The Changes in Cindy

I thought a lot about Cindy last night.  It is interesting creating characters because they become very real to you.  You see and hear things that remind you of them.  I attended a documentary last night called 56 and up. It followed a handful of men and women, starting from when they were seven years old until the time they turned 56, catching up with them every 7 years.  These children, basically, grow up right before your eyes.  It was neat because you were able  to hear how their expectations for life differed from when they were children to when they were in retirement.  The documentary began filming in 1964.  As I watched some of the young girls talk about growing up and becoming wives and mothers, I thought of Cindy. One important element of my series is the way social roles changed in society. In 1960, the roles of women were in the home, then that gradually changed.  I thought on that for awhile.  How different will Cindy be from freshman year in 1960 to senior year in 1964?

Blog Interview

Hello All,
Drop by Gary Winstead's blog, Saving Literacy, to check out an interview with yours truly.  Interview's are always fun to do, because they make you think about questions that you would not normal ask yourself.  I enjoyed Gary's questions. They made me consider my own writing process. I guess we all have one. I  just never really considered it.  What do I when I get stuck?  What it inspires me to write?  Well, if you want to know the answers, then you have to read the interview.  :)
Talk to you all soon

Saving Literacy

Interview with a Teen Reader: Lori

Hello All,
I am excited to start a series of posts called "Interview with a Teen Reader."  The goal of this series is to learn directly from the source what it is like as a high school student today, while relating it to the experiences of my main character, Cindy Lawrence.  Lori was sweet enough to be the first reader to interview with me.  Lori is 17 years old and in 11th grade.  I am excited to share with you her thoughts on the book, and how it relates to her teenage life.  I hope you enjoy the interview!  Also, please become a follower and share your thoughts about what has been said.  This series is just beginning, so this interview is a little short and sweet.  Let me know what kind of information you would like from the readers, and I will try to include it in my next interview.

Q: Who was your favorite character?  Why were they your favorite?

Lori: Johnny was my favorite character because of his sweet and respectful attitude towards others. Also, who doesn't love a sensitive and mysterious hot guy!?

Q: Who was your least favorite character? Why were they your least favorite?

Lori: I have to say my least favorite character is a tie between Michael and Judy. They both frequently hit my nerves and quite often I wanted to reach into the book and punch them in the face till they are black and blue.

Q: Tell us a little bit about your favorite scene, and what about that scene did you enjoy so much?

Lori: I think my favorite scene was the birthday party. I enjoyed this scene the most because it was kind of the point of no return for Cindy. She made the right choice in my opinion, although I had hoped she would've made the decision sooner.

Q: Are there any characters you identify with? Why?

Lori: l think I most relate to Ruby. I, like Ruby, face derision from others based on my appearance and lack of popularity.   

Q: Is Cindy’s freshman experience similar at all to your experience, and how was it similar?

Lori: Cindy's freshman experience was similar to mine in that I started out involved with the wrong crowd. This crowd cared more about climbing the popularity ladder than being considerate of the people around them and Cindy, like I, realized this just a little bit late.

Q: Is there any character that you wished you knew more about? 

Lori: I wish I knew more about Ruby. I would enjoy watching Cindy and Ruby's friendship grow.

 

Q: What were your feelings in general about the story?

Lori: In general, I loved reading this story! It was so exciting and entertaining that once I had started, I could not stop. Even though I did not relate much to Cindy's experiences with boys-I did however relate very much so to the drama and bullying that she faced and was surrounded with. All in all, this was a great read and I wanna read more! I can hardly wait for the second one to be published!

History: The Early 1960s

This is the last excerpt.  I hope you all enjoy it.  Soon I will begin a series of interviews with teen readers of the book as they relate the story to their high school experience. 

It was September 26, 1960, when the presidential debate between Vice-President Nixon and Senator Kennedy aired.  All the networks carried that first joint radio-television broadcast.  It seemed like everyone in the nation gathered around their television sets or radios to listen to that first of four debates.

Our family was no different.  We sat in the living room that night, glued to the glowing image in front of us.  Eddie stayed over to watch with us.

Everyone says they remember where they were that night.  I remember sitting on the couch with Eddie beside me which made it terribly difficult to focus on the debate.  It was hard for me to focus, anyway, as they talked about the Communist offensive, Federal Government expenditures and the farmers’ economy.  It was all gibberish to me.  I did enjoy watching Senator Kennedy, though.  The camera loved him, which was a complete contrast from Vice-President Nixon who looked as if he might be sick at any moment.

I also enjoyed watching Eddie with my father as they talked over every point that was made by both sides.  My father took his responsibility to vote very seriously.  He did not take either candidate at face value.  He studied every issue and then made an informed decision.  He said that was the only way it should be done.  He took it upon himself, since Eddie was with us, to update Eddie on all the policies which were being discussed.  Eddie listened intently and made intelligent responses, which caused my father to stop and consider Eddie’s concerns.  It was fun to witness.

Chapter Nine Excerpt: Jealousy, Gossip, and Boys.

Continuing with excerpts from some of my favorite scenes, this is an excerpt from Chapter Nine.  The first excerpt, introduced a very important issue in the story that existed in the early 1960s, segregation.  This excerpt addresses issues every teen girl can relate to: jealousy, gossip, and...of course...boys.

 

 

As Marg took off her cover ups, I set down my bag to grab my own blanket.  Suddenly, the worst possible thing happened; I caught a glimpse of Judy running towards us.  Trip must have seen her at the same time because I heard him say, softly to Johnny, “What’s she doing here?”

“I invited her,” Marg stated smugly.

“Why?” Johnny questioned.

“Because she’s my friend, and I need her.”

Johnny looked bewildered for a moment as he watched Marg get up and join her friend.  They did not join us right away as they stood off in the distance whispering to each other.  It became apparent to me that Marg was rehashing the conversation we had in my room to Judy.  I watched them closely as I imagined the things they were saying to one other.  I was so involved in them that I did not notice that Johnny had walked up behind me.

“Why do I feel as if I am being ambushed?” Johnny asked.  I jumped at his question, and he laughed.  “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”

I smiled.  Our short interlude increased the rage on Marg and Judy’s faces.  Johnny looked at the girls and then back at me.

“Am I being ambushed or are you?” he questioned.

“I think both of us,” I replied softly.

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you,” he stated as he put his hand on my back and led me over to his friends.

One of my favorite excerpts from Chapter One

That summer was proving to be a very boring one until I met Ruby.  I remember the day I first saw her face.  I was out in the backyard, twirling myself in the tire swing out back.  I was depressed over Judy and Eddie and decided to leave it up to a small flower to tell me what the future held.  I would pull a petal saying, “He loves her,” in disgust, then proceed to the next exclaiming “he loves her not.”  Somehow, for whatever reason, the entire grouping of flowers ended in ‘he loves her.’  I sighed audibly, leaned over as far as I could, without falling out of the swing and cracking my head open, then I picked another flower in hopes that it would tell me differently. 

I started on my second dozen flowers before I heard a giggle from the fence behind me.  I did not know who moved into the house behind us as it had been vacant for quite a while, but someone was there now.  So, I ducked out of the swing and moved over to the little head that popped up above the fence.  I was startled at first because I had never actually met a colored girl, but her eyes glittered with amusement, and I could not help but ask why she was laughing. 

“What’s so funny?”  I smiled.  Her laugh was contagious. 

“I just wondered if you realized that is a swamp lily.”

I looked down at the purple flower in my hand and then back up at her. 

“It only has 6 petals, so you’re just going to get the same answer every time.”   I stared down at the flower for a minute and then broke out into laughter.

“I wasn’t really paying attention,” I giggled, throwing the flower to the ground.  “I was thinking of…”

“A boy,” she stated, finishing my sentence.  I blushed.  “What’s his name?”

“Eddie.”

“And you like Eddie?”

            “NO!” I exclaimed.  “No,” I laughed correcting my outburst, “I just really hate the girl he is dating.”   She nodded her head as if she understood.  “Eddie is my best friend, but since he started dating Judy I haven’t seen him much.  This summer has been a drag.”  I walked back to the tire swing, ducking underneath it so that I could get in with my skirt on.  I swung for a few seconds as she watched me.  Ruby seemed nice enough, but I was not sure if we were allowed to play together. 

My Teenage Life: Freshman Beginnings

The first book in my new series My Teenage Life is up on Amazon Kindle.  My publisher tells me the print version will follow in about a week. 

Go to Amazon