TRUTH OR DARE

Truth or Dare: Interview With Nicole O'Dell

I read all kinds of books: theology, history, philosophy. A few years ago I added fiction. Recently I even added "tween" books. Tween books? Yes. I learned about books for tweens from Nicole O'Dell. I have both of her new books and have read one of them, Truth or Dare. I liked the book and what Nicole is attempting to do with her writing projects. So, I requested an interview with her for Family Fountain and she gracious agreed. I hope you will enjoy this post. And if you have teen or pre-teen girls, this post is especially for you. My comments or questions are in bold lettering; Nicole's response is in regular print. WB


Nicole, please tell us something about yourself and your family.

Let's see. Wil and I are rehabbing an old Victorian home in hopes of fitting our family of 8 comfortable within it's somewhat crumbling walls. We have six kids--three of which are one-year-old triplets. It's a busy household!


What exactly is 'interactive fiction' and how did you get the idea for this series of books?

In the Scenarios for Girls books, when the main character arrives at an important, life-altering moral dilemma, the reader must make a decision for the character. That decision (that the reader makes) determines the ending. I got the idea for this from a game I play with my kids. I throw out scenarios of things they might face one day, and give them options for their response to that situation. We then discuss what they decide. It's been a great way to sort of put them into those situations before they actually face them and have to deal with the pressure to follow their friends.


"Truth or Dare" is about peer pressure. Why is peer pressure so much of a problem for tweens and teens? (And what is a tween?)

A tween is basically someone who is a part of the age group that's between child and teen. It kind of spans the age of a pre-teen and overlaps into the young teen range--approximately ages 10-15.

Peer pressure is a huge problem for girls this age. When I think back, I can't remember anything I did wrong that wasn't because I was coaxed by a friend or peer. The need to identify and be liked is so great, tweens will go to great lengths to please their friends. This is especially true when they find themselves faced with a tough choice and aren't prepared with a response already. That's the goal of the Scenarios for Girls books--to put them right into the situation and give them a chance to prepare their choice for the day their are faced with it in real life. The contract and prayer at the end of each book helps to solidify that commitment.


Without giving away the plots, give us a quick brief of both of your new books.

In Truth or Dare, Lindsay Martin and her friends begin a game of Truth or Dare. Over the weeks, the stakes get higher and higher until Lindsay is forced to choose between doing what she knows is right and losing her friends forever, or following through with her dare and risking everything.

In All that Glitters, Drew Daniels finally has what she thought she wanted—popularity and a cute boyfriend. But now she’s faced with choosing between pleasing her boyfriend by sneaking out and going to a party where there will be drinking, etc, and doing what’s right and possibly losing her boyfriend and her new friends.


What feedback have you had from tween or teen girls about these books so far?

I thought that these books are amazing books to read for teaching lessons, giving advice, and learning how to make the right decisions! --- Lydia, 13

I plan to share this with my church and my youth group. I think they'll love this as much as I did. I really appreciated that Mrs. Nicole O'Dell pointed out that no matter how bright the world seems to glitter, that God will always shine brighter. --- Stephanie, teen

It is like there is an author out there who cares and knows life as a teenager is not easy. ---Elyse Hahn


I'm sure you have some other writing projects in the works. What can you tell us about them?

The next two Scenarios for Girls books, Magna and Making Waves, release in April and are in the final stages of editing. I'm also working on books 5-8. They kind of gradually increase in intensity and maturity. Together, they should cover just about every major issue that teens face: drinking, drugs, stealing, cheating, lying, depression/suicidal thoughts, sexual intimacy, cyber stalking issues, and general disrespect. They are all written with the age group of 10-15 in mind. But, remember, the whole point of these books is to give the girls a chance to "experience" some of these situations and their consequences so she can make decisions about them before they take on real life stakes. We can't really talk about drugs unless we talk about drugs. Hope that makes sense.

If you have any questions about the books and their appropriateness for the girls in your life, please email me directly at nicoleodell6@gmail.com.


Thank you, Nicole, for being my guest on Family Fountain Today.

Thank you so very much, Warren, for your constant support of my efforts and for the way you've really taken on this project as a worthwhile cause for reaching our young girls. Thanks for having me here, today. Many blessings to you and your readers.

Note: You can read about Nicole's writing projects here: Nicole O'Dell Christian Author and Speaker.

Warren Baldwin

BLOG COMMENTS AND BOOK

BLOG COMMENTS AND BOOK

Thanks to everyone for the wonderful comments on the post "Do People Read Blog Comments." Cindy started that one, and I want to tell her "thanks" again! The blog world really does become a community.

About the book ... it should be ready anytime. I have a link on the right side under "Other Helpful Sites." You can read a little about the book there. It will also be up on amazon.com soon. But, the publisher is setting the price and it is higher than I wish. In a couple of weeks I will be able to offer the book myself at a considerably lower price.

For those who follow my blog I want to offer it just a little above what I can get it for as a "thank you" for your support. I will also probably give a few away. To be honest, I feel funny even thinking of selling it to friends. Don't friends give things to friends? Anyway, I'll have more about this later.

Also, about the Biblical Interpretation class I'm teaching ... it is online, so you can take it anywhere so long as you have a computer. And, if you are reading this, you do. It is offered through Harding University in Searcy, AR. I adjunct for them in their online program.

Thanks again for your support of this blog. I am amazed at the level of support "out there" that people have for each other. It is quite refreshing.

One more thing ... just before this post I also put up a post about texting and driving. I want to warn you here that the link is to a video that is very graphic. I don't want to horrify anyone - that seems kind of odd to do on a blog about Family! But some things are horrifying, and texting and driving is one of them. I caution you that the video is informative, but it is also disturbing. But not nearly as disturbing as actually being in an accident due to texting.

As graphic as it is I am going to have my teen daughter watch it. I want to save her life. That blog post is right below this one.

Warren

TEXTING AND DRIVING

TEXTING AND DRIVING

Do you text and drive? Does your teenager? Then watch this news clip. But first, let me warn you that it is brutally graphic. It is a reenactment by a police department in Wales. I didn't embed the video and put it on here because it is so gruesome. I didn't want a small child to climb up to someone's computer if this page is up and click the little arrow that will show this. Having to click to youtube will require at least one more function and maybe that will be enough to stop someone who is too young to accidentally stumble upon it. Ok, if you are ready to watch, grit your teeth and hold your stomach. I'm serious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ttNgZDZruI

MSNBC news did a report on this video and had a discussion on the merits of putting it on television in America. Some think it is too graphic to show. Others say it will cut down on texting and driving. I tried to embed the news clip but for some reason blogger wouldn't allow me to. Some of the more gruesome scenes have been deleted from the video below.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/32549978#32549978

I try to carry nice stories and reports here, but not everything in life is nice. There are the hard realities of accidents, pain and death. I hope carrying this video will help some teenager think twice before texting and driving, and then decide not to. It may save his/her life and the people riding with them.

Do you know that in one texting incident 25 people were killed and 100 injured? The story of that accident is in the second video.

I've visited a lot of blogs in the last 2 weeks where moms and dads wrote about their children heading back to school. I have been praying for several days for ALL of the children of you who follow my blog. But I've also been praying more generally for all the students in our country, from kindergarteners to grad students. This video has me praying even more.

Warren

DO PEOPLE READ BLOG COMMENTS?

DO PEOPLE READ BLOG COMMENTS?

When you leave comments on a blog article do you ever wonder if anyone reads them? The answer is "yes." Here is something Cindy Wilson shared with me recently in an email:

"My husband and I have a 7-year-old and a 2-year-old ... We're also both in our twenties ... There are many issues we deal with on a daily basis and other issues that spring up here and there that we often find the need for guidance. We have a wonderful support system, including the pastors and other leaders at our church. But I also like reading blogs like yours because of the experiences I see there. All the comments from people who have already gone through what I am dealing with right now can help guide me as well." (Cindy has a blog called Author of Inspirational Fiction you might like to check out).

Many of you leave very encouraging comments about family issues, and you graciously share some of your family's triumphs and struggles. There are people who read those comments and benefit from your experiences. So, whether on this blog or another that you read, keep commenting, you never know who you may be teaching and encouraging. And thanks, Cindy, for sharing this.

Class

I am teaching an online class for Harding University this semester called "Introduction to Biblical Interpretation." Class just started this week. It will last 10 weeks and you will receive 3 hours of college credit. If anyone is interested in more information, please let me know.

Book

Well, I'm writing this on Tuesday night. I was supposed to receive the author's copy of my book but it hasn't arrived yet (I hope UPS is running late!). Here is what the front cover looks like:

This may not look like a cover for a book of devotions and essays on Proverbs! That's ok. The reason for the cover, with a mountain lion and cliff face, becomes clear when you read a couple of the chapters.

(Note: Just got a call that the books are supposed to be on my front porch. So, I'm heading out to see).

In conclusion, I leave you with this reason for using spellcheck or for proofing what you write. A minister wrote an article and introduced himself with this statement: "I have pestered churches for nearly thirty years." Well, I have been a minister for nearly that long and I have probably done the same thing!

Warren

Off to Harding

Last week marked the end of the summer for many of us. One of our daughters began her junior year of high school and the other began her junior year of college. Jenny left for Harding Saturday morning. Below are some pictures of Jenny with her sister, her parents, and her pets.

We need to pray for our school kids, whether they are in kindergarten, graduate school, or any class in between. We need to pray for their spiritual strength, their ethical perspective, discernment (many of them will face faith challenges, such as evolution and humanism). and their physical safety. Let's pray for God's presence with and protection over our kids!

Warren

Truth or Dare

Truth or Dare

Nicole O'Dell of Trivial Pursuits and other Ramblings has written a two book interactive series for "tween" girls. My daughter informed me that tweens are middle school-age youth.

I just finished Truth or Dare. This is a very good book for a sixth, seventh or eighth grade girl to read. It would even be good for high school age girls.

Truth or Dare exposes the lengths some girls will go to fit in with their peer group, and how far some will go to control or manipulate that same group. I've raised two girls through the middle school period and there are some tough challenges associated with it.

We all need to be connected with others. Being in meaningful relationships confirms our worth to ourselves and gives our lives significance. If we aren't so meaningfully connected to others we may do a number of things to compensate for our sense of aloneness: violate our ethics or manipulate others to our own satisfaction. Nicole deals with both of these scenarios in Truth or Dare.

Nicole's books are interactive fiction, meaning the reader has the opportunity to decide what he/she would do. Nicole then has different conclusions, each one depending on a particular decision.

I finished the book driving back from Nashville last weekend (I was in the passenger side!). Even though we are all well past the tween stage, Cheryl, Kristin and I had a good discussion about the book.

If you have a tween daughter you'll have some good discussions, too. Check out Nicole's site. Also, check back here the 28th when I have an interview with Nicole.

Warren

Can I Come to Your Office?

CAN I COME TO YOUR OFFICE?

"A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children ..." Proverbs 13:22

"Dad, can I come to your office?"

In Florida we lived in the shadow of the church building. Only a big, grassy yard separated our house from my office. It was safe for the kids, even when very little, to walk across that yard on their own. Cheryl would dial the phone, the kids would get on and ask, "Dad, can I come to your office?"and I’d be on the look out.

What was the attraction was in my office? The desk. They would sit on my desk and ruffle the papers. Better yet, they liked to sit in my lap, pull out the top drawer of my desk, and rifle through everything.

I remember sometimes losing patience. "Kids, I don’t have time for this right now." When they were finished I would have white out, pencils, papers and pens scattered everywhere.

But at other times I remember thinking: "Enjoy this while you can. They won’t always be sitting in your lap, content to just be with you. Let them play in the desk and make a mess. Someday you’ll wish they could be around to do this again." And on those days I’d just sit back in the chair and watch them have fun. I’d have fun watching them have fun. When it was over I still had the mess to clean up. But it was worth it.

All three kids had their opportunities in my various offices. All three climbed around on the top of the desk, dug through the drawers, took over MY chair, banged meaningless symbols and lines on the computer and demanded that it be printed and saved. All three in their early years thought my office was a fun place to be.

I’m glad they did. They’re all older now, so sitting at my desk doesn’t hold the same appeal to them as it once did. Other pursuits occupy their interests - baseball, softball, golf, debating, basketball, college, jobs, even boy friends and girlfriends. But I’m glad of one thing - they still want me and their mom around. Perhaps it is because I let them sit in my lap and mess up my desk. I’m sure they don’t remember all the office and desk episodes, but the psychological and spiritual conditioning from those experiences are still in their systems. The bonding and laughter is still with them. At game time, they want mom and me there.

Having small children is time-consuming and demanding. But what else do we have to do? Time is the stuff of life. Time with family, children, friends. Whatever sermon or letter or bulletin article I was working on when a little voice on the other end of the line asked, "Dad, can I come to your office?" still got written. The work got done, I got paid, and the kids have grown older. Perhaps the only thing I would change is the times I might have said, "No, not today."

Our kids want nothing more from us today than our time. They don’t want our money, not really. What they really want is us, whether it is messing up our desk, playing Candy Land or Mouse Trap, sitting in our lap as they doze off to sleep, and, when they get older, cheering from the stands. Let’s not appoint them or ourselves.

God’s greatest gift to you and your spouse are those children. Love and cherish every moment together. The time you enjoy in each other’s company is the greatest inheritance you can leave your kids, and it is one they will pass on to their own. Echoing Solomon, a good man and woman leaves an inheritance of themselves for their children and grandchildren to follow.

Warren Baldwin
From: Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks and Other Gems From Proverbs

Birthdays, Awards, Books

Birthdays, Awards, Books

I want to say "thank you" to two fellow bloggers for giving Family Fountain two awards recently.

Kat at Heart to Heart gave me the True Heart award. One of the criteria for this award is that recipeints are "eager to share their love for Jesus with others, and brave in their efforts to reflect Him to this darkened world."

Gracie awarded me the One Lovely Blog award. This award is given to "blogs that you love to stalk" and read.

I enjoy reading Kat and Gracie's blogs. They both write about their families, but also have good spiritual and biblical discussions as well. Kat recently wrote a book review and discussion on a book about marriage, "The Noticer" (She has convinced me to get it). Gracie recently wrote about Laminin, "a protein that acts as the glue that holds all of the trillions of cells in our bodies together." She then asks if that is just a coincidence! I think not.

Thank you, Kat and Gracie, for your recognition of Family Fountain. And I encourage everyone to pay you both a visit soon.

Birthdays

We celebrated the 80th birthday of Cheryl's dad in Lewisburg, TN (south of Nashville) this weekend. Cheryl's parents drove up from Florida, her sister and her family from Maryland, and my family from Kansas (and my son from Wyoming). We rented a beautiful cabin in the hills so we could all stay together.


















Here is Jim enjoying his gifts. The two families pitched in and gave him 80 gifts.

This was a neat experience. Celebrating birthdays are a great way to honor family members. And a man that has been a leader in his family for as long as Jim has deserves the honor he received.


In addition to seeing Cheryl's family we also got to see my dad and step mom in Henderson, TN. Dad lives in a the country almost directly on our route to Nashville.


It was an 36-hour round trip, but very much worth. Except for a few hours I spent on the side of I-65 just a couple of miles from the cabin. One person stopped to offer a hand. He is a preacher and I invited him to write a guest post. I hope to introduce him to you all.


My birthday was three weeks ago and I never posted any pics about it. So, here's two, one of me opening gifts and one of a table of our young people from church.

On this trip I finished two novels. One, "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers and "Truth or Dare" by Nicole O'Dell.


I can't say enough about Redeeming Love. I read as fast as I could to see how the book ended, then I was sad when I was done reading it. It was rather ironic finishing this book in a rustic log cabin as this book is set in 1850s California, where people lived in cabins. I will write more about this book later. (And I can see why so many bloggers list Redeeming Love as one of their favorite books. It is a must read).


Truth or Dare is an interactive book about decision making for tweens. In the context of a game of truth or dare, an 8th grade girl is forced to make a decision that could impact her for life. Nicole has done an excellent job of creating a real life situation for tweens to consider. I finished the book in the car on the way home, and my family enjoyed a lively discussion of the merits of this book and how we would handle the situation Nicole sets up. Click here to check see Nicole's blog and for information about her book. If you have a middle school age daughter this book (one of two Nicole has just published) is worth looking into.


Thanks to everyone who read, posted comments and emailed while I was gone. I will respond to everyone over the next couple of days. There are so many good blogs out there that I continue to be amazed and appreciative that you would stop by here.


Warren

Happy Birthday, Jim

Happy Birthday, Jim

We are in Tennessee celebrating the 80th birthday of Cheryl's dad. Cheryl's mom and dad actually live in Florida, but we have met with other family members at a nice family vacation place just outside of Nashville. So, I won't be doing any blogging until next week. I'm writing this from my dad's computer in West Tennessee.

While Cheryl or Jenny drive I've been reading Francine Rivers' "Redeeming Love." I'm about 2/3 through right now. The thought that comes to me as I'm working through it is, "God does not give us what we deserve, but what we need." If only Angel/Mara/Amanda can understand that!!

The book is riveting. Of course, I don't know how it ends, but I will be finding out as quickly as I can.

In real life these stories don't always have happy endings. I hope this one does. Not just because I like happy endings, but because of the possibilities it holds for real life. All of us know an Angel/Mara/Amanda. Oh, how they need the redemption God can offer. How we all do! And we can have it, not because God gives us what we deserve, but what we need! Realizing that makes it so much easier to accept the life he has to give. That is GOOD NEWS.

Warren

STRIFE AND HONOR

STRIFE AND HONOR

It is to a man’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel. Proverbs 20:3

Men do a lot for honor. They work hard, stretch a double into a triple, and score the winning basket. All of these quests for honor are admirable but are not the highest level of honor to which we can aspire.

An overlooked realm for honor is in the control of our emotions. We are easily provoked by the immature and rude. Their cutting remarks sting us and invite retaliation. No one blames us if we respond in kind, verbally castigating our antagonists, and putting them in their place.

While such a response may seem justified, it is also unnecessary. Solomon says it is to a man’s honor to control his emotions when they are being prodded by a verbal abuser. It is to a man’s honor to hold his tongue, calm his nerves, and offer kind words, even walk away. To his honor, this man avoids strife.

To honor means to show esteem, acknowledge value, and be respectful toward. Men do a lot in the public arena of sports and work to gain honor, but a neglected arena for honor is our own character development. To maintain a smile at an adversary stoking the fires of discord and dissension and simply walk away without striking back is worthy of respect and esteem.

The fool has no such control over his emotions. He is quick to spout off. He looks for an opening to verbally spar with anyone, and if he can’t find such an opening, he creates one. The fool lacks the character to restrain himself and hold his tongue.

An opportunity will present itself to day for us to choose the course of honor. Let’s be ready for it!

Warren Baldwin

HONOR YOUR PARENTS

HONOR YOUR PARENTS

Jesus said, quoting the OT, "Honor your father and mother." (Matthew 15:4). How do we do that? It differs through the years. As children we obey them in everything. As adults we show respect and patience. Difference situations and need will dictate different responses. But, underlying all of our actions is respect.

The following video is an example of one way of showing honor. It starts out slow, but it is short and touching. I'm going to make sure all three of our kids watch it! (Thanks to my friend John Schluter for sending this).

Warren Baldwin

Awards and Book Blurb Update

Awards and Book Blurb Update

Thank you for all the feedback the book summary. I incorporated a couple of your suggestions. Some of them I will incorporate for a statement for the back cover of the book. (I mistakenly said at first that the summary was for the book cover. I meant to say that it was for a press release. So, it has to be shorter than the back cover summary will be). But, I did incorporate a couple of changes and added the final sentence, all based on your suggestions. Thanks!

Here is what I changed it to:

"For over two thousand years the book of Proverbs has provided wise counsel and spiritual direction for God’s people. The piercing truths of Proverbs penetrate the readers’ hearts, challenging them to align their lives with the wisdom the proverbs proclaim.

Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks and other Gems from Proverbs bring these ancient sayings into contemporary focus by applying their insights to modern situations. Marriage, parenting, friendship, work, money and other topics are brought under the scrutiny of this ancient wisdom. Each chapter in this thought-provoking book is a short essay on a specific proverb that makes God’s Word come alive with fresh relevance. You’ll be amazed what a roaring lion or cracking rock can mean for your life today."

Your input helped! I appreciate your time visiting this blog and making comments.

Awards

I am the recipient of a couple of awards recently. This One Lovely Blog Award was given by Steven Smith at Gotta Have Faith. Steve writes about faith and family and strives to keep these things first in his life. He encourages us to have the faith God gives us in our approach to life.

Thanks Steve!

The Neno Award below was given by Loren of The Magoos News.

This award is given to those who LOVE blogging, and who also encourage friendships through blogging.

In her blog description Loren writes, "My biggest passion is being ALL that God wants me to be on a daily basis, teaching my kids what an awesome and amazing Savior we have and GET to serve!"

Thank you, Loren!

If you get a chance, please visit these two good blogs.

Warren

Book Summary

I have to submit a brief book summary for the advertising campaign (not the cover like I wrote earlier!) for my book, Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks, and other Gems from Proverbs. Some of the essays in this book have been posted on this blog, such as A Good Wife, Honesty and a Kiss, The Amazing Mets, Answering Harshness with Kindness, Straying from Home, Can I Come to Your Office?, Heritage, Gossip, and others.

Below is what I am submitting. I present it for your criticism! Anything you can say to make it better will be greatly appreciated.

BOOK SUMMARY
by Warren Baldwin

For over two thousand years the book of Proverbs has provided wise counsel and spiritual direction for God’s people. The piercing truths of Proverbs penetrate the readers’ hearts, challenging them to align their lives with the wisdom the proverbs proclaim.

Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks and other Gems from Proverbs brings the ancient proverbs into contemporary focus by applying their truths to modern situations. Marriage, parenting, friendship, work, money and other topics are brought under the scrutiny of this ancient wisdom. Each chapter in this thought-provoking book is a short essay on a specific proverb that makes God’s Word come alive with fresh relevance.

Warren Baldwin

THANKFUL AND CONTENT

THANKFUL AND CONTENT

I’ve been reading recently about the general state of dissatisfaction many people have for their marriages, families, jobs, churches and life in general. It seems a sad and gloomy condition. What gives?

In a profound book, Bold Love, authors Allender and Longman call this lack of satisfaction "the ache of incompleteness" (p.95). Simply put, people want more. And more. And more. How far can this longing for more take us? James says, "You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want" (James 4:2).

We can never have all we want. Never ever. Work 18 out of the 24 hours in a day and you’ll still come up short. Resort to crime and if your conscience doesn’t get you in time the police will.

The answer to our insatiable desire for more is to be thankful for what we already have. "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Interesting that Paul would connect joy, prayer and thanksgiving so closely together, huh?

Having a car that is newer, better, prettier, gaudier, fancier, faster will not make you happier than you can be with the vehicle you have now, at least not long term.

Same is true of your family. They are God’s gift to you. First chance you get, give them a hug and thank God for them.

Warren Baldwin