Best Friends...Forevers?

I am happy to host my fellow Clean Reads (Astraea Press) author Krysten Lindsay Hager on my blog today. Book two of her series True Colors was released this week and reached the #1 spot on the Hot New Releases in Children's Books and the #1 spot for Hot New Releases Teen and Young Adult in Values & Virtues. 

Here is an excerpt of her best selling book Best Friends...Forever? (Book 2 of True Color)

I got ready for bed and then stopped to check my social media page one more time and that's when I saw it — another picture of Peyton, India, and Devon hanging out. They were sitting on the couch with their heads scrunched close together and laughing. It was a cute picture, but then I saw the caption: So glad we could all be together for the holidays. Love these guys soooo much! Best friends forever. #Alltogether #Threemusketeers #BestFriendsForever #ThreeBestFriends #ThreesCompany.

My heart sank. It was India’s caption and anyone who read it would think what a close‑knit group of friends and not realize anyone was missing from that photo. Sure, I was in another state, so naturally I couldn’t be there for it, but the way India wrote that made me feel so left out. I mean, what did she mean by the "ʺThree’s Company"ʺ hashtag? And sometimes people tagged friends who weren’t there in pictures and added, "ʺWish you were here,"ʺ but there was no mention of a fourth member of the group.

“Ready for bed, hon?” Mom asked coming into my room.

“Yeah, just signing off.”

“Okay, sleep well.”

I got into bed and hoped I was reading into things, but the knot in my stomach wouldn’t go away.

 

 

Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFp2fPFbvTQ&feature=youtu.be

 

 

 

Author bio: Krysten Lindsay Hager is the author of the Landry’s True Colors Series, a clean reads young adult series. Krysten writes about  friendship, self-esteem, fitting in, middle school and high school, frenemies, modeling, crushes, values, and self-image in both True Colors and Best Friends…Forever?

Krysten is an Amazon international bestselling author and book addict who has never met a bookstore she didn’t like. She’s worked as a journalist and writes middle grade, YA, humor essays, and adult fiction. She is originally from Michigan and has lived in Portugal, South Dakota, and currently resides in Southern Ohio where you can find her reading and writing when she’s not catching up on her favorite shows. She received her master’s degree from the University of Michigan-Flint.

What people are saying about True Colors (Landry’s True Colors Series Book One):

From Teenage Book Recommendations in the UK: "This is a fantastically relatable and real book which I feel captures all of the insecurities and troubles which haunt the modern teenage girl. It is about a young model who has to go through tough times when she is torn between a life as a model and managing her friendships. You learn which friends she can most trust and which will create the drama typical of teenage life. Follow the life of Landry and try to see if you can find out which are her true friends before their true colours are revealed. This book is all about relationships, hopes and truth. I loved this book!"

From Books & Authors Spot: “This book is such an inspiration for those who just care about their looks and are tensed about them. This thing is looks aren't everything. This book is related to every teen's problem. Hager has written a very inspiring novel.”

Buy Links:

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Best-Friends-Forever-Landrys-Colors-ebook/dp/B00UIP1N5S/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1427190173&sr=1-2

Amazon international: http://authl.it/B00UIP1N5S

Barnesandnoble.com: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/krysten-lindsay-hager

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/best-friends-forever-19

itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/best-friends...-forever/id979714114?mt=11

Connect with Krysten:

Website: http://www.krystenlindsay.com/     

Instagram: http://instagram.com/krystenlindsay

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KrystenLindsayHagerAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KrystenLindsay

 

 

 

 





One Breath at a Time-A Year Later

                                                                              

  On the day of my mother-in-law's funeral I made a promise to my niece that I never dreamed would come true. She asked me if I would take care of her children if anything were to happen to her. Having lost her brother in a car crash, father from a sudden heart attack, and her mother at the hands of a murderer, my husband and I were whom she turned to for family support. Of course I reassured her that if something were to happen, we would take her children, but that she would be around a long time. She was a single mom who did an amazing job of raising her kids on her own. The children were fourteen and twelve, I fully believed that God wouldn't allow her to be taken from them.

One year ago today, five months after I made that promise, I received the news she'd died. The words knocked me to my knees. I cried out to God asking him why this kept happening. Why she, like my nephew, and sister-in-law were taken from us without warning. Each death tragic. Now two children were motherless in a state away. Just like when we got word of her mother's death, the five hour drive was a blur.

 The enormity of what lied ahead of us weighed heavy on my chest. Planning her funeral, how to pay for it, and most importantly what was best for the children. The thought of their future depending on us took me under many times. I awoke from a sleep in the hotel in a panic more than once, broke down in tears on and off daily. Voices of others drowned me. Some told me we were doing the right thing by petitioning for custody. Others treated my husband and I like we were the villains in this situation by taking the kids away from their home.  The voice I needed to hear the most was God's.
   

  I asked him to lead my path a day at time, an hour at a time, and some days....a breath at a time. He answered..through words from someone, a verse I'd read, a door opening, or blessings poured onto to the children and us through the generosity of others.

  The last year hasn't been easy. The children had a tough road to travel. Grieving their mom, transitioning to new schools, a new home and family, leaving their friends..but each day is another step forward. One year later, I couldn't imagine my life without them. They are my kids now. I love them with all my heart. They are no longer my daughter's cousins, they are their sister and brother. Today isn't going to be easy. It'll bring a fresh batch of tears and grief. We'll make it though...one breath at time.
                                 

1000 Voices Speak for Compassion

         

 

 

   

 

 For the 1000 Voices Speak for Compassion Blog-a-thon, I will speak about an area dear to my heart. Anyone who truly knows me will tell you that I have a heart for children. They make me happy. I enjoy their innocence and sincerity. Their world is the focus of my blogging and other writing. As adults we have a tremendous responsibility of shaping the impressionable minds of our youth. We do this best my modeling with our actions.                              



          I want to tell you a story that makes me proud. It's one of a young girl that is very special to me.  I hope others learn from her action of compassion for another.

    Jamie distracts herself by texting on her phone---alone at a table. She's used to being left out by the rest of the freshmen on the team. I watch her with sadness growing in the pit of my stomach. As a leader on the team, I can't stand to see another teammate treated the way she's been. The extra jab in the stomach during practice, the snickers and giggles when she messes up, and this.

  Compassion for her spreads through my chest and pierces my heart.  I pick up my food and join her at the table. "Hey," I say startling her.

  "Oh, hi Kate," she shifts in her seat. Her eyes widen when the rest of girls from my table join us.

  "What's up Jamie?" my friend Sarah grins at her.

"Hi guys," she pushes her glasses up with a smile that reaches her eyes. We talk about nothing really, but keep her company. I feel good that we made her smile, even if only for a little while...

Check out 1000 Voices Speak Compassion on FB.

Own It and Move On

 

 

 

My words left my finger tips before I let my mind process them. I tapped the words and hit send. After a heated text exchange I realized I messed up. I'm soaked in regret wishing I could turn back the clock. I think of the famous quote..."this too shall pass." I pray for God's guidance until it does. And to think, we talk about kids being hasty with technology. I think I just swallowed a super sized helping of my own words.

                                                                                          Signed,
                                                                                  Learning Lessons the Hard Way

Save the Drama for Your Mama



 Inside the stall, I heard giggles and saw three pairs of feet under the door-wearing designer boots. “She is so freaking weird.” I heard one of them say.

“I know right? I heard she kissed that gross Shane Baker with blue lipstick. I don’t care if it was a challenge, that’s nasty.” Another voice said.

“Who’s that girl she’s been hanging out with?” Asked the third voice. I tensed.

 “She’s a new girl.” The first voice said, “I hate to break the news to you Haley. I think Chase likes her. Have you seen the way he looks at her?” My heart flip-flopped.

“Uh uh. There’s no way,” Haley said. “Have you seen her hand? It’s disgusting.”

 Tears sprang into my eyes. I squeezed my eyes shut and pushed them back. My heart raced. My blood boiled, flowing hot and angry.  I’m ticked! I flung the stall door open. Three heads swiveled in my direction. I stepped up to the sink and washed my hands, purposely shook the water off of them so my right hand was visible, and made eye contact with lemon head, who I now knew was Haley.

 The three girls watch me wide-eyed and silent. I strolled out of the bathroom with my head held high.

Drama, drama, drama. The daily life of a teenager. Rumors, jealously, backstabbing, name calling .....unfortunately these things seem to be a normal part of high school.

 What's shocking to me is when this behavior carries over into adulthood. Grown adults bickering over nonsense,  jealousy of others, and engaging in the "he said, she said".  Ain't nobody got time for that.

 It all makes me want to use my lame come back from my teenage days....Save the Drama for Your Mama.

Feel What You Write

 I read once that if a writer doesn't feel the emotion of the character while writing, that the reader won't feel it either. This statement is so true. While writing my short story, Beyond Vica, I felt the emotional ups and downs of Gabby's journey in each scene I wrote. I felt it so much that by the end of the story tears trickled down my face. That's how I knew I poured my heart and soul into that story.

  Last week, a couple of new reviews came in from Goodreads that confirmed to me that I in fact accomplished the statement I had heard about the reader feeling the emotion. What an amazing feeling knowing that my writing touched readers so much.


    Review of Beyond Vica

"This book made me cry in its 75 pages more than any other book I've ever read, even if they had 500 pages.
I just felt so so so much while reading it. I can't even begin to describe how much this author can share with such few words."

  Another Reviewer

So beautiful and special.
Those two words describe this book perfectly. It was like a journey, an experience that was heartwarming and so enticing that I felt connected to the characters in just a few pages............

.......This is a book that I will always cherish because every word seemed so precious. Every moment lived, so special. And just...beautiful.

*You can read more of each review by clicking the headings.*

Her Hair is Full of Secrets

   I can quote Mean Girls with the best of them. That movie is a classic that makes me laugh every time I watch it.  Real mean girls aren't so funny, however. If you read my post,  Big Hair and Bullies, you know the impact bullying can have on girls.

   Starla Emerson, the heroin of my new story, knows all to well what its like to have a physical disability and fall victim to mean girls. She not only faces the mean comments and whispering at school, she deals with internet harassment as well.

 While writing this story I looked into facts about cyber bullying....

• 81%  of teens say its easier to bully someone online than in person.
• 70% see frequent bullying online
• 90% of teens who have seen bullying online say they ignore it
• Girls are more likely to fall victim to online bullies than boys

These are just a few facts I found at dosomething.org.  Do Something has campaigns teens can sign up for to "make the world suck less".  Maybe Starla should check it out.