Marilyn's Musings

 by Christina Hoag Girl on the Brink: Recognizing Signs of an Abusive Relationship  My new YA novel Girl on the Brink relates the story of an abusive relationship. Abusers tend to follow a set pattern of behaviors, and when you’re familiar with what they are, they’re recognizable. When you’re not familiar with these red flags, you can misread them or dismiss them too easily. In my novel, the main character Chloe experiences all the following behaviors in her relationship with Kieran. In honor of October being National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, here they are: 10     Key Signs You Are Dating an Abuser 1. Rushed relationship.  He presses for an exclusive commitment almost immediately. He claims to have never loved anyone like this before. 2. Jealousy.  He’s jealous of any guy you even speak to and says his jealousy shows how much he loves you. He’s possessive, calling constantly, dropping in out of the blue, and gives you litt...

I am delighted to have K. Dawn Byrd visiting with me today and I asked her a few questions about this latest book, Hotline Girl. 1) What would you like readers to take away from your book?   It's important that when Christian teens choose a boyfriend or girlfriend, they choose someone who shares their Christian faith. 2) Why did you write this book? I thought it would be fun to explore how a couple could fall in love on-line. When my heroine's high school begins a counseling hotline, she's chosen to work it anonymously. She finds herself giving advice to a guy she's had a crush on forever. Once she knows all the hero's secret, will love blossom or fail? When he divulges the problems he's having with his girlfriend, she's tempted to give him advice that will break them up. Will she do the right thing? 3) What did you learn while writing this book? I really love writing for the young adult market. Bouncing back to YA after writi...

Sway is a humbling read about a teen named Jessie who is severely hard of hearing and struggling to get through high school.  It's a rare insight into the world of a young person living with a disability where the reader essentially walks a mile in Jessie's shoes.  Throughout the series, Jessie goes through a lot of self discovery and reflection about herself through a series of events and interactions with the people in her life. Finishing this trilogy was an amazing revelation, while it was an exhausting experience, it was an absolute joy to have it completed.  I'm astounded that it has come this far, to have three books being published is simply phenomenal and has far surpassed my dreams.  It's been an incredible journey for me. My favourite quote from Sway:  "To reach the stars, all you have to do is Believe."  How did I get interested in writing? I’m a big reader, always have been from a very young age. I grew up reading books ...

Eden Morgan makes a list of six goals to accomplish in order to have the best summer ever. Getting a boyfriend, which is perhaps the most important goal, becomes complicated when she and her best friend, Lexi, fall for the same guy. Since Lexi is popular, gorgeous, and always gets her guy, Eden thinks she doesn't have a chance. Channing Johnson is everything Eden's ever dreamed of and she can't believe he just moved in next door. When he starts showing interest in her, she's overjoyed...until she sees him out on a date with Lexi. He says Lexi talked him into it to repay her for tutoring him. Lexi says they're in love. Eden doesn't know who to believe and is forced to choose between her best friend and the guy of her dreams. Nothing is as it seems and no matter who she chooses, someone will get hurt. EXCERPT After dinner, Mom suggested that we go swimming while the adults had coffee. Channing hurried home to change into swimming trunks an...