With Nicole O'Dell

Today we have Nicole O'Dell with Magna and Making Waves. Hi Nicole! We're glad that you're here. What is your favorite memory from when you were a teenager?
Among my favorites were my weeks at summer camp and events with the church youth group. On Sunday nights, after church, many of the youth would come to my house to swim. We’d have pop and snacks—sometimes hot dogs. They usually stayed until pretty late. We always had a blast!
Cool! What did you enjoy doing the most as a teenager? Why?
I LOVED being on the swim team. Much of the Making Waves story (except for bad ending—oh, and the scholarship potential) came from my own swim team experience. I loved being in the water and bleach is still one of my favorite smells. 

I love swimming and the smell of bleach too. What was your most embarrassing moment as a teenager?
LOL One time I called my youth pastor a really bad name because I didn’t know what it meant. Advice: Find out the meaning of words that sound cool before you try them out on an authority figure!

lol, I've been lucky enough to not do that! What was your favorite midnight snack?
Macaroni and Cheese or Doritos dipped in sour cream. My friend, Jodi, and I used to try to make mac & cheese all the time but it always seemed like we were out of one of the ingredients and had to improvise—never quite right.

What would you do if you found a purple-polka dotted panda in your living room one morning?
Assume it was my husband in costume and try to pull the mask off his head.

What kind of books did you enjoy reading as a teenager?
I enjoyed mysteries like Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew, etc. I also devoured books like Frank Peretti’s, This Present Darkness. My mom and I had a membership to The Paperback Trading Co. It was cool because you could bring bags and bags of books and turn them in for credit toward other books. We did that often!

When did you first discover that you were a writer?
I won a contest in 4th grade by writing a book called The Girl on the Runaway Pogo Stick. After that, I was hooked!

Who is your favorite character in the book?
I love the main characters in both books. Molly, in Magna, is a lot like me—we share very similar circumstances and reactions. My time working in retail contributed to that storyline. Kate, in Making Waves, really tugs at my heartstrings, too. I feel her burden for helping her mom by earning a college scholarship.

I think the “choice” format of the books really draw me in to the characters. I know what it’s like to face those kinds of dilemmas and, even though these are stories, we all deal with battles of the mind just like Molly and Kate.


What was the hardest part of the book to write?
I always have a tough time writing my characters into the wrong choice. I don’t want them to walk that road—I know where it leads and want them to avoid the consequences. But…I can’t make their choices for them.

What is your favorite verse? Why?
Philippians 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

That’s really my life’s theme verse. I love the assurance that I didn’t start the process in me, and I’m not the one who’s going to finish it. It’s a beautiful promise that I claim for my kids, too. I can relax a little knowing that they are a work in progress and that the work WILL be completed in me and in them.

What advice would you give to today’s high school and college girls?
Don’t sacrifice long-term things like your reputation and your parent’s trust, for temporary things that will NEVER be as great as you think they will be.

Do you have another book coming out soon? Can you tell us a bit about it?
High Stakes and Essence of Lilly come out in the Spring of 2011. High Stakes deals with the issue of cheating in school, and the tough decision of confessing to a wrongdoing to clear a friend’s name. Essence of Lilly deals with physical intimacy among teens.

And here is the book trailer for Magna and Making Waves:



Readers, here is how you can find Nicole O'Dell:
www.nicoleodell.com
www.scenariosforgirls.com
www.nicoleodell.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/nicole_odell
www.facebook.com/nicoleodell

Nicole O'Dell is giving away a copy of Magna and Making Waves. To be entered in the book giveaway, leave a comment and check back on Sunday, May 9th to see if you've won. You can enter twice--once on each post in this spotlight. If you want to guarantee that you're notified if you win, then leave your email address in the comment.

Meet Nicole O'Dell

Nicole O’Dell and her husband Wil have six wonderful children, the most recent additions being triplets, born in August 2008. Nicole and Wil recently began a youth group at their church for grades 7-12 where Nicole focuses on the teaching, Bible study application, service outreach planning and evangelism focus for the group. She enjoys speaking at other churches, youth groups and parenting groups to offer insight into healthy, Godly navigation of those rough teen years. Over the years, Nicole has worked as a youth director, a Bible study leader for women and teens, a counselor at a crisis pregnancy center and was a veteran camp counselor for over a decade.

Back Cover Blurbs
Magna: Molly Jacobs isn’t sure what she should do: Should she follow through with stealing some clothes for her friends from Magna the trendy girls clothing store where she works? Or should she do what she knows is right, even if it means losing her friends? Girls ages 10 to 15 make the choice in this interactive story and see how the consequences change Molly's life. Includes a contract and prayer to remind the reader of the importance of making godly decisions.

Making Waves: Kate Walker joins the swim team and becomes obsessed with practice and making it through the championships with flying colors. With a scholarship on the line and pressure from everyone, what will Kate do when she’s faced with pressure from her teammates to take an illegal substance that will help her swim multiple events in their championship meet? Girls ages 10 to 15 make the choice in this interactive story and see how the consequences change Kate s life. Includes a contract and prayer to remind the reader of the importance of making godly decisions.


Readers, here is how you can find Nicole O'Dell:
www.nicoleodell.com
www.scenariosforgirls.com
www.nicoleodell.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/nicole_odell
www.facebook.com/nicoleodell

Nicole O'Dell is giving away a copy of Magna and Making Waves. To be entered in the book giveaway, leave a comment and check back on Sunday, May 9th to see if you've won. You can enter twice--once on each post in this spotlight. If you want to guarantee that you're notified if you win, then leave your email address in the comment.

Here is the book trailer for Magna and Making Waves:

With Vanessa Miller

What is your favorite memory from when you were a teenager?

Spending time with my father. He passed away when I was seventeen… I didn’t realize how special my time with him was until I didn’t have it anymore.

I love spending time with my dad, too. What did you enjoy doing the most as a teenager?

I loved to dance and hang out with my friends. I don’t know why, those were just the things that seemed the most fun to me.

What was your most embarrassing moment as a teenager?

When my grandmother caught me trying to skip school. My mother was out of town and I thought that was the perfect time to hang out at a park with my sister and one of my cousins. But my grandmother wasn’t going for that… let’s just say that was the first and last time I ever tried anything like that.

What was your favorite midnight snack?

Pizza. Still is, so let’s get to the next question because I’m on a diet right now. 

What would you do if you found a blue and orange polka dotted panda in your living room one morning?

Probably scream and then open the door so it could leave. Sorry, I don’t like pets, so I wouldn’t keep it.

What kind of books did you enjoy reading as a teenager?

I enjoyed mysteries and romances. As a matter of fact, I still enjoy reading those kind of books.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

I’ve been writing since I was about nine years old. I started out writing poems, then short stories, stage plays and finally novels. I always knew that I would be a writer, but when I was a kid I had no idea how to accomplish my goal.

Who is your favorite character in Yesterday’s Promise?

I loved Melinda’s character because she was so complex. She was a preacher with issues of unforgiveness that stemmed from broken promises that had been made by her mother, ex-fiancé and her father. She was an interesting character study. I enjoyed watching as she resolved her issues and gave love a second chance.

What was the hardest part of Yesterday’s Promise to write?

Yesterday’s Promise deals with women in ministry. Since I know that this is a topic not everyone agrees on, I wanted to address the controversy but also find a way to some women believe they have every right to preach the gospel. I was very careful with those parts of the story because I wanted to make sure I told both sides of the story.

What is your favorite verse? Why?

I have been young and now I am old, but I have never seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread.

I was twenty six and a single mother when I gave my life to the Lord. I worried about not having enough to provide for my daughter, but when I read that scripture, I stopped worrying.

What advice would you give to today’s high school and college girls?

My advice is simply. Stay in school, don’t try to grow up too fast, but take time to enjoy the moment.

Do you have another book coming out soon? If so, can you tell us a bit about it?

I have (4) books releasing this year:

Yesterday’s Promise April 2010
Forgiven June 2010
A Love for Tomorrow September 2010
Long Time Coming November 2010

Readers, here is the book trailer for Yesterday's Promise:



Vanessa Miller is giving away a copy of Yesterday's Promise. To be entered in the book giveaway, leave a comment and check back on Sunday, April 11th to see if you've won. You can enter twice--once on each post in this spotlight. If you want to guarantee that you're notified if you win, then leave your email address in the comment.