Reaction from a Freedom Club reader

This is a letter I received from Jon Howard whom I do not know and have never met before.

Hi Cindy,

I’ve just finished reading the freedom club (it’s 3:18am and I’m not normally a night person) and I just had write back and say...

Wow

Thank you

That was amazing

Awesome

Scary

Intense

And so much more.

As a victim of bullying back in the 80’s when I was at school I thought long and hard about your story and what it meant to me. It dragged back feelings of sickness and revulsion at the bullies in your story, you did an amazing job on the characters adding a degree of depth and realism that only the bullied can ever really appreciate.

I’m just so grateful that access to social media wasn’t a thing back then as I know I would have been even more of a victim and god alone only knows if I’d ever have been able to recover from some of the crap that the bullied of today have to deal with.

As a victim of being bullied I can appreciate the utter destruction that it does to ones feelings of self worth and confidence and as a parent it was my greatest fear that my kids would be bullied and so I always tried to to what ever I could to quash any signs of bullying and give my kids the level of self confidence that would allow them to develop their own armour. I’ve often told them that if they can’t look in the mirror and learn to love the person looking back then they’ll never develop the sense of self worth that is required to believe that they are worth fighting for, and to stand up to the bullies.

I’ve never understood the compulsion that drives bullies to do the things they do, I think maybe that is lacking a little in your story, but to do that might almost humanise the antagonists to the point where we’re not genuinely happy to see the bullies get their just desserts (so to speak)

Regardless I was drawn into the story and once started I had to finish, I had to see where it would end - I don’t know if it was intended but I felt a strong vibe of the second season of The Netflix show American Vandal and if you haven’t guessed it already i really enjoyed and appreciated the opportunity to read it. I think enjoyed might be the wrong word as I felt this was at times hard to read yet compelling all the same. Again if I had to draw a comparison I’d link it to the experience of watching American History X

Anyway, it’s late (or early) and I’m rambling a bit so I just wanted to thank you again and can’t wait to read some more of your work.

Kindest Regards 

Jon...

You can purchase The Freedom Club on Amazon in both ebook and paperback format.  Here is the link for the ebook.

Cindy Vine is a South African currently living in Norway.  She classes her books as 'reality'  fiction as they cover everyday social issues many people face.  The Freedom Club has been translated into both Spanish and Portuguese.

Some of her other novels are The Case of Billy B, Not Telling, Defective and Hush Baby.

Writing for Teenagers

When you first decide you are going to be a writer, it can be a little like a kid in a candy store.  There are so many genres to choose from.  You can write children's books, young adult, thrillers, self-help, just to name a few.  The best thing though is to follow your passion.  It's hard to write a book when you don't feel strongly for that particular genre.  Naomi Rabinowitz, author of Revenge of a Band Geek Gone Bad,  followed her passion when she became a writer.  She shares what made her choose to write young adult fiction.

WHY YA? WHY NOT?
When I decided to write a novel, there was no question in my mind that it would be a YA story. I've been fascinated with young adult literature from before I was even a teen myself.
 As a kid, I devoured books by Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Louisa May Alcott and a lesser-known, but still great YA author named Frieda Friedman. All wrote about teens from different time periods (Friedman's books take place in the 1940s and '50s), but as a child of the '80s, that didn't matter to me. I was still sucked into the characters' stories and could relate to their emotions, if not always their living conditions (though some of the stuff that Laura got to do on the prairie was really cool!). I would be a teen myself in a few years and looked forward to those glamorous days ahead when I'd begin dating, driving and would gain some independence. The characters seemed to have it all and I wanted to be like them.

Once I actually became a teen, I quickly discovered that it wasn't as much fun as I thought it would be. In fact, there were often days when being 15 sucked. I didn't have a boyfriend. I wasn't popular in high school. I was just a band geek who felt as if she were invisible. But during those lonely times, my YA books kept me company. Fluffy YA stories like the Sweet Valley High series took me to another world and lifted my spirits when I was having a bad day. Meanwhile, I could relate to lost soul teen protagonists like Catcher In The Rye's Holden Caulfied. In other words, by reading YA stories, I didn't feel quite as alone.

Now that I'm an adult, I still love the genre. Teens are fascinating because they're between worlds. In some ways, they're very adult and often face mature challenges. Some get jobs, others have to care for younger siblings, some are involved in their first serious relationships. Some even go off to war. On the other hand, teens aren't yet considered to be adults -- at least not in our culture -- and still have to deal with many restrictions. They may have a serious boyfriend or girlfriend, but will have to obey a cerfew. They may have some strong political opinions, but aren't old enough to vote. The teenage years are a tumultuous time filled with changing bodies, new experiences and many firsts. Being a teen isn't always fun -- but writing about that age is very exciting and offers a lot of possibilities.

I hope that REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD can help some teens deal with their high school years the same way that Blume and other authors helped me cope with mine. I wouldn't want to revisit those years, but I'm grateful that they gave me something to write about.

Naomi Rabinowitz has always loved being creative. Raised in Nesconset, NY -- a suburb on Long Island -- she was introduced to the arts at an early age. Her mother, Joyce, is a pianist; her father, Melvin, plays piano and guitar; her grandmother, Esther, was a talented knitter; her late grandfather, Morris, was a violinist; her late great uncle, Sid Robin, was a well-known jazz musician, who penned the lyrics to the popular big band hit, "Undecided."

Naomi's parents, who were both teachers, frequently took her to museums and concerts. During their summers off, her family traveled. By the time she was 15, Naomi had been to several European countries, as well as China, Japan, Israel, Egypt, Russia and Mexico.

Naomi's love for writing emerged when she was in the second grade and her poem, "The Four Seasons," won first prize in a local literary competition. She became interested in journalism in junior high when her English class was selected to write for Newsday's "Kidsday" column.

She had as much passion for music. Though she began playing piano when she was three, she switched to her "true" instrument, the flute, when she was nine and eventually added tenor sax and clarinet to her list so that she could play in jazz band. She performed in almost every musical group from wind ensemble to orchestra (but never marching band!). In 2008, she released her jazz album FLUTE PATH.
Naomi received a B.A. in English from Binghamton University and an M.A. in magazine journalism from Syracuse University. From 1998-2012, she worked as a reporter/editor for national TV magazine Soap Opera Digest.

These days, Naomi writes, plays jazz flute and designs jewelry for her businesses Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations. She lives in Queens, NY with her husband, Jonathan, and their cat, Maya.

 

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Introducing a great Young Adult author

When I was young there wasn't much in the way of YA fiction.  I found myself at the age of 12 reading Wilbur Smith, John le Carre, Robert Ludlum.  At age 14 I'd progressed to Leon Uris, Frederick Forsythe, Thomas Hardy, E.M. Forster, Chaim Potok.  After that I devoured anything and everything, except science fiction and horror.  Those gave me nightmares.
Nowadays there are far more choices for YA readers.  It is always exciting to find a worthwhile YA author who writes books with a high interest level for teens.  Joana James is one such author.

Joana James is a 28 year old author from the island of Saint Lucia in the Caribbean. She is an I.T. professional by day but in her free time she escapes from the logical world of technology into the artistic world. She is an avid reader and her kindle is her favourite piece of technology. Music is her best friend and that manifests itself through her love for dance and singing.
Joana writes stories that portray the reality of her world. Her first book, a two-part short story series called Rise from the Ashes featured the lives of two young girls struggling in dire circumstances.

Her latest book, Nightmare at Emerald High, brings to the fore a world that everybody knows exists but no one talks about.

I asked Joana if she could write a post telling how she got into YA fiction.  Here are her words...

"My love for writing met my love with youth about two years ago and formed an inseparable bond. For approximately six years, I worked with my church youth department helping to mentor and lead teens. When I decided to take my writing seriously, teens found their way into my books quite naturally.

I’ve seen several situations unfold before me where I’ve had to offer advice and a shoulder to lean on. These situations often find their way into my books.  Reaching out to teens through my writing is my number one goal. 

For me, being able to tell the stories of those who find it difficult to do so themselves is quite rewarding. I love to tell the stories of those who may be hurting or are forgotten. With every story, my hope is that some young person may find enlightenment or, they may just find the answer to a question they found difficult to ask.  If I could touch just one life, prevent one suicide and encourage one person, my job is done.

Nightmare at Emerald High may seem a bit controversial with its subject matter being secret societies and organizations, but in the society that I live, it’s an everyday thing. Our children get tangled up in so many things that warp their thinking and confuse them and their perception of good and evil and right and wrong.  My hope is that Nightmare at Emerald High will be an eye opener for both parents and teens.

I will never stop writing for teens or young adults. They hold a special place in my heart because of the work I’ve done with them. However, I do hope to branch out into other genres."  Joana James