Guest post: The Story behind ‘Seasons of Empowerment for Adolescent Girls’ by Irene S. Roth

I have been teaching teens and young adults for over twenty five years, and I have discovered how vulnerable adolescent girls feel when they are in their early teens. I have also spoken to a few teens in my church and in other communities too, and they all expressed a very raw vulnerability, one that I remember very well.

I wanted so badly to help them. Yet, at that point, I had not done any research or work in this area. So, I kept reading for years and jotting my ideas down in my writer`s journal until one day something clicked:  I knew that I had to do something to help these wonderful girls to live the best life that they were capable of. And that is how the idea for the book was born.

It took me many more years to do a lot of reading and research. I also spoke to a lot of experts, psychologists at conferences and philosophers over the years. The more I spoke to these experts, the more I discovered that a book on empowerment for teen girls was a must. So, that is when I started writing this book, and continued writing the book until it was finished.

The first draft took me a few months to write. But the revising took years. But now that I am holding the book in my hand, I know that it was worth it. But what is more, the adolescent girls who have read my book are really transformed by it, and inspired.

Sometimes book ideas come and go. I have had many ideas for books over time. But after writing this book, I know what the true test for pursuing a topic is: if you are so passionate about a topic that you want to write it because you believe that the world needs to read about what you have to say, then go ahead and write the book. And don`t stop until it is done!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Irene S. Roth is an academic and freelance writer for teens, tweens and kids. She has written over 500 book reviews and 1,000 online articles on different topics for teens, tweens, and about the craft of writing. She also teaches workshops on writing and craft at Savvy Authors. She lives in Stratford, Ontario with her husband and cat. Visit her at https://irenesroth.wordpress.com/

ABOUT HER BOOK

In Seasons of Empowerment for Adolescent Girls, Ms. Roth argues that there are four seasons of empowerment for adolescent girls. Sadly no adolescent girl can simply wake up one day, snap her fingers, and be empowered to tackle the world and all the forces that exist inside and outside. Becoming empowered to be who we are can be truly difficult. This book consists of a step-by-step guide to help adolescent girls achieve self-improvement.

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Guest post by Alyson Flippo, author of 'Addie B. Strong - I Am So Strong'

I am a new writer so for me there was, and still is a lot to learn about not only writing but the publishing and promotion aspects of getting a book to market and then letting them know it’s out there.  For the writing part, I am often awake in the middle of the night worrying about one thing or another.  This first book, and the two others I am currently working on, came to me on one of these nights.  Sometimes it comes all at once, and sometimes in pieces.  I personally will get out of bed however many times it takes in a night to jot the thoughts down on paper.  If I don’t do it immediately, I will often forget or I won’t recollect them in their original form.  As for the publishing part, after doing a great deal of research on traditional versus self-publishing, I decided to go the self-publishing route.  Admittedly, my husband, a very smart and resourceful person, really took over this part for me and he deserves all the credit here.  Promotion is fun as it is another opportunity to be creative and to make use of the myriad of opportunities available through social media.  This book is such a pleasure for me to promote because it is really just me trying to share a positive message to the world which is so clearly needed now more than ever.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alyson Flippo is the author of Addie B. Strong – I Am So Strong, released Fall 2013. Ms. Flippo’s book was inspired by the desire to remind each and every reader of their vast potential – the strength that comes from inside.

Given her own challenges as a young girl growing up, she was determined to do something to try to make a difference for our young girls of today.  The story of Addie B. Strong her way of helping our girls focus on their strength and self-worth, instead of more superficial characteristics.  She wants to help inspire our girls to see that they are amazing, not because of how they look but because of what they can do; that the only person they need to impress is themselves; that the sky is not the limit and there is nothing they cannot do.

An only child, Ms. Flippo grew up in Hackensack, New Jersey, and graduated from New Jersey’s Ramapo State College with a degree in business administration.  Prior to her writing career, she spent 20 years as a paralegal at several East Coast law firms. She currently lives in South Florida with her husband and children, pursuing her passions which include eating ice cream daily, playing hide-and-seek, and spreading the love along with Addie B. Strong. 

Alyson is currently touring the blogosphere with The National Writing for Children Center. 

Purchase the book on Amazon