Brenda Maxfield's Blog, page 10
March 18, 2013
Over Seven Hours!!
According to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average teen spends more than 7 ½ hours per day consuming media. This is the average – which of course means many teens spend a lot more than 7 ½ hours, while many also spend less.
Wow. My students are in class six hours a day (I already subtracted passing periods and lunch time). An hour and a half less than the majority spend consuming media. Granted, some of that media consumption might be labeled as educational, but after chatting with my students and suggesting the possibility, they looked at me as if I’d suddenly started blabbing gibberish.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to learn teens are on their phones, computers, MP3 players, and tablets for such long periods of time. I shouldn’t be surprised.
But I am. I never really thought of it boiled down to an hour amount.
Then I got to thinking about the media habits of adults. Hmmm. Wonder what those statistics are. (TV, anyone?)
Equally as surprising, I’m sure. No doubt, equally disturbing.
I remember back to what my parents worried about when I was a teenager.
The horrid noise we called music . . . and the shocking lyrics that went with it.
Sigh.
Yes, there always will be something to be concerned about.
Now, if you’ll please excuse me for a sec . . . I promised my daughter I’d text. 
What about you? Do you think this statistic should cause alarm? Or do you think it’s no big deal? What are your media hours like? I’d love to hear!
And as always, thanks for stopping by!
Brenda
P.S. Along Came Jordan, which continues Emili’s story, comes out April 23rd! Good, Clean, Teen Read. Woo Hoo!
March 12, 2013
Show Choir (aka Teen Exhaustion)
Some of my students are dragging into class this week, half-dead. Teens are often beyond groggy in the morning, but this has been a new breed of tired.
Then I remembered. Show choir competitions have kept a lot of them busy over the last few weekends. They meet at the school as early as 4:00 in the morning and return home as late as 2:00 the following morning.
No wonder they’re beyond exhausted.
But …they love it. They complain long and loud (which sounds suspiciously like bragging) about the wretched hours, but they keep going back for more. And more. And more.
It’s the thrill of the quest. The thrill of becoming excellent. The thrill of conquering the competition.
It drives them. And they keep getting better and better and better. The awards trickle in at first, giving them another burst of motivation. And then the accolades grow more frequent, bigger.
Kind of like writing for me (and maybe you). I keep going back for more and more and more. Hopefully, getting better and better and better.
The prize: Excellence.
Ah, the thrill of it all.
What about you? What do you work and work and work at? In what are you hoping to attain excellence? I’d love to hear from you.
And as always, thanks for stopping by.
Brenda
P.S. I’d love to have you click here if you’re looking for good, clean, teen reads!
March 6, 2013
Read an E-book!
You’ve got to love a company that would dedicate time to Read an E-book Week. Smashwords has done just that!
I remember when digital books first came out. I couldn’t figure out how I could possibly enjoy reading books on a screen. What about the crisp feel of the page, the smell of the new binding, the ability to write my name in loopy cursive inside the front cover?
Well, it didn’t take long before I got the hang of it! While I still don’t enjoy reading on a computer screen where I have to keep scrolling, e-readers and tablets are another story. I’ve been surprised by how much I don’t mind them. Okay, that sounded strange. I guess I’ve been surprised by how much I enjoy them! Wonder of wonders.
Plus, the price point of digital books is totally something to rejoice in!
I have to admit, my house is still somewhat overflowing with actual hard copies of books. And I’ve never figured out how to safely read an e-book in the tub, but I’ve jumped on the bandwagon even so far as publishing my first book in digital format.
So, long live physical copies of books, and long live our digital miracles!
How about you? Do you like to read digital books? Or do you prefer hard copies? I’d love to know.
And as always, thanks for stopping by!
Brenda
February 26, 2013
One Thousand Soles
Teenagers in Salem, OR are working to make sure every kid in their community has at least one pair of shoes. On the surface, this sounds like an unusual project. Perhaps . . . but when you read more, it seems the most natural thing in the world.
It all started as a community project last year led by one teacher and eighteen students at South Salem High School.
Here’s one of the stories that started it all: There were two brothers who attended school in a strangely systematic way. One would attend school and then be absent for a week or so when the other brother attended. The teens found out it was because the brothers only had one pair of shoes between them, so they had to take turns wearing them to school.
And then the students learned about the number of homeless kids (1,511 in their county), many who had no shoes. Other kids regularly used duct tape to keep their shoes together because there was no money for a new pair.
These teen community servants have arranged two dozen drop off zones for donated shoes. They hope to receive mostly new shoe donations, but gladly accept gently used shoes.
Anytime I hear about teens making such a profound difference in their communities, I rejoice. Teens like this are an inspiration and a model for all of us!
Kudos to you great teens in Salem! Thank you for your humanity and love.
What about you? Have you heard of any great teen community projects lately? Or have you been involved in one yourself? I’d love to hear about it!
And as always, thanks for stopping by.
Brenda
Read more about One Thousand Soles here.
February 18, 2013
Sleep Texting
You’re burrowed down inside the covers. Your eyes are closed, and you’re about to enter Dreamland.
Beep!
A text. Automatically, you fumble for your phone. Bleary-eyed, you read the text and answer before dropping back into a stupor. The next morning you get a call. It’s your best friend.
“What did you mean? You texted me a bunch of gibberish last night. Was that code? Or were you just mad?”
“What you’re talking about?” You grab your phone to check what you sent: soki yes i sdlkfj jjk eiw.
And there it is–Sleep Texting.
Nursing professor Elizabeth Dowdell, of Villanova University reported in an interview with a CBS news affiliate in Philadelphia, that she has discovered a new phenomena she calls “sleep texting.” . . .—teenagers sending text messages while at least partially asleep. It occurs when a teen receives a text, becomes aware of their phone beeping, and then responds—quite often with gibberish, but sometimes with words they never intended to use. See full article here.
Yikes! Does this mean you could agree to something you want no part of? Or make a date with someone you can’t stand? Or reveal a deep dark secret?
Evidently, yes. But it gets even worse:
Dowdell attributes the behavior to overextended teens and says being partially woken by a beeping phone on a regular basis can lead to sleep deprivation, weight gain, depression and other mental disorders.
That’s some serious stuff. What’s the answer? I often suggest to my sleepy high school students that they turn off their phones at night. They look at me as if I’d sprouted an extra nose. Then I suggest they could leave their phones on but in a different room. Add an extra sprouted ear to the top of my head.
Sigh.
This is one extra reason I’m grateful for long weekends like the one we just enjoyed. Hopefully, my teen friends got some extra sleep. It’d be nice to greet wide-eyed, bright, rested students during first period.
What about you? Do you get enough sleep? Are you interrupted with constant texting all night? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
As always, thanks for stopping by.
Brenda
P.S. My new Young Adult novel The Lance Temptation was just released! I’d love to have you grab a copy and tell me what you think!
February 12, 2013
The Lance Temptation Releases!
Friends! I’d like to announce the release of my YA novel, The Lance Temptation from Astraea Press! I’m over-the-moon excited!
If you’re interested in a good, clean, teen read, you’ll want to grab a copy. I want to give HUGE thanks to all the great friends and writers who’ve helped make this book a possibility! And of course a special thanks to my husband Paul and family!
My critique partners Traci Douglass and Jim Cangany are the absolute best! Hugs to you both. My writer pals at IRWA were invaluable with their knowledge and support. And a heartfelt thanks to my wonderful publisher, Astraea Press. What an amazing group of editors, designers, and writers!
Happy Reading, Friends! Thank you so much for your continued support.
And as always, thanks for stopping by!
Brenda
February 5, 2013
Females in Direct Combat
Greetings, Friends! Today my mind is focused on the news about females being allowed in direct combat. This means teen girls as young as eighteen. Every day at school, I look around my classroom and see many girls who have turned eighteen or are almost there.
These girls are intelligent, fit, curious, and skilled. I do understand the equality issue. After all, I grew up in the Gloria Steinem era. But I must confess I shudder at the possibility of these girls in direct combat.
Maybe it’s the mother in me coming out…
Kathleen Parker, who writes for the Washington Post says, “This is a terrible idea… arguments against women in combat have nothing to do with courage, skill, patriotism or dedication.” She goes on to say that women can indeed excel in all these areas, even passing up their male counterparts on occasion. However, she sates that females have only half the upper-body strength as males – no small point in the field. (See full article here.)
Susan Estrich brings up another aspect to think about, “…women who are captured as prisoners of war would not only be killed, as men are, but also sexually assaulted.” (See full article here.)
There are many thought provoking articles available on this topic, both pro and con, and because my life is filled with teen girls I have been reading the articles with great interest.
How do you feel about it? Should females be allowed in direct combat? I’d love to know your thoughts on the issue.
And as always, thanks for stopping by.
Brenda
P.S. Next week my book The Lance Temptation releases from Astraea Press. It’s a good, clean teen read. I hope you’ll grab a copy!
January 30, 2013
He’s Home from Africa!
What is more exciting than having Eli reach for me!!!
Greetings Friends! Once again, I’m taking a detour from teen and book issues to brag about my new grandson. He’s home from Africa! My daughter was in the Democratic Republic of Congo for forty days finalizing all the official papers. (It was a mighty loooooong forty days.) As you know, I was lucky enough to be with her for fourteen of those days.
On Monday, my daughter and grandson came home! We had a party in the Indianapolis airport! Woo Hoo! I wondered what shape they’d be in after flying for two days, but I needn’t have worried. They both arrived with huge smiles. Little Eli laughed and clapped and blew kisses and in general, stole the show! He grabbed at the balloon bouquet we’d brought and enchanted us all.
Eli stole the show! He’s a natural!
What an amazing journey this has been. And how grateful we are to have been part of it. We are privileged beyond words to have this little guy as part of our family. He’s been with us for such a short period of time, but already we can’t begin to imagine life without him.
We love you, Elijah Paul Mpeti. Thank you for being part of our lives.
How about you? Is there someone special who has joined you recently or not-so-recently? I’d love to hear about it.
And as always, thanks for stopping by.
Brenda
P.S. Only two more weeks until The Lance Temptation releases! If you want a good, clean, teen read—this book is for you!
January 20, 2013
Welcome Again, Marie Astor!
Friends, I’m delighted to again welcome author Marie Astor to my blog! Today, we’re focusing on her book Smitten At First Sight!
Marie will be awarding to five randomly drawn commenters at the end of the tour, one of the following five custom-designed jewelry prizes:
Prize 1: Blue quartz three strand necklace with sterling silver clasp
Prize 2: Jade and prehnite necklace
Prize 3: Green aventurine sterling silver earrings
Prize 4: Smoky quartz sterling silver earrings
Prize 5: Rose quartz sterling silver earrings
I’m sure you’ll want to enter this drawing by commenting below!
Here is an excerpt from Marie’s book Smitten At First Sight:
As they walked back to Taylor’s truck, Maggie drew a sharp breath – this was the moment of truth, the moment when she had to tell Taylor that they could no longer see each other. Their evening together made her attraction for him even more intense and the thought of never seeing him again filled her with desperate longing; yet, she knew what had to be done.
She was just about to kick off her tirade by thanking Taylor for a wonderful night when, all of a sudden, before she could say another word, Taylor pulled her close to him. In an instant, his lips were pressed against hers, and his arms were wrapped around her in a tight embrace. So that’s what it’s like to be held in Taylor Denton’s arms, Maggie thought.
“Taylor, wait,” she gasped. “We can’t do this…”
In an instant he let go of her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.” He seemed distant and cold, an altogether different man from the one who had his arms around her just a moment ago.
“No, it’s not that.” In the scant light of the parking lot Maggie could see the hurt expression on Taylor’s face and she felt her insides twinge – she could not lie to him – both of them deserved the truth. “It’s just that things are so complicated… I don’t want to interfere with your life.”
“I think it’s a bit too late for that.” Taylor shook his head. “Ever since I met you, I can’t seem to get you out of my head.”
Maggie’s knees buckled at the sound of Taylor’s words – she yearned to tell him that she felt exactly the same way about him, but to admit it out loud would be equivalent to sealing their own dooms. “Taylor… I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed spending time with you, but I don’t want to be in the way of things. I know how much the documentary means to you, and us,” she paused, unsure of how to characterize their relationship, “being involved could ruin everything. Jeffrey can be very spiteful, and I don’t want him to cancel the project because of me. If only things could have been different.”
Instead of wasting his breath on words, Taylor scooped her into his arms again, pressing his mouth against hers. The powerful tug of his lips against hers was impossible to resist – she was, after all, only human.
“I don’t care about the project or Jeffrey,” Taylor said after he finally pulled away from her. “All I know is that I can’t be away from you, and if being with you means giving up the documentary, that’s the price that I’m willing to pay.”
Maggie was out of excuses – some vague, distant part of her kept reminding her of her resolution to say no, but the larger, dominant part of her ached to be with Taylor.
“Do you want to go to my place?” She whispered – never in her life had she been so forward about sex, but then, she was a different person around Taylor.
“I have a better idea. Let’s go to my house instead.”
She kissed him by way of answer.
The engine whirred and the tires screeched as Taylor steered the truck onto the road.
The road was dark and they were going so fast that at first, Maggie feared that the car might swerve off the road, but when she saw how in control Taylor looked behind the wheel, she calmed down, trusting him completely.
I hope you’ll enjoy Marie’s new book, Smitten At First Sight! It’s always a delight to host Marie! Thank you for sharing with us today! (I hope one of my readers gets one of the lovely jewelry pieces!)
And as always, thanks for stopping by,
Brenda
