Positive YA Fiction - Guest Blogger L. Diane Wolfe

YA is one of the few genres showing strong growth in the book market. While that is great news, it's important to consider the content our young adults are reading. Welcome YA author L. Diane Wolfe to the blog. She's here to help us understand what writers can do to impact this important group of readers in positive ways.

The Need for Positive YA Fiction

To understand the current state of YA fiction, one has only to view that section in the bookstore. Nestled among the fantasy and light fluff are many negative and salacious titles. Today’s youth face challenges unique to their generation and their reading material reflects this troubling trend. To balance this onslaught, it is vital that they receive a dose of hope and optimism.

The tone of YA titles has changed greatly in the past few years. Many of these books cover subjects such as drugs, sex, child abuse, and rape. Characters are portrayed as sexual deviants and self-abusers, and many possess mean-spirited and selfish traits. Inappropriate behavior is even presented as perfectly acceptable in many of these books. The messages teens receive are dark, depressing and often misleading.

Our world has changed and it is foolish to believe young adults do not encounter such situations and choices in life. However, that is a lot of negativity to dump on an impressionable young mind. A teen’s brain is still developing at this point, and the resulting impaired judgment leaves that person vulnerable to suggestion. Young adults already feel the pressure to fit in and struggle with self-image issues. Do they really need such discouraging and negative messages as those found in many YA books?

Rather than contribute to the problem, YA fiction should uplift and provide hope! More books should offer morally grounded stories that do not promote deviant or illegal behavior. There needs to be consequences for characters who partake in underage sex or illegal drugs, just as there are in the real world. We owe it to our youth to help them understand values and what it means to do the right thing.

Equally important, teens need positive reinforcement. With all the negative residing in the world today, young adults need to know there is hope. Despite their problems or current situation, a better life is available. An uplifting storyline might be the only thing that inspires a teen to keep moving forward despite the obstacles. Young adults need encouragement, to realize that they are worthy. Books containing a positive message, rather than negative, will influence their future in a meaningful way.

As the author of a YA series, The Circle of Friends, I want to inspire and uplift. It is important that I also balance this message with realistic storylines and interesting characters. I find this possible without delving into the negative and salacious or creating a preachy tale. By instilling some values into my characters, I am able to portray healthy relationship dynamics and struggles with positive outcomes.

Enough negative resides in the world without dumping even more into the minds of young people. Controversy and negative may sell, but as demand for cleaner, more positive books rises, that scenario can change. Through author responsibility, parental involvement, and exposing young adults to the right material, we can send a positive message!

- Author and professional speaker, L. Diane Wolfe http://www.thecircleoffriends.net/ http://www.spunkonastick.net/

Highlighting Max Elliot Anderson

Welcome Max Elliot Anderson to the blog. It's great to hear from an author who writes for "reluctant readers", namely young boys. As a mom of a 7 year old boy, I'm in line to order Max's books! Enjoy this up close and personal with this author. You are welcome to leave any comments or questions for Max (or any of the author's highlighted here) and the author will respond.

Title and genre of your book

NORTH WOODS POACHERS
Action-adventure & mystery especially for boys 8 and up.

Why you write in this genre

I grew up before television was in wide use. I clearly remember listening to Saturday morning radio programs which required me to use my imagination. It was quite common to find me, along with my friends, acting out some of the stories we’d make up. We lived in a large, wooded area called Wolf Lake, about ten miles from Muskegon, Michigan. We often hit the door at first light, and didn’t return until dark. Writing my adventures today, seems to take me back to those fun and exciting days, although nothing we ever did even comes close to what happens in my books.

Links to your books site

Author Web Site http://www.maxbooks.9k.com/

Books for Boys bloghttp://booksandboys.blogspot.com/

50 Pages of Reviewshttp://maxbookreviews.blogspot.com/


Synopsis

North Woods Poachers takes cousins Andy and C.J. Washburn on an annual fishing expedition to Canada with their families. Bored by all the fishing, the boys secretly hope to do some exploring on their own this year.

As the families pass through the Canadian border on their way to the cabin they have rented for years and years, they are stopped for the first time ever, because security has been heightened by the border guards on the lookout for animal poachers. The boys' curiosity is aroused. C.J., an electronic gadget genius, hooks up his computer and they find out all they can about animal poachers through the Internet. The first few days at the cabins are relatively quiet, except for two huge, noisy, black floatplanes that roar into the quiet peaceful lake each night after dark and are gone by daylight. The occupants of the nearby village and the boys' parents are under the impression that the owners of these planes must be rich guys wanting privacy. The boys think something fishy is going on and decide to investigate.

Finally allowed to explore after their duty day of fishing with their fathers, Andy and C.J. uncover way more excitement than they bargained for. They find themselves lone witnesses to an international animal poaching ring. As they gather clues (without any thought at all to their or their families' safety) they are chased by men in all terrain vehicles, outsmart big mean guard dogs with seconds to spare, and are almost overtaken in their small two man dingy by powerful sea-doos - in the dark.

Now, if the boys can only get back to warn their parents in time.


Why you wrote the novel

Part of my work is as a professional film cinematographer, and video producer. I had the opportunity to shoot two film projects in and around Dore Lake, in northern Seskatchewan, several years ago. Because of my interest in adventure, I was drawn to this place because of its remote location. Wealthy fishermen came in by floatplanes, stayed a few days to fish, and then returned to their homes by plane.

Then I read a series of articles about the problem of people who buy and sell exotic animals. Many of the animals suffer and die under poor conditions or abuse. The combination of al these elements led me to develop a story around animal poaching in a remote location.

A significant moment for you as you were writing the book (either
personally or professionally)

I’m not a very technical person, so it required a lot of research in order to come up with the electronic wizardry of one of the primary characters. It was fun to read reviews, after the book had been published, and receive compliments on how well I understood technology. I had to smile and think to myself, “If you only knew the true story.”

Why your Fiction Matters.

My fiction matters because I grew up hating to read. My professional work has primarily been in the highly visual world of film, video, and television commercial production. I believed that there had been a reason why I didn’t like to read, even as an adult, so I set out to discover the reasons.

As I began writing, I decided that it would be worth it if one of my books helped just one other reluctant reader to develop an interest and even a love in reading. I’ve heard from countless parents, teachers, and young readers that this has happened.

A list of other books you have written or that will be coming out soon

I’ve completed 36 manuscripts and the following are published:

NEWSPAPER CAPER 0-9729256-4-3Tom Stevens was a super salesman. He and his friends delivered newspapers early every morning. Along their route, the boys often saw some pretty strange things. Then one day they actually became the story. Readers will like the humor, attack dogs, car thieves, and the chop shop Tom and the others uncover. This story reminds us of how important friendship is. It also teaches God isn't just for emergencies. He wants to guide our lives every day.

TERROR AT WOLF LAKE 0-9729256-6-X
Eddy Thompson was known for one thing and one thing only. Eddy was a cheater. He cheated on anything, anytime, anywhere, until something happened up at Wolf Lake. It wasn’t the brutal cold. It wasn’t when he fell through the ice. It wasn’t even when two scary men arrived at their remote cabin. What happened would change Eddy’s life…forever. (currently out of print)

NORTH WOODS POACHERS 0-9729256-8-6
The Washburn families have been coming to the same cabins, on the same lake, catching the same fish, for about as long as Andy can remember. And he's sick of it. This summer would be different he decided. Only he never imagined how different. The story is filled with excitement, danger, humor, and drama. In the end, Andy learns the concepts of family tradition, that God loves justice while He hates injustice, and it is important to follow the rules. Readers will enjoy the gigantic, jet-powered floatplane, computers, home made radio transmitter, and naturally, no one will ever forget Big Wally. He’s a fish of course.

MOUNTAIN CABIN MYSTERY 0-9729256-3-5
Scott and his friends had dreamed and prepared for their first wilderness camping adventure. When they become separated from their group in a mountain fog, trouble begins. There was that bear, the decrepit suspension bridge over a bottomless gorge, the sheer cliff in the dark, those terrorists in the remote cabin, the Army, the helicopter ride, and…
This story reminds us what happens if one of God's lambs is lost.

BIG-RIG RUSTLERS 0-9752880-1-6
Todd and Amanda live with their parents in a Midwestern city. The family doesn’t go to church. The children are invited to visit their uncle, aunt, and cousin Drew, on their Wyoming ranch over spring break. Todd learns, in a unique way, why stealing is wrong. He decides to choose a new path for his life because of his uncle’s Christian example. A band of high-tech cattle rustlers are caught, revealing that Todd was also wrong about Travis, a shadowy character.
Read about the round up, rattlesnake, and rustlers.

THE SECRET OF ABBOTT'S CAVE 0-9752880-0-8
A detective, a police scanner, and a cave offered possibilities for danger and excitement. Who are the real heroes in America? Randy and his friends pooled their resources to go cave exploring, discovered the hidden loot from a bank robbery, and learned they weren't heroes at all.

LEGEND OF THE WHITE WOLF 0-9752880-3-2
They didn’t call him a liar; they just couldn’t believe his story. Brian Fisher was determined to prove it was true even though it involved the risk to his own safety. His rescue of a wolf pup from a steel trap results in a mysterious relationship with surprising results. The story is set in the lower elevations near Yellowstone

Highlighting Author Peter Black

Meet Peter Black, children's author, composer, and writer of sermons! He's a memeber of The Word Guild (which is where we "met").
Enjoy this up close look at the book, his delightful characters, and the author.

Title and genre

Parables from the Pond

Fiction for children ages 6-10.

Why you write in this genre
Fiction allows me to explore situations and relationships. This particular book (my first) is both evocative and nostalgic for me since it takes me back to when I played as a kid around a pond.

I also write:
- Short fiction – wistful olden-day times, and some contemporary; usually inspirationally oriented.

- Brief light devotional items with various foci (eg. relating to the seasons).

- A weekly inspirational column for our small-town community newspaper (averaging 570 words). Through this I am able to tackle a great range of topics and experiment with a variety of approaches.

- Poetry and worship / praise songs for solo and congregational use.

Mini fiction – illustrative scenarios to illustrate my sermons.

-Biblical character biographical sketches, often with fictionalized elements.

Links to your books site
Parables from the Pond is targeted to be available in March, 2008 from Word Alive – http://www.wordalive.ca/

You will also be able to order this book at Christian bookstores, as well as through the author: 519-876-2117; raisegaze@execulink.com

Synopsis
Three unlikely friends – Nancy Newt, Francis Frog, and Cecil Snake – frequently meet at Conference Corner by the bank of the Pond underneath the old willow tree to discuss matters of concern about the Commonwealth of the Pond. They show us the value of setting aside inherent differences and overcoming fear of "otherness" and that through friendship, cooperation, and trust, the lives of others may be enriched.

The structure of the book
The book is a collection of 39 stories, grouped into 3 volumes each comprised of 13
episodes.

The animator, Ben Guse, provides a picture cameo for each story.

The story is followed by a Character Corner discussion starter / application section, and Reflection Scripture/s.

A significant moment for you as you were writing the book (either personally or professionally)

These stories were never meant to be a book. Some years ago I sat at the computer preparing my church bulletin, and I thought, Lord, I need a story!

Immediately the concept came into my mind complete with the three main characters, their names and the setting.

I’d become attached to ‘friends,’ and I continued writing about them until I had 13 espisodes each.

Sometime following my becoming a member of TWG it was suggested to me that these stories should be published as a collection of short stories. The book was shortlisted in Word Alive’s 2007 contest.

Why your Fiction Matters

A child and youth counsellor who reviewed the book wrote: "Children are less threatened when they can identify with characters rather than ‘kids’ in a story. Those who have big issues that need to be worked out will be more willing to look at the same situation they are in if it comes through metaphors, like the Parables from the Pond characters and their stories and situations from around the pond.... There are so many things you could do with this material! These stories could be used in church programs, and with a little modification in their presentation, could also be taken into the secular arena, such as schools."