Peeking Between the Pages

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Guest Post with Nicole O’Dell, author of the Scenarios for Girls Series & Giveaway

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It’s always a pleasure to have Nicole O’Dell, author of the Scenarios Series for Girls at Peeking Between the Pages. I have great respect for all she does for teen girls. Her Scenarios books, most recently Magna and Making Waves are great, interactive books that get teen girls involved and thinking about the decisions they might make in the same situation. I also love that they are faith based because I think that’s important for young people as well – something to believe in and guide them on the right path. Nicole was nice enough to guest post for us and as she says…‘share my heart with you about my books’…

Darlene graciously asked me to do a post about why I think my Scenarios for Girls books are important for girls (10-15) to read. So, I’m thrilled to have to opportunity to share my heart with you about my books.

When I was a young girl, my mom was my hero. I really believed that she could do anything and that she knew everything. Somehow, when I entered my early teen years, that all changed. I became angry and really gave her a hard time. I regret much of those years now that I can see the truth of them. My mom is now my very best friend. I wish I had known then what I know now and had some kind of grasp on just how temporary all of that angst and confusion really was.

Ever since I had my six kids—four of them girls–I’ve feared those years. My parenting has really been shaped by my desire to avoid as much of that destruction as possible. From that focus grew a heart’s desire to reach hormonal, confused, pre-teen and early teen girls, and to protect them from themselves, and their families from the confusion that can ensue as the girls face those life changes.

How do Scenarios for Girls book do that?

Well, of course, they don’t. They are just one tool in a hopefully very large arsenal that parents, educators, youth workers and teens can use to help prepare good decisions in advance. You see, it’s my belief that if teens wait until they’re staring peer pressure in the face before they make up their minds about what they’ll do in any given situation, they’ll most likely follow their friends. It’s far easier for them to do the right thing if they’ve pre-determined it.

Scenarios books follow the main character through a series of escalating situations until she eventually arrives at a life-altering moral dilemma. At that point in the story, the reader gets to make the choice for her and follow that decision to one of two alternate endings. This forces the reader to take ownership for her decision and lets her experience the consequences and outcomes of her choice. At the end of each book, there’s a contract and a prayer designed to help her commit to her choice.

The goal is that these tools, along with others like my announcement below, will help forge a path toward good choices.

Teen Talk Radio: It’s all about Choices!
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Thank you so much for sharing these thoughts with us Nicole! I’ve started Magna and am already drawn into the story! I can’t wait for the next set of books coming out Nicole! Best of luck in the future in your writing and family life. Visit Nicole O’Dell’s website here to learn more about her work and Teen Talk Radio!
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GIVEAWAY DETAILS

I have 1 set of the Scenarios books: Magna and Making Waves by Nicole O’Dell up for grabs courtesy of Nicole. Best of all the giveaway is open to anyone! To enter…

  • For 1 entry leave me a comment with a way to contact you.
  • For 2 entries share with me something from your teen years where you felt pressured and had to make a decision between right and wrong. Did you make the right one?

I’ll share one with you. I was about 14 I think it would have been and at the mall with a friend who I had hung out with a lot. We lived near each other and our parents were friends. She had gone into a dressing room to try on a bathing suit and came out without it. I questioned her and she told me she was wearing it; that it was easy and I should do it as well. I’m proud to say that I told her there was absolutely no way I would do that and neither should she. I turned around and left her standing there in the store. Needless to say our friendship suffered from that point as her stealing never quit.

I will draw for the winners of the set of Scenarios books: Magna and Making Waves on Sunday, May 23, 2010. Good luck to you all!

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Comments

  2. I'd love to win it for my daughter. She's 11 now and I think it would be a great book for her to read.

    lillyswistek at gmail dot com

    I was pressured into smoking cigarettes when I was a teenager and unfortunately I did give in for a while. Fortunately though, I didn't make a habit of it.

  4. These sound like wonderful books, please count me in. Thanks!
    JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

  6. My worst teen decision with pressure was when I was 15 and had sex for the first time. I had been dating my boyfriend for 2 years and he wouldn't let up. I finally gave in, it was horrible, and we broke up.

    Totally not worth it.

    freda.mans[at]sympatico.ca

  7. These sound like wonderful books! I used to make Vance practice peer pressure situations with me. No need to enter me.

  8. Thanks for the giveaway!

    Great story. I'm not sure I would've had the guts to make the same decision as you did. One story that I specifically remember is when I was in late middle school/early high school. A lot of my friends were cheating on their tests and quizzes. I was really pressured into cheating because I wanted to get good grades so I could qualify for the PSEO program at my local college. I made the wrong decision and cheated several times. After I got caught, I realized I didn't want to go through that again, so I started seriously studying nonstop. I got good grades and got into the college!

    Kelsey
    krae991 at yahoo dot com

  9. I would love to win this one so I could pass this on to my granddaughter! I think she would really love them.

    I follow.

    mlawson17 at hotmail dot com

  11. When I was a teenager (I can't remember the exact age but I was around 14) I went to a friend's apartment for a sleepover. There were four of us there. One of my friends wanted to walk to te late night movie theatre but my friend's mom was asleep and we couldn't drive. So they wanted to walk to the theatre, in the dark, by ourselves! It was a very secluded walk through lots of trees so looking back on it it wasn't safe. We did it anyways and thank god we were okay!
    candc320@gmail.com

  14. No need to enter me, babe. I'm dropping in to let you know I've got this posted at Win a Book for you.

  15. Love this post! Nicole sounds like a wonderful mom!! I would love to win these books for my daughter, so please include me in your giveaway!!

    zibilee(at)figearo(dot)net

  17. I'd have to say when I was a teen, I was offered drugs at school with the actual pill shown to my face. But despite much coaxing, I declined quite easily since I was always taught by my parents to never do drugs.
    caliblue7@gmail.com

  18. When I was a teen,I so wanted to be a part of the clique group at school. Luckily(or not),I managed a spot for myself in the group too…only to realize that they were all about boys,sex and even drugs!! I knew they would make my life terrible if I quit them but I did what I felt was right. And believe me,it felt so much better!!

    Please count me in for the giveaway. Would love love love to win this!!

    frndz.debas@gmail.com

  19. Thank you all for the wonderful comments and for sharing about your own tough choices. It gets harder and harder for our teens as the years go by.

    BTW, the radio show is starting a week early. I decided to sneak in a show in honor of National Teen Pregnancy Prevention month. Join me at toginet.com/shows/teentalkradio on May 13th at 10EST.

  21. These would be great for my niece. Count me in, please! :0)

    Thanks!
    librarygrinch at gmail dot com

  22. I gave one of Nicole's SCENARIO books to my niece for her birthday last September ~ I'd love to be entered in this giveaway.

    hawkes(at)citlink.net

  23. wow..that is very wise of you and luckily you made a right decision. mine was bad decision and i'm still feel sorry about it. i steal a book from my school library when i was 9.i was so happy i succeed stealing it but the book end up fell into the drain and the book was so dirty with smelly and mud.i just left it there and never do that again.i dont even read it yet.not worth stealing.

    darlyn225(at)gmail(dot)com

  26. I am a follower through GFC 🙂

    First of all I love this giveaway!

    Hi, I can really relate to your question! I've encountered a lot of events wherein I had to make a decision but sometimes, I often leave the decision to my parents.
    I know I should learn how to make my decisions– the right decisions. However, sometimes, I just commit mistakes in making decisions & that sucks. 🙁
    Hopefully, I have learned from my mistake!

    Okay so here it goes, I am not that pretty fit. :/
    My family has already been advicing me to eat less & avoid a big consumption of food. Whenever I see food, I always want to eat more. I always have the time to make a decision where to eat more or stop… but sometimes, I just can't stop myself. Now, I really want to lose some weight and wished that I should have not ate a lot before. *SIGH*
    but I can change,we all can!

    P.s. It was not a mistake for me joining this giveaway! Realized & reflected some of my decisions, thank u!

    & I am 14 and I would really love to win & read these books! They are awesome 🙂

    Wish me luck *crosses fingers*

    xoxo,

    Tanya_Starpower at yahoo dot com

  30. There were so many times in my teenage years that I was pressured to do drugs.. I always refused to take part in it and it took a lot of effort as it was something very common amongst my high school peers. But I'm really glad I didn't fall to peer pressure!

    Ronit
    internationalgiveaways[at]gmail[dot]com
    http://www.internationalgiveaways.com

  32. I would love to win these books! They sound great!

    nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net

  33. I was about 17 or 18 and I was at a party. There was drinking going on. I was offered some and I chose not to take it. It was hard to say no when most of the group were drinking. I have not regretted saying no, even now.

    nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net

  34. Wow! Count me in 🙂

    Well, I am actually still a teen *winks*

    One thing I remember during my first year in college is that I was really culture shocked when I transferred to the city! I mean, though I am studying in a good university, probably the best in our country being the state university, there are still some students who smoke, drink, go to bars almost every night and all those stuffs. I had a cicle of friends and they were all "bar people." They often invite me to go with them but I know in my goal in the university 🙂

    bugs(dot)bittle23{AT}gmail(dot)com