Monday, March 30, 2015

AGAINST HER WILL RELEASE DAY! WIN A FREE COPY!


Against Her Will is a YA novel about teens battling their inner demons in a psych ward and not all of them will win.

I'm excited to be on a YA panel and signing books at the Viridian events center on April 10th. Come see me!

The book will be launched at Teen Author Boot Camp to nearly 700 teens and authors with prizes and a book signing! It will be a blast!



The concept of Against Her Will came from the experiences of co-author, Serita Stevens, who has worked in a teen psych ward for many years. It was interesting and fun to develop the characters based on some actual patients she has known and put them together into a story-line and plot that will hopefully show the emotional journeys of teens who struggle with mental illness and other challenges.

 I feel strongly about mental health and also bullying—which is a big problem in society today. Both issues can be misunderstood and affect lives so dramatically that it is always good to have more ways to discuss and examine them. We have a long way to go as a culture, to not stigmatize those who struggle with mental illness and to allow an open conversation without shame attached. Shaming is just a form of bullying and it never helped anyone.
When the opportunity came to work with Serita last year, I was eager to explore these topics and help to develop a story addressing some of these issues, embedding themes of hope and empowerment. Kindness to others and to oneself can go a long way to help in the coping and recovery process, no matter what a person has been through or what their struggle may be. 
Be a hugger not a hater.

(To read more on my views about bullying and the dire effect it can have on the mental health of young people click HERE.)

Against Her Will is AVAILABLE on AMAZON in paperback or kindle!



"A heartbreaking and beautiful combination of suffering and empowerment no one should miss out on."

“A compelling glimpse of life inside the teenage mind, AGAINST HER WILL, was a fascinating train wreck I couldn't look away from and read in one sitting.”

--Elana Johnson, Author, the Possession series (Simon Pulse) 





BASED ON ACTUAL EVENTS

My name is Cassidy Connor and my parents hate me. Well, they can go to hell. After yet another fight with my manipulative lawyer father and bible thumping mother, I disappear onto Hollywood Blvd among the other street kids. Or so I thought. The cops pick me up for a BS crime I didn't commit, and Dad announces the only way I can avoid charges is to voluntarily admit myself into Oak Dale, a psych ward for crazy teens. I don't belong there -- my parents are the real nutjobs --but it's not like I have a choice.

At Oak Dale, everyone is going on about the kid who just killed himself trying to escape. How could they dump me in a place like this? I'm thrown in with my anorexic roommate, Erin; foster care system victim, Gina; and pyromaniac Tony. Guess he likes to light 'em up. All of us are unwanted baggage, here against our will.

I quickly learn only the strong survive Oak Dale -- and some of us won't make it out alive.



 JOEY KING

 ELANA JOHNSON



IN THREE EASY STEPS...


ENTER A DRAWING TO WIN A FREE COPY!!!


1. Follow me and SHARE THIS POST on Twitter with @AuthorJSchaffer and #AgainstHerWill

OR  Friend me and Share on Facebook and TAG ME  


OR do both to be entered twice!



2. Leave a comment below here OR in a PM on Facebook, telling me how bullying or mental health issues have affected you or somebody that you love.

3. Give someone a BIG HUG!

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Against Her Will reviewed by Elana Johnson


On March 30th, Against Her Will releases and then the launch party will take place at Teen Author Boot Camp! I'm excited to share this book with the hundreds of teen who will be there--this year our registration numbers are the highest they have ever been. The book brings up important topics such as bullying and how ultimately their own decisions affect their lives more than the decisions of others. It also holds the message that life can be hard and people can treat you bad, but we each get to choose who we'll be and how we let our struggles define us.

Elana Johnson, author and friend, agreed to read the book and blurb it for me! I snagged the review she wrote on her blog and am posting it here. 



“A compelling glimpse of life inside the teenage mind, AGAINST HER WILL, was a fascinating train wreck I couldn't look away from and read in one sitting.”
--Elana Johnson, Author, the Possession series (Simon Pulse) 

About AGAINST HER WILL: My name is Cassidy Connor and my parents hate me. Well, they can go to hell. After yet another fight with my manipulative lawyer father and bible thumping mother, I disappear onto Hollywood Blvd among the other street kids. Or so I thought. The cops pick me up for a BS crime I didn't commit, and Dad announces the only way I can avoid charges is to voluntarily admit myself into Oak Dale, a psych ward for crazy teens. I don't belong there -- my parents are the real nutjobs --but it's not like I have a choice.

At Oak Dale, everyone is going on about the kid who just killed himself trying to escape. How could they dump me in a place like this? I'm thrown in with my anorexic roommate, Erin; foster care system victim, Gina; and pyromaniac Tony. Guess he likes to light 'em up. All of us are unwanted baggage, here against our will. 

I quickly learn only the strong survive Oak Dale -- and some of us won't make it out alive.

----

"I absolutely loved this book in a sort of love-hate way. I couldn't stop reading it, and I wanted to yell at the characters. Things like, "No! Don't do that!" Or "Please eat something." Or "This is a bad idea..." Or "Tell someone! Tell someone!" 

AGAINST HER WILL is an emotionally powerful book -- I called it a train wreck I couldn't look away from. It stuck with me long after I finished it, and I find myself still thinking about it from time to time. 

I think the reason it impacted me so much is because it is the polar opposite of my experiences as a teenager. Cassidy's story opened my eyes to things I knew about, but didn't really KNOW about, if that makes sense. It is a fantastic read for anyone -- if you relate to Cassidy's story, if you don't, and anywhere in between.

AGAINST HER WILL doesn't come out until March 30, but you should pre-order it now so you can devour it then." -Elana Johnson