Abbi Glines's Blog, page 51

"What is an American Soldier?"

A few years ago, I wrote an article for the May edition of a family magazine. For my research, I went to a few elementary schools and ask kindergarten and first graders, "What is an American Solider?" This morning while drinking my coffee and enjoying my peaceful view of the Gulf of Mexico my mind went to the men and women who have died so that we can be free to have moments such as these. I remembered the little faces who even at such a young age already knew the importance of our Soldiers. So this morning, while we remember those lives lost so that we can live free, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite definitions with you.

"Someone who fights for us so that we wont get hurt"

Lexie

"Someone who saves our life!"

Alexis

"Someone who is really brave"

Conner

"A person who saves people's lives"

Ray

"Somebody who risk their life to keep our country safe....my daddy is one"

Jillian

"Serves our country"

Parker

"Fights our wars for us"

Brihanna

"Sometimes they stand like statues"

Olivia

"Protects you from being killed"

Madison

"They give you freedom"

Paul

"A soldier helps slavery stop"

Jimbo

"Helps us attack bad guys"

Jacob

"They play army"

Mary

"Protect our pledge of allegiance"

Tamarcus

"Our most important people"

Deanjelia

When Teens Speak

The beach house was full of teenagers last night. So, I of course used the opportunity to listen while they talked. When adults are listening and not constantly judging teens tend to get very free with their speech. Granted, I was listening to their stories and thinking of my children asleep just down the hall wondering if I could lock them in their rooms once puberty hit. If only I could write the story of these kids life for them as easily as I write the lives of the teens in my books.

The good news here is, I soaked in so many ideas for some troubled teens in future novels. If they read this they are going to kill me (Just in case, sorry guys but you knew you were talking smack around a YA author). ANYWAY, it got me thinking. Most of the YA novels I read have main characters that have family issues that cause their bad decisions. They aren't rebellious but rather much too perceptive for their age. Can these kids relate to that? I'm thinking, no. These kids have no reason to go out and cause the trouble they are causing. Yet, they do it anyway. The next novel I write is going to have a more realistic set of main characters. What do you think? Should YA authors write a world kids can just escape into or a world they can relate to as well?

Release Date=Panic

As most of you know already, about two weeks ago my first novel, Breathe, was released. What you don't know is, I had a major breakdown on it's release date. Literally, I went into a panic. The world would be able to read my words and CRITIQUE them! At different times during the day I swear I had a hard time drawing a deep breath. Emotions in the Glines house were critical. Everyone was so excited....but me. Sure, I'd had articles published in several magazines and newspapers but this was different. I used the "ignore" button on my iPhone all morning. I knew why they were calling and I just couldn't talk about it. I only answered my best friend's call. I confessed my traumatic reaction to Breathe being published. Luckily she understood, or either she lied and tried to help me get a grip.

The day wore on and I was still dodging phone calls when my husband announced that we were going out to dinner to celebrate. Honestly I didn't want to leave the house. The kids excitement over going out to eat (we don't do this often because three kids at a restaurant is expensive and loud) had me agreeing to go. Forcing a smile we left. This is where I should tell you that explaining to my husband the emotional stress I had been dealing with might have been a good idea. The next thing I know we are pulling up to the golf course club house and my husband is sending me inside to get the "debit card he left earlier." I took this hook line and sinker. Heading inside aggravated that I had to retrieve it when he was the one that left it there....

SURPRISE! There was a room full of friends and family smiling brightly. Excited faces of the people I had ignored earlier in the day when they had called. Swallowing the panic was rather difficult. However, I managed to even fool my mom, which I can tell you is hard to do.

Bless my husbands heart, I broke down and cried on him that evening when we got home. He was so clueless. He may have even been considering admitting me into a psych ward. The next morning things looked brighter. I finished up the edits on my second YA novel, Existence, and sent it to the acquisitions editor assigned to me. People are reading my book and reviewing it and I am living through it. My skin is thicker than I thought ;)

Madame G

Fortune telling isn't my thing. Fact is, I don't want to know my future. The heavily jeweled ladies with their lovely glass balls, colorful cards and smoke filled rooms offering to tell me my future for money has never been a temptation. However, I have been tempted to pay them to leave me alone while walking the streets of New Orleans. Grabbing someone's palm is really bad etiquette if you ask me.

Anyway, for the sake of research for a book currently rolling around in my head, I decided to Google Palm Reading. Why Palm Reading? Because I had a palm readily available and my mother had never mentioned palm reading when scaring me away from other fortune telling items. Wigi boards for example: my lovely mother informed me at the age of nine that if I played with the Wigi Board my friend kept bringing to school I would get a demon in me. I'm thirty-four and to this day if I see a Wigi board I break out in a sweat and get the heck out of dodge. So, palm reading seemed safe enough. Me, Google, and my own hand.

The good news is I am going to live to see a ripe old age with a clear mind and healthy body. My life line is kick butt. After checking that out right away I decided this couldn't be all that bad. I moved on to check out the other lines that held interest to me. It all checked out to be very promising. I was deciding this fortune telling stuff happened to be kinda fun. Before the day was done I had read my mother's palm (apparently she doesn't think demons are involved here), my dad's palm (he wasn't amused although he has a good twenty-five more years or more left in him), my husband's palm (sap sucker is lucky his marriage line states only one marriage), my best friend's palm (who started calling me Madame G before the day was over), and her husband's palm (who completely ignored my knowledge and watched Friday Night Lights reruns instead) . After so many successful readings (HA!) I decided to check out my kids palms. Afraid they would think that their mother actually took stock in palm reading I didn't tell them what I was doing. I didn't want my kids growing up thinking that what their mother read on their palm was their fate in life. I was just having fun. Just a little research.

When I took my son's hand and checked out his palm my ten year old daughter frowned at me. Then very perceptively asked, "Are you reading his palm?" Startled I glanced up at her and realized Disney Channel had probably already clued her in on this one. So, I admitted that yes I was but I was just having fun. She shrugged and sat quietly for a few minutes then said, "I thought you said that we choose our own path in life." I froze then released his hand. From the moment they were old enough to understand, I have told all three of my kids that we are given choices everyday. It is up to us to make the right choices because we have to live with the choices we make. We pave our own path in life. My ten year old might roll her eyes at me like I haven't got a clue sometimes but she is listening to me. Just like I was convinced a wigi board would put a demon in me if I touched it. My daughter had listened to every word I said. I hugged her to me and replied, "You're right. We do. I was playing a silly game in the name of research. But we control our fate." I won't be checking out anyone else's palm. My days as Madame G are over ;)

(Okay maybe I might check them out sometimes for fun but I'll be very sure none of my kids are around)