Author Interviews

Help a Teen Cope #Depression by author of Becker Circle, Addison Brae @addisonbrae1 #RLFblog #romanticsuspense

Help a Teen Cope #Depression by author of Becker Circle, Addison Brae @addisonbrae1 #RLFblog #romanticsuspenseAddison Brae, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. I’m Kayelle Allen, author and owner of this blog. Happy to have you here! Please tell us about your latest endeavor, and also share info on your book.

You Can Help a Teen Cope

Many teenage girls today are depressed and lonely. Pew Research Center reported in a 2019 survey that 36% of girls report being extremely anxious every day. These girls are worried about melting polar ice, school shootings, and their ability to afford college.

Studies show while these girls are more likely to be close to their families, they spend less time with friends their age and lack independence capabilities and skills because they skip things like school extra-curricular activities, driving, jobs, and dating.

The result? These girls are likely to spend Saturday night at home watching Netflix and following social media rather than at school events or socializing with friends.

How will girls maneuver college, relationships, careers and the tough choices, rejection, and mistakes we all face in life?

This problem is real and growing. Another study by the American College Health Association in 2018 found more than 85% of college students described feeling “overwhelmed,” and one-third of college students received treatment from campus counseling centers.

I have a theory. We as readers, authors, relatives, and friends can help young adults be better equipped with the skills and confidence to help them cope in two ways.

First, if you have a teen in your life, listen when they want to talk about a problem rather than fixing it for them. Let them watch you face and solve a tough issue. People emulate behavior they observe.

Second, encourage them to read books with strong heroines who are not loners. These fictional young adults tackle problems, make mistakes, and end up victorious and stronger. This is a topic I’m madly passionate about, and readers will always find a strong but flawed heroine in my books.

A group of authors and Romance Writers of America members shared an amazing list of middle grade and young adult book suggestions with strong heroines that meet these criteria. There are dozens, so this list only includes some recommendations. You can find a more extensive list on my website (https://addisonbrae.com/books-for-teens).

I challenge everyone to help equip a teen to cope in our complex world.

Middle grade (age 8-12)

  • Rob Buyea, Because of Mr. Terupt series. Seven fifth-grade students come together to solve a problem that seems insurmountable, and their lives are changed by one amazing teacher.
  • Roshani Chokshi’s, Aru Shah and the End of Time. Twelve-year-old Aru Shah teams up with three of her classmates to stop a demon and save the world.
  • Raina Telgemeier creates graphic novels such as Guts, Sisters, Drama, and Ghosts that deal with family, peer pressure and other issues kids deal with.
  • Diane Duane, Young Wizards series, a 10-book series starting with So You Want to Be a Wizard. This sounds like a Harry Potter spin-off, but it predates that series by about a decade. The characters begin as preteens and grow into their teen years as the series progresses.
  • Madaleine L’Engle, A Wrinkle in Time. A classic coming of age fantasy that inspired a modern movie and impacted many of us when we read it as young teens.

Young adult (age 13-18)

  • Maureen Goo, The Way You Make Me Feel. A funny story of love, new friendships, and one unique food truck after Clara took a joke too far.
  • Guadalupe Garcia McCall, Summer of the Mariposas/El Verano de las Mariposas. A Mexican-American retelling of the Odyssey about four sisters working together and learning something about family in the process.
  • Julie Murphy, Dumplin. A story about the fearless, funny, and unforgettable heroine who takes on her small town’s beauty pageant.
  • Tamora Pierce, any of her titles, especially Song of the Lioness books, Protector of the Small series, and Circle of Magic books. Pierce features teen girls as knights, wizards, and heroes.
  • Isabel Sterling, These Witches Don’t Burn. A story featuring a lesbian heroine with the power to control fire, earth, water, and air, her hot ex, and her new bi-crush.

Becker Circle by Addison Brae

Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense

Book heat level (based on movie ratings): R

Gillian’s first and only boyfriend believed she was too gutless to leave. He was dead wrong. Gillian graduated Harvard early and left his hot temper and everyone else behind for Dallas. Determined to make it on her own, she lands a second job bartending at the neighborhood pub smack in drama central where most every jerk in the neighborhood hits on her—at a huge price.

A week into the job, the neighborhood’s very popular drug dealer falls to his death a few feet from the table she’s serving. The cops say suicide, but Gillian and Jon, the hot guitar player in the house band, suspect foul play, and she intends to prove it. They dig deeper, grow closer, and make a shocking discovery. They know the murderer. Watch the trailer https://youtu.be/Mf-GlfxPzdY.

Where to buy Becker Circle

Publisher tirpub.com/abrae
Amazon http://amzn.to/2GQhgSj **$0.99 SEPTEMBER 5-9**
Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/becker-circle-addison-brae/1128071378?ean=2940155153153
Apple Books https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/becker-circle/id1353406290?mt=11
Kobo https://store.kobobooks.com/search?Query=9781370780426
Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/797034

Addison Brae Social Media

Addison Brae lives in Dallas, Texas on the edge of downtown. As a child, she was constantly in trouble for hiding under the bed to read when she was supposed to be napping. She has been writing since childhood starting with diaries, letters and short stories. She continues today with articles, video scripts and other content as an independent marketing consultant.
When she’s not writing, Addison spends her time traveling the world, collecting interesting cocktail recipes and hosting parties. She’s still addicted to reading and enjoys jogging in her neighborhood park, sipping red wine, binge-watching TV series, vintage clothing and hanging out with her artistic other half and their neurotic cat Lucy.
Website addisonbrae.com
Blog addisonbrae.com/blog
Twitter https://twitter.com/AddisonBrae1
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/addison.brae
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/addisonbraeauthor/
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17759692.Addison_Brae
BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/addison-brae
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/default/e/B07B443K8P/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCreHrv1bBNdyHm5skgqNR-Q/www.addisonbrae.com

 

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