Today we are joined by author Thomas Bounds. Thomas, thank you for being here with us today. You recently released a short story entitled “Choices: My Secrets,” about a girl who ultimately chooses to keep her baby despite society’s influence to do otherwise. Can you give us a synopsis of the story?
“My Secrets,” the first of a series of Choices for young teens and their parents, tells the compelling story of Rachel, a teenager faced with unexpected choices in a quest to find her way after a summer romance brings her more than she bargained for. Searching for hope, things spin out of control as she is faced with more issues while leaving out the possibility of talking with friends, family and God, until a chance encounter helps her think things through. Does she plow ahead or does she find her true self and gain the faith, hope, and courage to consider the best choices to guide her through her incredible journey? Gain Rachel’s wisdom through this realistic roller coaster of choices through good times and dark times.
Please tell us how you got the idea for this book.
My oldest was approaching his first year in high school and I wanted to share with him some things he might come across. Relationships, parties and so on, so he could know what to do or how to handle it with out being intimidated or reluctant to speak about it with us. This came to me one night while I was thinking of a way to speak to him about making those choices that he or his friends may face as teens and how I could get a message across with out coming over too strong or even boring him to no response. Well, this story worked.
Abortion is a potentially controversial topic. What kinds of positive and negative feedback have you had about this project?
It has been very good. Teenagers have really enjoyed reading it and have given me some good feedback. Parents who have read it said they enjoyed it as well. It really helps open up the conversation and allows us to build on that.
You may read some of the teenage reviews at flamingnet.com and some of the adult reviews at amazon.com. I really have not received bad feedback, except from one reviewer, and I believe they missed the point of the story completely. They wanted me to tell their story I guess. But this is the story of Rachel and how she lived through her ordeal and allows the reader to see what troubled waters are like through Rachel’s eyes. This allows the reader to gain a better understanding of these types of choices without swimming in the current themselves.
I understand you will be writing other books in the “Choices” series. What topics will you be covering?
Yes, I am working on topics that deal with some of the consequences of teens’ choices in friend, at parties, and drinking and driving.
Thank you for taking the time to talk with me, Thomas. I wish you best of luck with your projects and thank you for your commitment to helping today’s teens navigate the rough waters they will face.
You can learn more about Thomas and his books by clicking here.