so he had no way of contacting us.  He was pretty relieved when we called him and I could tell how hard it was for him being there all alone, in a foreign country, with a language barrier.

He’s had a few things go wrong along the way as well, like a mixup in hotel reservations, no car at the airport to meet him at 12:30 am, and then he got lost in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) for 2 hours and was pretty shaken up.  Luckily he had his camera and had taken a picture of a church.  He showed it to a lady who could speak very little english, and she helped him find his way back.  Whew!

Anyway, he’s keeping a blog this summer and I think it’s quite interesting. Then again, I am biased. :) But if you’re interested in following his travels check it out here.  My Journey.

 

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Random Again

Sorry, but I had way too much fun with my “Randomness” post last week, so I’m back for another round.

The TV Tropes website is the best way in the known universe to waste time. Or to distract oneself when one’s in a bad mood. I spent part of this afternoon reading the “My Hovercraft Is Full Of Eels” page and couldn’t stop laughing. There are reasons my characters don’t speak foreign languages, generally, and that TV Tropes page gives examples of why. I studied French for about 8 years, from junior high until my sophomore year of college, but I didn’t know anyone who spoke French, so I’ve forgotten a lot of what I learned. I tried to teach myself Japanese, but ran into the same problem (not knowing anyone who spoke the language with whom I could practice). There have been times I’ve wanted characters to speak languages other than English, but I’d really prefer not to make translation errors that might offend speakers of the other language.

Cell phone ringtones have become more annoying and distracting. My daughter is currently playing with her new cell phone, which is making it hard for me to be random.

I took my daughter on a whale watch on Saturday. We saw a pod of humpback whales, some of which came so close to the boat we could almost have touched them. It was beautiful!

I should have a new release soon from Featherweight Press! I don’t have the official date on it yet, but I did galley proofs over the weekend, so it should be coming out by the end of the month. I’ll keep you posted!

I should really learn not to speak to my older daughter until she’s been awake for at least an hour. Before that, her responses are either irritable or gibberish. Come to think of it, my husband’s the same way.

 

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YA Anthology – Eternal Spring – full of eternal hope

I think it was in February when the ask on one of my on-line author loops went out for YA short stories to be included in a special YA anthology. I thought about it and then thought what the heck. I had just finished writing Off Stroke and really wanted to do a short story to feature Charlie, Eje’s friend.

But let me tell you what I’ve learned. Writing a short story is hard. I thought it would be easy but when your word count is limited to less than 12,000, wow. Starting a story, adding depth to the characters and providing conflict than having everything wrap up was extremely hard. I wanted to make Charlie authentic but keep true to his character in Off Stroke, which will hit Amazon in June 2012, it was one of the most difficult writing jobs I’ve tackled. Am I glad I did it? You bet. I always like to challenge myself and this was a lot of fun.

What makes this even more fun, is that my story Off Balance is featured with all these other amazing stories. I feel like this book of collective stories brought us all together and it did. A huge thanks to the coordinators of this wonderful project – Amanda Brice and Tawny Stokes and a host of other talented writers, who put on their business heads to make this project a professional success. Thank you.

Book Blurb:

Flowers, vacation, baseball, prom…what does spring mean to you? From unicorn hunters and teenage exorcists to Egyptian princesses and aspiring ballerinas, this collection of thirteen stories by some of the most exciting authors in Young Adult fiction explores young love and new beginnings during the most beautiful time of the year.

“Camp Cauldron” by Juli Alexander
Forced to spend Spring Break as a counselor at a camp for troublesome young witches instead of drooling over hotties at the beach, Emma relinquishes her hopes for romance. Could the perfect guy be waiting in the midst of poison ivy, s’mores, elephant trunks, and kangaroo feet?

“Barre Hopping at Midnight” by Amanda Brice
How can aspiring ballerina Dani Spevak concentrate on performing at a spring arts festival when her not-quite-boyfriend is in town filming the lead in a hot new vampire movie and he was seen kissing his costar?

“The Vanishing Spring” by Carey Corp
More than a century earlier, Eleanor Quimby tumbled into the water to escape an arranged marriage and disappeared. But was that the tragic end or a brave new beginning?

“The Princess of Egypt Must Die” by Stephanie Dray
A lonely Princess of Egypt is tempted by a forbidden love and forced to make a heartbreaking choice that will upend a kingdom and change her forever.

“Spring Perfection” by Leslie DuBois
Star athlete Scott Kincaid is about to make history and pitch a perfect game. But when he realizes that true perfection lies in the relationship he has with his best friend, Reyna, will he risk everything in order to keep a promise to her?

“Picture Not Perfect” by Lois Lavrisa
Seventeen-year old Tim wants to go to senior prom. Why doesn’t his girlfriend Gabrielle want to go with him? Is she not who she says she is?

“Potionate Love” by P.R. Mason
Math geek, Tina, has found a way to get the popular jock, Ronny, to fall for her: a love potion. It’ll work unless her best friend Nathan gets in the way.

“1:30, Tour Eiffel” by Jennifer McAndrews
A kiss in the dark will ruin Spring Break and lifelong friendships unless Rachel Healey can prove she is a pawn in someone else’s game.

“Off Balance” by Renee Pace
Jennifer’s secret is big, but she loves Charlie enough to know ending their teenage relationship will set him free and enable him to join the Army. When Charlie discovers the truth, it’s up to him to convince Jen their young love was meant to be.

“On a Field, Sable” by Diana Peterfreund
After the shocking events of Ascendant, what awaits the unicorn hunter Melissende Holtz on the mountaintop where she watched her comrades fall?

“The Language of Flowers” by Rhonda Stapleton
Chrissy, a clerk at her aunt’s flower shop, starts getting her own romantic surprises — flowers with a special secret meaning. Can she bury her longstanding unrequited crush on her best friend’s brother to take a chance on mysterious love?

“Dating After Dark (With Clowns)” by Tawny Stokes
All teenage exorcist Caden Butcher wants is a demon-free night to take his new girl to the spring fair. Is that too much to ask for?

“Sometime” by Alicia Street
Sixteen-year-old mythology buff Terry Conn finally gets the after-school museum job she wanted so badly, but who knew those ancient dragon figures would dredge up images of a past she only half-remembered? Or that drool-worthy Jerrod Pierce would be part of it?

Collectively, the thirteen authors in Eternal Spring have published over 90 books, and have received or have been nominated for several prestigious awards, including the RITA, the Golden Heart, the Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence in Mystery and Suspense, the Jasmine, the Maggie, PASIC’s Book of Your Heart contest, the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, the Cybil Award for Best Young Adult Fiction, the EPIC e-book Award, the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award, and the New York Public Library’s Books for the Teen Age list.

Purchase Link: Eternal Spring – http://amzn.com/B0081FPKME

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Designing the life of your dreams

Today’s Healthy Teen Tips Friday welcomes Author Ellie James who has some amazing advice to share about taking control of your life simply by “changing your mind.” Welcome Ellie!

Thanks, PJ. So happy to be here today to share a message that I am very passionate about.

“I’m so stupid.”

“I’m such a loser.”

“No one would want me.”

“Bad stuff always happens to me….”

No, that’s NOT the message I’m passionate about, but do you know someone who talks like this? A friend? A sibling? Maybe…yourself? I sure do. I hear things like this all the time from lovely, smart, talented young ladies—and not so young, too. And it makes me so sad, because what we think, what we believe, shapes every aspect of our lives. We get what we ask for, even when we don’t realize we’re asking.

Maybe you’ve heard the sayings before: Thoughts become things. You are what you think. Like attracts like. And yeah, it can all sound a bit out there. But they’re true, every single one of them. THAT is the secret, why some people seem to have all the good luck, and others have all the bad luck. It’s not luck. It’s cause and effect.

Thoughts have power. They create feelings, and feelings create behavior. Behavior leads to outcomes. The girl who constantly thinks she’s stupid is, in effect, giving everyone else permission to treat her that way, as well.  Conversely, the girl who thinks she deserves better won’t let anyone treat her like a doormat.

Think of it in terms of each of us being our personal cell tower, broadcasting our thoughts to the world around us. Those thoughts are received, processed, and acted upon. If you walk into a room feeling inferior, that’s what you project to others. They “receive” the inferior message (through your body language, your facial expression, your words, everything) and THAT is how they will begin to think of/treat you.  If, however, you walk into a room smiling and confident, others will notice someone smiling and confident, and THAT is how they will begin to think of/treat you.

You see, once you have a clear picture of something in your mind (I am smart. I am worthy. I am beautiful.), there is an instant transformation within every cell of your body. You project. You create who you are.

Here are a few examples:

Self-Defeating Thought

Resulting Behavior

I always lose I don’t try as hard
I’ll never be good enough I don’t go out for the team
I’ll never make an A Studying is a waste of time
I’m so ugly What is there to smile about?
I’m not good at anything I don’t do anything

However, by taking those same negative thoughts and turning them to something positive, your feelings about yourself change, resulting in your behavior changing. And when you behavior changes, new outcomes begin to occur.

Self-Defeating Thought

Restructured Thought

Resulting Behavior

  I always lose I’m perfectly capable of winning.  I try to win.
I’ll never be good enough I am good enough. I practice.
I’ll never make an A I’m going to ace the test I study.
I’m so ugly I am beautiful I smile.
I’m not good at anything I am talented I follow my dreams

Do you think Michael Jordan went into any game of basketball saying, “I’ll never make the winning shot?” Do you think (pre scandal) Tiger Woods went into any golf tournament thinking “There’s no way I’ll win.”?  Back then, no. However, after his life crumbled around him, I bet that’s EXACTLY what he now thinks. (And he’s not winning anymore, is he?)

Over the years, I’ve experienced my share of negative messages, both from myself as well as others. After college, I caught the guy I thought I was going to marry cheating on me. He promptly did that guy-thing where he turned it on me, saying that if I hadn’t been so horrible to him all the time, he wouldn’t have ended up with someone else, and that I needed to be careful, because if I broke up with him, I’d never find anyone who’d put up with me and my  #%@ like he did. Whoa. I mean…whoa. Those were hard words. They hurt. And once I would have believed them. Internalized them. But that time some little voice inside me whispered…no. I wasn’t horrible, and I could find someone else. Someone who loved me, who didn’t hurt me. THAT was what I deserved. So, with those thoughts firmly implanted, I took an action I would never have taken before. I moved. To live with my sister. 500 miles away.

Two months later I met this awesome guy. Two years later I married him. Two kids later we are happier than ever. He’s never once called me horrible.

You see, your thoughts are everything. You have to keep them on what you want. You have to believe. You are your strongest advocate. You are in charge of your life.  You are the creator.

Here’s how:

  1. Start with the end in mind. Identify what you want.
  2. Frame it in the positive, not the negative. (I AM smart, I AM a good friend, I DESERVE to be treated well, I’m CAPABLE of  making good grades.)
  3. Write it down. Think about it. A lot.
  4. Let yourself imagine what it will feel like when you experience your vision for your life. What will being smart feel like? Being a good friend? Being treated well? Let yourself feel the happiness and joy, the sense of satisfaction.
  5. Then, physically move in that direction. Take baby steps at first, it doesn’t matter. Just move in the direction you want to go. That you deserve.

When you believe, when you take those first steps, the world around you responds, and you’re that much closer to who–or where–you want to be.

Mike Dooley, author of “Notes from the Universe” says it best:

What if it was true that you could make your own reality,

and that your thoughts become the things and events of your life?

What would you do different in the next five minutes?

 The next five days? Five weeks?

 The world is yours. You’re here to live, and to thrive.

Kind of a cool to think about, huh?

What about you? Do you have one self-defeating thought that keeps derailing your dreams? Bring it on and let’s figure out a way to turn it around for you!

About Ellie James

Most people who know Ellie think she’s your nice, ordinary wife and mom of two little kids. They see someone who does all that normal stuff, like grocery shopping, walking the dogs, going to baseball games, and somehow always forgetting to get the house cleaned and laundry done.

What they don’t know is that more often than not, this LSU J-School alum is somewhere far, far away, in an extraordinary world, deeply embroiled in solving a riddle or puzzle or crime, testing the limits of possibility, exploring the unexplained, and holding her breath while two people fall in love.

Regardless of which world Ellie’s in, she loves rain and wind and thunder and lightning; the first warm kiss of spring and the first cool whisper of fall; family, friends, and animals; dreams and happy endings; Lost and Fringe; Arcade Fire and Dave Matthews, and last but not least…warm gooey chocolate chip cookies.

You can follow Ellie on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Midnight-Dragonfly-Books-by-Ellie-James/154988421236309

About the Midnight Dragonfly Series

The first born daughter, of the first born daughter, of the first born daughter, sixteen year old psychic Trinity Monsour has a connection to the Other Side. She knows secrets and truths she shouldn’t, feels emotions that do not belong to her, and see events that have yet to happen. They come to her as glimpses, shadowy, disjointed snapshots that flicker through her dreams. Some terrify: a girl screaming, a knife lifting, a body in the grass. But others–the dark, tortured eyes and the shattering kiss, the promise of forever–whisper to her soul.

They come without warning. They come without detail.

But they always mean the same thing: The clock is ticking, and only Trinity can stop it.

Find out how in Broken Illusions, available from Griffin Teen May 8, 2012.    http://midnightdragonflybooks.com/

 

 

 

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