T.L. Gray's Blog, page 78
November 17, 2011
I'm a Flashlight!
One of the greatest inventions of our modern times for me is the flashlight. We've humans have upgraded tremendously from torches, candles and lanterns in order to successfully navigate in the dark. We're a race dependent on our five senses - mostly on our sight - in order to make our way around this celestial orb.
I've learned something about the flashlight this morning that I didn't comprehend the day before. It's not like the information is new; only a new revelation to me.
It's not the casing of the flashlight that gives it its importance and purpose - though the outer shell is extremely important in its function to house the thing that makes it valuable and of use. It's the light that emits from the flashlight that gives it it's purpose.
Understanding the above statement has sparked an enlightened revelation that I had never been able to construct with words. I'm a flashlight!
Most of us go through this life with a hope of what the next life will bring; bearing the burdens of our world, braving the elements and holding tight to our faith and beliefs until the end of our days, most often in an expectation of a reward for our sacrifices; a utopian retirement in eternity filled with golden streets and peaceful jubilation.
Deep down inside I've always had a slight problem with this sentiment. Not that I wouldn't want a golden parachute at the end of my labors in reward for my all my toil, but I couldn't seem to find the motivation to modify my current behavior in a hope of a fantastical dream. I live with a hope of obtaining that utopian fantasy in THIS life.
I know the world is full of all kinds of hate, evil and chaos. On many occasions and through different experiences, I've been the victim/perpetrator at their dubious hands. However, I've also been the giver/recipient of love, good and order. Both exist at the same time, and both continue to flow through this universe even now. The only thing that has changed has been how I respond to each when I brush against them.
I've always been told that I'm a light in a dark world - meaning that I am to expose the darkness as I allow the light of my faith to shine. As I click this flashlight on and off, I realize it's function. It's not to expose the darkness - because the dark is already apparent. When the light comes on it causes the darkness to retreat and expose the truth of what's around me, lights my path so I can see where I'm going or where I've been, and even allows me to see myself when I was unable before. However, when I came into an already lighted room, the light from my flashlight exposed nothing that wasn't already exposed before - neither path nor direction. It became useless; just another object in the room. It no longer had a purpose. What good is a flashlight where there is no darkness?
Having a purpose and being used for that purpose is what drives me most; it is the single largest factor that shapes my decisions, actions and reactions. It's not fear from a lake of fire for my disobedience or the hope of a bright utopian eternity beyond this life. Whether or not those are the final consequences - really don't make a difference in the day to day decisions I face or make.
Everyday, due to the impact of my daily decisions, I'm either tormented or at peace. Right now I'm either suffering from a hell-on-earth or I'm filled with heavenly joy. I find the choice is really up to me no matter what's going on around me. In the middle of my turmoil, I find I can have peace. In the middle of my celebration, I find I can be in pain. I can't control what happens around me - prevent evil from touching my life - but I have complete control on how I respond to those events. The response determines my atmosphere.
Where my faith factors in all this is not about condemnation or salvation at the end of my days - but in each moment, each step, with each breath that testifies I'm not alone and I don't have to walk through this darkness alone. The answer to the test isn't that I finish having ran a good race, but that I find what I'm searching for AS I run the race; that I discover I'm a flashlight in a dark world - with a purpose while I'm in the darkness.
I don't mind being a flashlight. In fact - I'd like to be a lighthouse!
Till next time,
~T.L. Gray
I've learned something about the flashlight this morning that I didn't comprehend the day before. It's not like the information is new; only a new revelation to me.
It's not the casing of the flashlight that gives it its importance and purpose - though the outer shell is extremely important in its function to house the thing that makes it valuable and of use. It's the light that emits from the flashlight that gives it it's purpose.
Understanding the above statement has sparked an enlightened revelation that I had never been able to construct with words. I'm a flashlight!
Most of us go through this life with a hope of what the next life will bring; bearing the burdens of our world, braving the elements and holding tight to our faith and beliefs until the end of our days, most often in an expectation of a reward for our sacrifices; a utopian retirement in eternity filled with golden streets and peaceful jubilation.
Deep down inside I've always had a slight problem with this sentiment. Not that I wouldn't want a golden parachute at the end of my labors in reward for my all my toil, but I couldn't seem to find the motivation to modify my current behavior in a hope of a fantastical dream. I live with a hope of obtaining that utopian fantasy in THIS life.
I know the world is full of all kinds of hate, evil and chaos. On many occasions and through different experiences, I've been the victim/perpetrator at their dubious hands. However, I've also been the giver/recipient of love, good and order. Both exist at the same time, and both continue to flow through this universe even now. The only thing that has changed has been how I respond to each when I brush against them.
I've always been told that I'm a light in a dark world - meaning that I am to expose the darkness as I allow the light of my faith to shine. As I click this flashlight on and off, I realize it's function. It's not to expose the darkness - because the dark is already apparent. When the light comes on it causes the darkness to retreat and expose the truth of what's around me, lights my path so I can see where I'm going or where I've been, and even allows me to see myself when I was unable before. However, when I came into an already lighted room, the light from my flashlight exposed nothing that wasn't already exposed before - neither path nor direction. It became useless; just another object in the room. It no longer had a purpose. What good is a flashlight where there is no darkness?
Having a purpose and being used for that purpose is what drives me most; it is the single largest factor that shapes my decisions, actions and reactions. It's not fear from a lake of fire for my disobedience or the hope of a bright utopian eternity beyond this life. Whether or not those are the final consequences - really don't make a difference in the day to day decisions I face or make.
Everyday, due to the impact of my daily decisions, I'm either tormented or at peace. Right now I'm either suffering from a hell-on-earth or I'm filled with heavenly joy. I find the choice is really up to me no matter what's going on around me. In the middle of my turmoil, I find I can have peace. In the middle of my celebration, I find I can be in pain. I can't control what happens around me - prevent evil from touching my life - but I have complete control on how I respond to those events. The response determines my atmosphere.
Where my faith factors in all this is not about condemnation or salvation at the end of my days - but in each moment, each step, with each breath that testifies I'm not alone and I don't have to walk through this darkness alone. The answer to the test isn't that I finish having ran a good race, but that I find what I'm searching for AS I run the race; that I discover I'm a flashlight in a dark world - with a purpose while I'm in the darkness.
I don't mind being a flashlight. In fact - I'd like to be a lighthouse!
Till next time,
~T.L. Gray
November 15, 2011
Milledgeville Misfit Book Trailer
I did it. Here is my first attempt.
javascript:void(0)
javascript:void(0)
Book Trailers - I Want One
I just watched one of the best book trailers for a book called "Shatter Me". Now, I WANT one. I want to learn how to make one. Part of me is dreading it, because I already have so many things I'm already doing; I've got more on my plate than I'll ever be able to eat, and I want more. I'm a glutton. When it comes to the writing universe, I can't get enough.
So, the biggest question - where do I start? I don't know the first thing about making book trailers. It seems I keep gravitating more and more to movies, mini-movies, trailers, screenplays. Perhaps the printed page isn't my only niche. I guess all my few remaining minutes of the day are going to be spent on researching, studying, seeking, reading, experimenting and learning how to make book trailers.
Anyone with any experience in this area... I'm begging for help.
Till next time,
~T.L. Gray
So, the biggest question - where do I start? I don't know the first thing about making book trailers. It seems I keep gravitating more and more to movies, mini-movies, trailers, screenplays. Perhaps the printed page isn't my only niche. I guess all my few remaining minutes of the day are going to be spent on researching, studying, seeking, reading, experimenting and learning how to make book trailers.
Anyone with any experience in this area... I'm begging for help.
Till next time,
~T.L. Gray
November 14, 2011
Climbing Mountains
While on the treadmill this morning (which is one of the best places to think or read a few chapters of the latest book on my Kindle) I started thinking about this girl I know. She's one of the most talented writers I've come across over the last couple of years, but she's so full of anger, rage and hurt. It oozes out with every negative phrase, every jagged remark, every bitter line - and all with a smile. I know the smile isn't genuine, but a mask to hide the pain and fear that drives her and enslaves her. I'm sure she doesn't think I like her, but I neither like her nor dislike her; I pity her because I used to be her. I distance myself from her because she's on a mountain I've already climbed; an obstacle behind and below me, and one I'll never allow myself again to climb its ledges.
My thoughts quickly brushed over the many mountains I've already climbed, the peaks I've reached and the valleys I've marched through. It brought me back to one particular climb where I stumbled upon a great revelation about myself and my journey. I was struggling up the side of this one particular peak; I was angry, frustrated and twisted into a really tight knot. I was tired. I kept looking down at the ground behind me, irritated I had been forced to walk through this particular valley below me in the first place. It wasn't fair for me to be there. In fact, it wasn't fair I've had to walk through so many ugly places. Why couldn't I walk through a beautiful meadow instead of a dark dangerous wood? Why did my mountainside have to be so tall, so jagged, and so hard to climb? Where were my rolling hills with finely etched paths and sweet-smelling flowers? Why couldn't I be Cinderella or Snow White and have a Prince Charming reach down from my mountain's precipice and pull me to safety and save me heartache, calluses, scars and muscle strain?
A voice echoed in the wind, "There is no Prince Charming; there's only you. You're the only person who can get you to the top of this mountain. The only person you'll meet on its peak is yourself. So, who are you? Who will you meet when you get to the top? Will you be strong? Will you be content? Will you be happy? Will you be victorious? Will you be an over-comer? Or will you be empty, shallow, vapor-less and blown away by the slightest breeze into nothingness? Quit waiting on someone to save you; save yourself. Quit looking behind you, and strive for what's ahead. Live in the moment. Quit blaming others and start giving yourself credit."
It took me a long while and a few more mountains to recognize who waited for me at the top of all my mountains. It took a little longer to discover that they also walked in the valley and climbed with me up the sides. It took me even longer to realize that the best part of my life wasn't found in the peaks, but in the journeys to reach them. The peaks are great; but they're not the solution, the conclusion or the answer to the questions we seek. It's a small moment of achievement, but it's only brief. I've come to love the person who walks through those valleys, who smiles at the mountains in front of them, who glances up and sees another goal, another destination, another challenge, another peak.
I pity this girl because she limits herself. She's her own downfall; her own mountain. The peak she's about to reach will not bring her the happiness, the solution or the consolation she longs for; only disappointment. There is no Prince Charming or Happily Ever After waiting for her, only her close companions – Fear, Anger and Depression. They're faithful companions; dependable and have never failed to show up. What we find at the top of our mountains, are what we carry with us.
I hope one day she discovers herself on one of her peaks. If she can only see the true beauty of whom she is, which has nothing to do with her outside appearance or talent, there's no telling how high a mountain she'd be able to climb. She has everything needed to be able to crest an Everest. I pity her because she struggles on an ant hill. Her greatness won't be found in her talent; for talent isn't something a person gains but is inherit from birth. It will be found in the walk and in the inheritance she leaves behind. Money, fame and fortune can't purchase a good legacy. Talent can't produce integrity or character. Neither can any of these things rescue us from ourselves.
These thoughts this morning are more for me than for this girl I pity. It reminds me of what I'm striving for; what I hope to achieve in this life. These words of encouragement may never reach her ears, or even be intended for her. She may be me, because I used to be her, and the Me Now may be reminding me of the Me Then as a warning for the Me To Be.
My thoughts quickly brushed over the many mountains I've already climbed, the peaks I've reached and the valleys I've marched through. It brought me back to one particular climb where I stumbled upon a great revelation about myself and my journey. I was struggling up the side of this one particular peak; I was angry, frustrated and twisted into a really tight knot. I was tired. I kept looking down at the ground behind me, irritated I had been forced to walk through this particular valley below me in the first place. It wasn't fair for me to be there. In fact, it wasn't fair I've had to walk through so many ugly places. Why couldn't I walk through a beautiful meadow instead of a dark dangerous wood? Why did my mountainside have to be so tall, so jagged, and so hard to climb? Where were my rolling hills with finely etched paths and sweet-smelling flowers? Why couldn't I be Cinderella or Snow White and have a Prince Charming reach down from my mountain's precipice and pull me to safety and save me heartache, calluses, scars and muscle strain?
A voice echoed in the wind, "There is no Prince Charming; there's only you. You're the only person who can get you to the top of this mountain. The only person you'll meet on its peak is yourself. So, who are you? Who will you meet when you get to the top? Will you be strong? Will you be content? Will you be happy? Will you be victorious? Will you be an over-comer? Or will you be empty, shallow, vapor-less and blown away by the slightest breeze into nothingness? Quit waiting on someone to save you; save yourself. Quit looking behind you, and strive for what's ahead. Live in the moment. Quit blaming others and start giving yourself credit."
It took me a long while and a few more mountains to recognize who waited for me at the top of all my mountains. It took a little longer to discover that they also walked in the valley and climbed with me up the sides. It took me even longer to realize that the best part of my life wasn't found in the peaks, but in the journeys to reach them. The peaks are great; but they're not the solution, the conclusion or the answer to the questions we seek. It's a small moment of achievement, but it's only brief. I've come to love the person who walks through those valleys, who smiles at the mountains in front of them, who glances up and sees another goal, another destination, another challenge, another peak.
I pity this girl because she limits herself. She's her own downfall; her own mountain. The peak she's about to reach will not bring her the happiness, the solution or the consolation she longs for; only disappointment. There is no Prince Charming or Happily Ever After waiting for her, only her close companions – Fear, Anger and Depression. They're faithful companions; dependable and have never failed to show up. What we find at the top of our mountains, are what we carry with us.
I hope one day she discovers herself on one of her peaks. If she can only see the true beauty of whom she is, which has nothing to do with her outside appearance or talent, there's no telling how high a mountain she'd be able to climb. She has everything needed to be able to crest an Everest. I pity her because she struggles on an ant hill. Her greatness won't be found in her talent; for talent isn't something a person gains but is inherit from birth. It will be found in the walk and in the inheritance she leaves behind. Money, fame and fortune can't purchase a good legacy. Talent can't produce integrity or character. Neither can any of these things rescue us from ourselves.
These thoughts this morning are more for me than for this girl I pity. It reminds me of what I'm striving for; what I hope to achieve in this life. These words of encouragement may never reach her ears, or even be intended for her. She may be me, because I used to be her, and the Me Now may be reminding me of the Me Then as a warning for the Me To Be.
November 13, 2011
Inheritance - Christopher Paolini Review
***** (5-Stars)
I can't get this hard lump out of my throat. I'm equally happy and sad at the ending; probably because it is the end of a great epic tale. I think Paolini outdid himself. While I know not everyone will see the beauty of his choice of endings, I thought it was well-planned and a stroke of genius. It touched me deeply. Only a handful of stories have been able to do that.
If this is what he can accomplish as such a young age, I can't wait to see what he has next. I'm a fan for life. I see much of Eragon in him.
Publish Post
I can't give any higher praise than that. If I could, I would.
I can't get this hard lump out of my throat. I'm equally happy and sad at the ending; probably because it is the end of a great epic tale. I think Paolini outdid himself. While I know not everyone will see the beauty of his choice of endings, I thought it was well-planned and a stroke of genius. It touched me deeply. Only a handful of stories have been able to do that.
If this is what he can accomplish as such a young age, I can't wait to see what he has next. I'm a fan for life. I see much of Eragon in him.
Publish Post
I can't give any higher praise than that. If I could, I would.
November 6, 2011
Milledgeville Misfit Cover
Here is the new cover for the upcoming release of my new novel "Milledgeville Misfit".
Fourteen-year old Juniper "Junebug" Summerville loses her parents and her ability to talk in a car accident. Against her silent protests, she is sent to live in a remote swampland known for its ghosts, prisons and insane asylums.
As Junebug struggles with her emotional scars, she begins to heal with help from six other orphans at Dearborn, a once famous southern plantation turned orphanage. But on Halloween night, she finds herself in a fight for her sanity when she stumbles upon a tear in the fabric that separated the natural from the supernatural and allowed the dead to walk among the living.
November 5, 2011
Keezy's 10 Awesome Rules for Teenaged Dating Giveaway
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
Keezy's 10 Awesome Rules for Teenaged Dating!
by T. L. Gray
Giveaway ends December 31, 2011.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Enter to win
November 4, 2011
The Pursuit of Happiness
The subject of happiness has come up quite a bit in my life lately. It seems everywhere I turn I find someone looking for it or showing an expression of it. It's had me really asking myself, "Am I happy?"
Immediately the answer "Yes!" flashed through my mind, but then right behind it came this slow, uncertain question of "Really?". It surprised me. Only two seconds before I had been so sure and now I sat there wondering why I was questioning myself. (Don't try to figure that out - you'll get a headache.)
I pondered. If I was so happy what exactly was it that made me that way? After several days of fleeting thoughts, a long hot bubble-bath, and nice warm cup of coffee I realized that my happiness can't be contributed to just ONE thing. It's a compilation of many different things. Not all of them would be OBVIOUS things. Simple things.
Here are few examples:
My cat Pip. She's often a pain, getting into things she's not supposed to, tearing up furniture with her claws, leaving her toys just laying around everywhere so you step on them in the dark type of stuff. I'm not even going to mention having to clean out the litter box. It's also those very same things that make me happy. She's a happy cat. She's loving, she's not afraid of anything, she's spoiled, and she LOVES attention. She's free because she's loved. She's not afraid of her family. She's not hungry or hurt. She doesn't have a diamond collar and eat gormet cat food, but she's happy - and she makes me and the rest of the family happy.
My son Johnathan. (BTW - these are in random order. In no way do I imply that Pip is more important than Johnathan.) My son is a bit on the lazy side and his drive for success is lack luster at best. I could focus on all his faults and constantly stay behind him and pressure him to move forward, but instead I've chosen another route. My son in happy. He's lazy because he loves being at home and he's comfortable there enough to let himself be who he really is. He loves playing games with his family at dinner time, he loves fighting over pop corn, or trying to beat everyone on the video, card and board games. He's a poor sport and horrible loser, but he loves playing. He's 21 years old and would rather spend his weekends at home with his dad watching football or sitting at the kitchen table after work writing his first novel with me while I cook dinner. He doesn't drive around in an expensive car, go to a fancy college or wear designer labels, but he's happy. He dates on occasion, but he's not out looking for someone in order to make feel complete or loved. He loves his music and playing his drums. He's learning to love himself.
Everyday we live with goals and aspirations, reaching out to obtain those things we dream about. But, I've learned that it's not in the achievement of those dreams that makes life worth living; the thing that makes us happy. Those moments are just that... fleeting moments. They're a great moment of exhilaration. But if we live our life in a struggle everyday under oppression, stress and pressure in the pursuit of happiness - we'll miss the moments that truly grant them to us.
I've got a lot of big dreams in front of me and I'm doing everything I can to reach those dreams. In the meantime, I walk through my days with a song in my heart because I'm truly content and happy right where I am - right in the middle of my mess. In fact - it's that happiness that fuels the energy I need in the pursuit of my dreams. If I wasn't loved or love my self - I wouldn't make it through all of life's bumps, road blocks and sink holes.
I thank my family for that. I thank God. I thank my friends.
Till next time,
~T.L. Gray
Immediately the answer "Yes!" flashed through my mind, but then right behind it came this slow, uncertain question of "Really?". It surprised me. Only two seconds before I had been so sure and now I sat there wondering why I was questioning myself. (Don't try to figure that out - you'll get a headache.)
I pondered. If I was so happy what exactly was it that made me that way? After several days of fleeting thoughts, a long hot bubble-bath, and nice warm cup of coffee I realized that my happiness can't be contributed to just ONE thing. It's a compilation of many different things. Not all of them would be OBVIOUS things. Simple things.
Here are few examples:
My cat Pip. She's often a pain, getting into things she's not supposed to, tearing up furniture with her claws, leaving her toys just laying around everywhere so you step on them in the dark type of stuff. I'm not even going to mention having to clean out the litter box. It's also those very same things that make me happy. She's a happy cat. She's loving, she's not afraid of anything, she's spoiled, and she LOVES attention. She's free because she's loved. She's not afraid of her family. She's not hungry or hurt. She doesn't have a diamond collar and eat gormet cat food, but she's happy - and she makes me and the rest of the family happy.
My son Johnathan. (BTW - these are in random order. In no way do I imply that Pip is more important than Johnathan.) My son is a bit on the lazy side and his drive for success is lack luster at best. I could focus on all his faults and constantly stay behind him and pressure him to move forward, but instead I've chosen another route. My son in happy. He's lazy because he loves being at home and he's comfortable there enough to let himself be who he really is. He loves playing games with his family at dinner time, he loves fighting over pop corn, or trying to beat everyone on the video, card and board games. He's a poor sport and horrible loser, but he loves playing. He's 21 years old and would rather spend his weekends at home with his dad watching football or sitting at the kitchen table after work writing his first novel with me while I cook dinner. He doesn't drive around in an expensive car, go to a fancy college or wear designer labels, but he's happy. He dates on occasion, but he's not out looking for someone in order to make feel complete or loved. He loves his music and playing his drums. He's learning to love himself.
Everyday we live with goals and aspirations, reaching out to obtain those things we dream about. But, I've learned that it's not in the achievement of those dreams that makes life worth living; the thing that makes us happy. Those moments are just that... fleeting moments. They're a great moment of exhilaration. But if we live our life in a struggle everyday under oppression, stress and pressure in the pursuit of happiness - we'll miss the moments that truly grant them to us.
I've got a lot of big dreams in front of me and I'm doing everything I can to reach those dreams. In the meantime, I walk through my days with a song in my heart because I'm truly content and happy right where I am - right in the middle of my mess. In fact - it's that happiness that fuels the energy I need in the pursuit of my dreams. If I wasn't loved or love my self - I wouldn't make it through all of life's bumps, road blocks and sink holes.
I thank my family for that. I thank God. I thank my friends.
Till next time,
~T.L. Gray
October 18, 2011
Keezy's 10 Awesome Rules for Teenaged Dating
Times-Georgian Article
Local author takes a break from the supernatural to help teens with dating by Spencer Crawford/The Villa Rican 10.15.11 - 11:59 pm [image error]
Local author T.L. Gray has taken a brief respite from the world of the supernatural to begin a book series aimed at helping guide teenagers through the world of young adulthood."Keezy's 10 Awesome Rules for Teenaged Dating" made its debut at last weekend's MeccaFest event and Gray reports she nearly sold out the first printing. Based on her 17-year-old daughter, the new book attempts to teach pre-teens, tweens and young teens how to traverse through a dating world that has changed drastically with the emergence of social media."In this book, I'm talking about issues that are relative today," Gray said. "For instance, dating doesn't really exist anymore. Kids go out in groups of 10 or 20 and if you happen to sit next to a guy now you're going steady. Their relationships are now basically on the Internet and through social media. That interpersonal relationship is kind of disappearing because they don't go out to dinner and sit and talk to learn to get to know each other. There's no such thing as courting anymore."
While some nuances traditionally related to dating are disappearing, Gray explained that new pitfalls are popping up due to interaction through social media."Every little thing they do and say is out there for everybody to judge and it's out there as a permanent record," she said. "It used to be that when we would do something stupid, like all teenagers do, it would be a rumor for a month or two until the next stupid thing is done and then it would be forgotten. Nowadays with everything out there on tweets and posts and on Facebook and Myspace everything is now out there as a permanent record and somebody has a copy of it. They're basically living in a fish bowl."Gray also discusses respecting one another, self-esteem issues, cyber-bullying, clinginess and other issues teens face in relationships today.
"It's just getting hard for kids in relationships today," Gray said. "The book is just about how dating has changed."Though Gray holds no doctorate in child psychology or relationship, she does have the experience of raising three teenagers — Megan, 22, Johnathan, 21, and Kelly. She researched the book by talking with her daughter and dozens of her friends about the dating world today."This book is really for the pre-teens, or the tweens, before they start dating so they know what to expect," Gray said.The book could also be a benefit to parents of teenagers so they understand that the dating world is not the same as it was when they were growing up so unfair expectations shouldn't be put on your kids."As parents, we can't be blinded to it and think it will all work out like it did for us because it's not the same world as when we were dating and that was just 20 years ago," she said. "What I find most is that we parents are expecting our children to respond the same way we did, but we don't live in the same world so they can't respond in the same way. If we don't educate ourselves to find out what's going on, we're going to be lost and we're going to give the wrong advice."Next year, Gray plans to release two additional books in the "Keezy" series, one that will provide rules for teenage drivers and another that will offer inventive ways to make money in a poor job market. She plans to release two "Keezy" books per year, one in the spring and one in the fall.Grays first book, "The Blood of Cain," tied religion and the supernatural together in a story of vampires. It, too, will eventually be a series and she's already completed the second book. However, her next offering, "Milledgeville Misfit," due to be released in December, is a return to the supernatural before the release of another "Keezy" book in the spring."Milledgeville Misfit" involves a young girl who was in a car accident that kills her parents and now mute she is sent to live with an aunt and uncle at a plantation home called Deerborn in Milledgeville. She discovers there are five other kids living in the house who teach her how to cope and deal with the loss of her parents, but she later discovers they are all ghosts. Later the young ghosts cross over from the supernatural world to become real again."Milledgeville Misfits" ends with a cliffhanger similar to the popular movie "Sixth Sense" in that the main character is left wondering whether she has been dead all along or she imagined everything that's happened or whether the children she thinks are ghosts are actually real. Gray never answers the question, leaving it up to the reader to decide."I take what appeals to kids, what appeals to the young adults and I remember when I was a teenager what I wanted to read about," she said. "I was fascinated with the supernatural. I loved stories about vampires, witches and ghosts. I thinkthere's a reason why you are attracted to those kind of things and, in my case, I come from a very abusive background and to me that was my escape."Gray also explained that she was a fan of superheroes growing up and a series of books she's already completed, but hasn't yet published, called "The Necromancers" is her tribute to superheroes. She says she's waiting on the right book deal before publishing the series."I like so many different things, so it's easy for me to move from one genre to the next," Gray said. "I don't really get stuck on any one thing. To me a book is just a story, regardless of the genre that it's in. I'm able to jump on an idea and from there just go forward and write in that genre. Every book has a message, it's just put into a story form that they think readers will understand what they're trying to say."Gray's books can be found locally at Horton's Books and Gifts on Adamson Square in Carrollton. They can also be found on most major Internet bookstores. © times-georgian.com 2011
Local author takes a break from the supernatural to help teens with dating by Spencer Crawford/The Villa Rican 10.15.11 - 11:59 pm [image error]
Local author T.L. Gray has taken a brief respite from the world of the supernatural to begin a book series aimed at helping guide teenagers through the world of young adulthood."Keezy's 10 Awesome Rules for Teenaged Dating" made its debut at last weekend's MeccaFest event and Gray reports she nearly sold out the first printing. Based on her 17-year-old daughter, the new book attempts to teach pre-teens, tweens and young teens how to traverse through a dating world that has changed drastically with the emergence of social media."In this book, I'm talking about issues that are relative today," Gray said. "For instance, dating doesn't really exist anymore. Kids go out in groups of 10 or 20 and if you happen to sit next to a guy now you're going steady. Their relationships are now basically on the Internet and through social media. That interpersonal relationship is kind of disappearing because they don't go out to dinner and sit and talk to learn to get to know each other. There's no such thing as courting anymore."
While some nuances traditionally related to dating are disappearing, Gray explained that new pitfalls are popping up due to interaction through social media."Every little thing they do and say is out there for everybody to judge and it's out there as a permanent record," she said. "It used to be that when we would do something stupid, like all teenagers do, it would be a rumor for a month or two until the next stupid thing is done and then it would be forgotten. Nowadays with everything out there on tweets and posts and on Facebook and Myspace everything is now out there as a permanent record and somebody has a copy of it. They're basically living in a fish bowl."Gray also discusses respecting one another, self-esteem issues, cyber-bullying, clinginess and other issues teens face in relationships today.
"It's just getting hard for kids in relationships today," Gray said. "The book is just about how dating has changed."Though Gray holds no doctorate in child psychology or relationship, she does have the experience of raising three teenagers — Megan, 22, Johnathan, 21, and Kelly. She researched the book by talking with her daughter and dozens of her friends about the dating world today."This book is really for the pre-teens, or the tweens, before they start dating so they know what to expect," Gray said.The book could also be a benefit to parents of teenagers so they understand that the dating world is not the same as it was when they were growing up so unfair expectations shouldn't be put on your kids."As parents, we can't be blinded to it and think it will all work out like it did for us because it's not the same world as when we were dating and that was just 20 years ago," she said. "What I find most is that we parents are expecting our children to respond the same way we did, but we don't live in the same world so they can't respond in the same way. If we don't educate ourselves to find out what's going on, we're going to be lost and we're going to give the wrong advice."Next year, Gray plans to release two additional books in the "Keezy" series, one that will provide rules for teenage drivers and another that will offer inventive ways to make money in a poor job market. She plans to release two "Keezy" books per year, one in the spring and one in the fall.Grays first book, "The Blood of Cain," tied religion and the supernatural together in a story of vampires. It, too, will eventually be a series and she's already completed the second book. However, her next offering, "Milledgeville Misfit," due to be released in December, is a return to the supernatural before the release of another "Keezy" book in the spring."Milledgeville Misfit" involves a young girl who was in a car accident that kills her parents and now mute she is sent to live with an aunt and uncle at a plantation home called Deerborn in Milledgeville. She discovers there are five other kids living in the house who teach her how to cope and deal with the loss of her parents, but she later discovers they are all ghosts. Later the young ghosts cross over from the supernatural world to become real again."Milledgeville Misfits" ends with a cliffhanger similar to the popular movie "Sixth Sense" in that the main character is left wondering whether she has been dead all along or she imagined everything that's happened or whether the children she thinks are ghosts are actually real. Gray never answers the question, leaving it up to the reader to decide."I take what appeals to kids, what appeals to the young adults and I remember when I was a teenager what I wanted to read about," she said. "I was fascinated with the supernatural. I loved stories about vampires, witches and ghosts. I thinkthere's a reason why you are attracted to those kind of things and, in my case, I come from a very abusive background and to me that was my escape."Gray also explained that she was a fan of superheroes growing up and a series of books she's already completed, but hasn't yet published, called "The Necromancers" is her tribute to superheroes. She says she's waiting on the right book deal before publishing the series."I like so many different things, so it's easy for me to move from one genre to the next," Gray said. "I don't really get stuck on any one thing. To me a book is just a story, regardless of the genre that it's in. I'm able to jump on an idea and from there just go forward and write in that genre. Every book has a message, it's just put into a story form that they think readers will understand what they're trying to say."Gray's books can be found locally at Horton's Books and Gifts on Adamson Square in Carrollton. They can also be found on most major Internet bookstores. © times-georgian.com 2011
September 16, 2011
Keezy's 10 Awesome Rules for Teenaged Dating
While we celebrated Keezy's release into the wide world of publishing, we also got to celebrate the birthday of her inspiration, my daughter Kelly, who turned seventeen. To me it's a great moment to be recorded in history. Whether anyone else in the world would agree really doesn't matter. I was very proud of them both yesterday, for both of them are my children.
Happy Birthday Kelly & Keezy! May you both touch many hearts and make lasting impressions.
Till next time,
~T.L. Gray
Happy Birthday Kelly & Keezy! May you both touch many hearts and make lasting impressions.
Till next time,
~T.L. Gray
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