How much does one life matter?

Throughout the Bible, you will find extraordinary  tales of real people that give us examples of how to live—and how not to live. And many of these true stories are about people who were teens, people just like you!

Consider this:  David was still a teenagers when God chose him to be king. Jeremiah didn’t let his age stop him when God called him to deliver His word. And Mary was still young when God used her for an incredible mission.

TEEN PEOPLE OF THE BIBLE is a devotional especially for teenagers. Each devotional starts out with  a scripture passage to read, a verse to memorize, and a summary about what this Bible character learned from his mistakes.

The devotionals go on to help us to dig deeper into the scripture passage, then they apply it to your life today, and a section titled “did you know?” that will give you some trivia information about the character. The devotional ends with a prayer, and then journal questions with plenty of lines for you to write your thoughts about what you read and what you learned from it.

I highly recommend TEEN PEOPLE OF THE BIBLE for the tweener or young teen in your life that is looking for a easy to use devotional just for them. This book isn’t just for guys, or just for girls, like so many, but is good for both. There are 100 devotions included in this book, and you can do one a day or one a week, whichever is easier.

If you are looking for a devotional designed just for teens, then consider TEEN PEOPLE OF THE BIBLE. $13.99. 254 pages.

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When Bella Kirkwood’s step-dad signs the family up for a reality TV show, Bella’s first thought is: Kill. Me. Now. Her life in Truman, Oklahoma, is getting down to a semi-normal existence, Bella is making friends, and while she still misses Manhattan and her dad’s credit card, she is adjusting. But then a camera crew starts following Bella around.

As if having a ‘tail’ isn’t bad enough, Bella’s editor is insisting she get a job so she can write an article about the trials of a working teenager. But having a job isn’t all Bella thought it might be. She manages to land the most dirty jobs in the township.

And when Bella’s friend, Lindy, becomes the Junior class president, Bella suddenly discovers that someone has a conspiracy against the Truman High prom queen candidates. Bella’s editor, Luke, insists on helping with the story, but it seems the closer they get to the answers, the more danger Bella’s in.

I’M SO SURE is book two in the A Charmed Life series. I was able to read book one first, and I’m glad I did as I was able to get the full story behind  how Bella arrived in Truman and all the events that transpired as she relocated and struggled to adjust, but I think book two could have stood alone as Ms. Jones did an excellent job putting in just enough backstory so you know what happened earlier.

Bella is a realistic teenager, funny and sarcastic, and one that I would have loved to have been friends with if I were a teen. I laughed out loud at portions of this book, and other parts were kind of heartbreaking.  I thoroughly enjoy this series so far (and so is my teen daughter) and am looking forward to the third book in the series, So Over My Head coming in May 2010. Discussion questions are included at the end of the book. $12.99. 299 pages.

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Have a Merry Christmas and Joyous New Year!

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Aster Flynn just wants a life of her own. A middle child, Aster’s older sister, Rose, is working and has a steady boyfriend. Aster’s younger sister, Lily, is mentally challenged, and Aster’s mother and Rose both refuse to be bothered with her. So, even though Lily is fifteen and Aster is seventeen, it is like Lily is Aster’s child, and no one else will even help. But now a really cute, popular guy has noticed Aster, and Aster wants to date him. Owen has been really cool about Aster’s responsibilities toward Lily, but when Lily ruins their big date, Aster worries that their relationship is through before it even begins.

Is there any hope of Aster having a normal life?

JUST ANOTHER GIRL is a realistically written story about many families today. Aster’s father abandoned the family when Lily was born with problems, and Aster’s mother is stressed by having to work so many hours to provide a living for her family after their father bails and refuses to pay child support. Rose is selfish and only about herself, and Lily has severe challenges that would probably make a saint want to flee. I couldn’t blame Aster to want a chance to get out and have fun and some time away from her high-maintenance sister.

I enjoyed reading JUST ANOTHER GIRL and thought the title was quite appropriate for the story. I wanted Aster to find happiness, and learn how to balance her home life with her quest for independence. I highly recommend JUST ANOTHER GIRL. $9.99. 221 pages.

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Stephanie, describe yourself for our visitors.

I’m 25 and live in Kansas City with my husband—who was also my high school sweetheart—our 18-month old daughter, McKenna, and our mutt, KC. My life is full of pretty normal stuff, like diapers and bill paying. I have a crazy thing for coffee, and I love watching TV. I know it makes me sound lame, but I could watch a lot of TV. If The Office is on, I simply can’t make myself turn away. Even if it’s an episode I’ve seen a thousand times (which it’s a good chance it is). I’m not much of a “hobby” gal, unless reading counts. I used to facilitate a book club for church, but I’ve had to step down from that for a little bit. My husband and I serve in the two- and three-year-old room at church, which I loooove. The kids crack me up and I find spending time in there both relieves stress and refocuses me on what’s important.

How do you find time to connect with God?

With the combination of writing deadlines and chasing after McKenna, it sometimes feels like a lot of work to connect with God. Some days I completely fail, but I’m grateful to have reached a place in my spiritual journey where I miss God when we don’t spend time together. When I’m successful at carving out Bible-reading time, it’s during McKenna’s first nap. I take about 20 minutes to read a chapter and pray. I’ve also taken to saying “breath” prayers in moments of thankfulness and keeping my mind on how all the blessings in my life are because of Him. Another thing I’ve done recently is acquire an accountability partner. My friend Debbie and I meet once a week for coffee. We say it’s only for an hour, but we’re usually there an hour and a half talking about struggles, church, and all kinds of things. I got much better about getting into God’s word consistently when I knew I’d have to tell Debbie whether or not I did.

Who were your favorite authors or books as a teen?

My favorite book as a teenager was Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, although saying that makes me sound like I’m much more of an “intellectual” than I really am. I also loved The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver and Paradise by Toni Morrison. All of these were books I read in my high school English classes. I went to a pretty rigorous school, so pleasure reading kinda dropped off for me until I graduated. That’s when I discovered the amazing world of YA fiction. I love everything Sarah Dessen does, especially This Lullaby, Meg Cabot’s Princess Diaries series, and Ann Brashares The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants series.

Tell us about your current book, Me, Just Different?

Skylar Hoyt is a girl who seems to have it all—she’s pretty, popular, and has a great-looking boyfriend. Her senior year should be the best one yet. But a horrible experience at a summer party has changed everything. Now she’s vowing to make better choices, including going back to church. But as Skylar tries to gain new perspective on life, the world as she knows it begins to fall apart.

Her parents are constantly fighting. Her younger sister has a big secret that Skylar is forced to keep. The guy she’s dating is annoyingly jealous. And the new guy down the street is just plain annoying. In the midst of the chaos, Skylar starts to wonder who her real friends are and, even more importantly, who she is.

How did you come up with ideas for this book?

Like most my ideas for books, it starts with some really tiny situation, and then I just ask, “What if?” about a thousand times and wind up with a whole book. In middle school, my best friend (who’s name was Jodi, although she’s much nicer and sweeter than Jodi-the-character) and I had this weird condition where we both liked the same guys and he oddly liked both of us back. It happened four and a half times (once we both liked him and he only liked her). It robbed us of our friendship for a while, but we eventually apologized to each other and are good now. But I’d say that situation was the first seed for Skylar’s story.

What are the main themes or lessons in this book?

I’ve never been the type to think, “I want to write about the dangers of partying and teen pregnancy” and then plot out a book. Instead I have a story idea, and then whatever issues I’m dealing with in my own life often find their way into the mix. With Me, Just Different I’d been thinking a lot about middle school and how I wished I’d been strong enough to not care what everybody thought about me and just pursued God’s goals relentlessly. Skylar’s an interesting mix of confidence and fear, like many of us are. So, to put it semi-succinctly, the theme is that it’s hard to live a godly life, but it’ll always be worth it. And there’s nothing in your life that’s unusable to God.

What advice did someone give you as a teenager that still remains with you today?

A very intelligent high school friend of mine liked to quote St. Francis Assisi, who said, “Go into the world and preach the gospel. When necessary, use words.” I like that a whole lot.

 Do you have any embarrassing moments you want to share from your teen years?

That I want to share? Uh, no. But I will. I was a huge Hanson fan. That’s pretty embarrassing, especially now that I’m into alternative rock. There are definitely some moments that I’d take back if I could—like during the talent show senior year when I went up on stage and made my monkey noise. I’d say the most embarrassing thing is that I broke up with my husband our junior year of high school. Obviously we got back together and things worked out great, but it still makes me cringe.

What’s next for you?

Well, there’s two more books in Skylar’s series, Out with the In Crowd, which releases in October, and So Over It, which releases in February 2010. And I have a lot more ideas desperate to make it into books.

Where can visitors find you online?

www.StephanieMorrillBooks.com

Come on by and drop me a note!

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