I cook dinner almost every night. This week we tried a few new recipes, but Tuesday night was amazing. I made Grilled Chicken Italiano and Hidden Veggie Mac ‘N’ Cheese and served rolls with it. It was spectacular! I got compliments all around (we shared dinner with my in-laws, too) and was left feeling super-satisfied, both with the food and the feeling of accomplishment I had.

Another source of accomplishment (which for me is happiness) was trimming back the trees and shrubs in our front yard. Even better: it was our week to put all that by the curb for pickup, so I don’t even have to deal with it any longer!

I had the amazing opportunity to attend the Mansfield Book Fest last weekend. The array of authors was fantastic, and I got to finally meet Kelsey Macke, give her a hug, and get a book signed by her. She’s the author of Damsel Distressed, my review here. In short, Damsel Distressed is “that” book for me. Life-changing. Beautiful.

There’s a wonderful little cool front that’s moved through and brought rain with it. How very beautiful it is.

My marigolds have so many flowers on them. When I look at them I am happy and it feels like I have my own little rays of sunshine growing in the back yard.

What things have made you happy recently?

THE GREENLEE PROJECT

by

Amanda M. Thrasher

Genre: Young Adult / Contemporary / Cyber-bullying

Publisher: Progressive Rising Phoenix Press

Date of Publication: October 31, 2015

Number of Pages: 206

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Social media, cruel jokes, and bitter betrayal – watch your teens!

Greenlee Lynn Granger is about to find out how easily social media can be used as a malicious tool: a normal teen one day and ruined the next. Who knew a boy’s affections would turn her life into such a nightmare? Becoming a designated ‘project,’ a joke in front of the whole school, turns Greenlee’s life upside down. Relationships with her family and friends strained, she is forced to make mature decisions. Greenlee knows her choices will determine the future of her abusers.

An emotional glimpse into the reality of cyber-bullying, The Greenlee Project showcases the all-too-common anonymous and cruel betrayals of others through social media, of such magnitude that it devastates a young teen, her friends, family, and the community. Cyber-bullying affects not just the victims, but everyone around them. After being the target of cyber-bullying, what Greenlee does next is shocking.

Praise for The Greenlee Project

“The Greenlee Project is a touching and chilling cautionary tale that every teen should read. Amanda Thrasher gives us interesting and compelling characters, a well-crafted plot, and a breathless pace. Her teens are so real that you will feel you know them personally. Teens will find The Greenlee Project a compelling read and a helpful guide, while adults will see the challenges today’s teens face. This is a grand and important story.”

— David A. Bedford, Ph.D. Instructor of Spanish at TCU

“The Greenlee Project is a captivating fictional story addressing critical real-life issues that tweens and teens face today. Bullying and cyber-bullying are part of our society today that has had tragic consequences for many. Amanda Thrasher, is a talented author, who has delivered a story that is both compelling and also thought-provoking. You can feel the emotions of each of the characters as the story unfolds along this journey. It will leave you with the desire to change the world around you and to talk to others about the increasing severity of bullying and cyber-bullying. With the discussion questions included, this is an excellent choice for book-clubs and middle school language arts classes. Such a critical and important story.

– Lisa Robinson – NSC

“The Greenlee Project is a wonderful book about a terrible subject. It’s hard to read this book without feeling sad, then angry, then empathetic, then proud.”

– Sherry Leigh Rummel

“I was blown away by The Greenlee Project. You hear so much about bullying and things that teenagers deal with online these days. It’s been a few week since I finished the book, and I’m still thinking about how real the characters are. You feel like you could meet any of them at any high school any where. This book is great for any age group, but teens and their parents should definitely read The Greenlee Project.”

– E. Nieman

CLICK TO PURCHASE

* Amazon * Barnes and Noble * Ingram/iPage *

* Progressive Rising Phoenix Press *

* The Mom’s Choice Award Store *

Thrasher addresses a real problem in The Greenlee Project–teen bullying on the internet. This kind of story makes me glad I dealt with my bullies before the internet and social media were such widespread tools.

The characters for the most part seemed believable and real. Especially real was the teenage idea of taking care of problems themselves instead of asking for help before a problem spirals out of control.

I had trouble with the timeline. There were no markers to tell whether the story had moved forward or backward in time, so sometimes that was confusing. I was also bothered that the POV switched so often, and sometimes in the middle of a paragraph–although perhaps it has just been far too long since I’ve read an omniscient POV. I also wasn’t sure how realistic the kids’ dialogue was. I thought “as if” was phased out in the 90s, and while the text messaging/IMing was supposed to be how kids might type, it was more often confusing rather than informative.

Ultimately this issue book touches upon a (few) very pervasive problem(s) and could be of interest to parents and educators who need to have an eye open for tells that something is wrong.

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Multiple Award Winning Author Amanda M. Thrasher was born in England, moved to Texas and resides there still. Author of several children’s books including picture books, middle-grade chapter books, YA and even a reader’s theater titled “What If . . . A Story of Shattered Lives.” She conducts workshops, writes a blog and contributes to an online magazine. She’s a multiple Gold recipient of the Mom’s Choice Awards for The Greenlee Project, YA and General Fiction, and for Spider Web Scramble, a Mischief book. As Chief Executive Officer of Progressive Rising Phoenix Press, she assists authors with their work and shares her writing process and what she has learned as a publisher with people of all ages.

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ONE GRAND PRIZE WINNER WINS: $50 VISA GIFT CARD + SIGNED COPY!

FOUR RUNNERS-UP: EACH WINS A SIGNED COPY!

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September 7 – September 16, 2016

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CHECK OUT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:

9/7	Review	Byers Editing Reviews & Blog
9/8	Book Trailer	Texas Book Lover
9/9	Review	Hall Ways Blog
9/10	Excerpt 1	Country Girl Bookaholic
9/11	Author Interview 1	My Book Fix Blog
9/12	Review	The Page Unbound
9/13	Guest Post	Forgotten Winds
9/14	Excerpt 2	Margie’s Must Reads
9/15	Review	Kara The Redhead
9/16	Author Interview 2	StoreyBook Reviews

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