The dream began in third grade, when Ms. Miller encouraged Travis Thrasher with his simple pirate story. That combined with daily readings during lunchtime of The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis inspired Travis to want to become a novelist. That dream and desire have never gone away. The steps seemed simple looking back. In ninth grade, after having moved all over the world to places like Germany and Australia, Travis wrote and finished a novel called THE ADVENTURER. After college, he targeted working in the publishing industry and was fortunate to find a job early after graduation. He worked as Author Relations Manager for Tyndale House Publishers, the publisher of his first two novels. Early on, he made a deliberate choice of not wanting to be boxed in by a brand or a genre. Instead, Travis has chosen time and time again to write the stories that mean something to him at that moment. He views his first ten years of being published as training and practice. Those novels in many ways were written for himself. Four years of writing fulltime have taught him the discipline and determination necessary to make it as a novelist. They’ve also served to close the chapter on what is hopefully just one era in his writing journey. The stories continue to fill his head like they did when he was in third grade. The only difference is that Travis now knows what to do with those stories. His goal continues to be to tell stories that move him as well as his readers. He wants to continue to experiment and take risks, but more than anything he wants to provide readers a satisfying experience. The dream remains the same. To try and write something magnificent. To make up wild worlds full of wonderfully rich characters. To make sense of the world through the stories he tells. And to try and inspire hope with the words he writes. Join me with guest Travis thrasher on Teen Talk as we talk about Travis' writing process, his collaboration with some a certain Duck Dynasty, and his future book.  Brandon Jeffery’s summer started out with a bang—as in, a friend crashed his car and now he has to work two jobs to pay it off. It’s at Fascination Street Records that he’s introduced to a beautiful but quiet girl named Marvel. She’s new to Hidden Cove and looking for a summer job, so Brandon secretly strikes a deal with their boss to work for free so she can be hired. When a classmate is found murdered, however, their summer takes a turn for the mysterious. Brandon’s friend Devon is sure he knows just who’s to blame: the creepy recluse of the town quarry. But the police have few leads, and Brandon has the sneaking suspicion he’s being watched. That’s not what’s in the forefront of on his mind, though. More than trying to pay off his car to his unemployed, alcoholic father and protecting Seth Belcher from the school bullies, he’s determined to date Marvel. He doesn’t understand why they seem so close and she refuses to date him, but as the mystery behind her tragic past begins to unravel, Marvel finally confesses her reason: God has revealed she’s destined to die saving others—and it’s going to be soon.   ***Teen Talk is part of the Choose NOW Radio network, a division of Choose NOW Ministries. You can download the podcast right here, but we’d love it if you’d subscribe to us for free on iTunes or to the RSS feed! Also, while you’re over at iTunes, leaving us a little review would be most helpful in keeping the show front and center so more people can find it. Thank you so much!   

Teen Talk

Teen Talk: Guest Travis Thrasher, Marvelous

 Join me with guest Amy Sorrells as we talk about some of the themes from her debut, award-winning novel How Sweet the Sound. Sexual Assault, pursuing your dreams, and being a teenager--those are a few of the topics we tackle in this podcast. Tune in! During the summer of 1980, a coastal Alabama family plagued by three generations of sin finds redemption in this tender Southern coming-of-age tale. From a distance, the Harlans appear to be the perfect Southern family. Wealth and local fame mask the drama and dysfunction swirling through their family line. But as the summer heats up, a flood tide of long hidden secrets surface. Devastation from a rape followed by the murder of two family members brings three generations of the Harlans together on their pecan plantation in Bay Spring, Alabama. Chief among them is Anniston, who by the time she turned thirteen thought she’d seen it all. But as her heart awakens to the possibility of love, she begins to deal with her loneliness and grief. This tender Southern coming-of-age tale, inspired by the story of Tamar in 2 Samuel 13, shows how true healing and hope comes only from God. Though our earthly family can wound and disappoint, our heavenly Father is ever-present and always good. An Indianapolis native and graduate of DePauw University, Amy lives with her husband, three boys and a gaggle of golden retrievers in central Indiana. After writing and editing for her college newspaper, she combined a nursing degree with journalism and creative writing, which led to publishing and editing a wide array of medical and nursing writing and multimedia projects over the past 21 years, a position as director of communications of her church’s children’s ministry, as well as a weekly column for a local newspaper which ran from 2009-2012. She has been a two-time semi-finalist for the ACFW Genesis awards, and was the winner of the 2011 Women of Faith writing contest.   When she’s not reading or writing, Amy loves spending time with her three sons; spicy lunches and art gallery walks with her  husband; digging in her garden sans gloves; walking her dogs; up-cycling old furniture and junk; photography; and friends. ***Teen Talk is part of the Choose NOW Radio network, a division of Choose NOW Ministries. You can download the podcast right here, but we’d love it if you’d subscribe to us for free on iTunes or to the RSS feed! Also, while you’re over at iTunes, leaving us a little review would be most helpful in keeping the show front and center so more people can find it. Thank you so much!   

Teen Talk: Guest Amy Sorrells, How Sweet the Sound; Sexual Assault

 Are you a teenager being raised by a single parent? Have you ever wondered what it's like from your single parent's perspective? Tune in to Teen Talk and hear what Jennifer Maggio, single parenting expert, has to say. She'll give you valuable insight into the struggles of raising a teenager alone.  ***Teen Talk is part of the Choose NOW Radio network, a division of Choose NOW Ministries. You can download the podcast right here, but we’d love it if you’d subscribe to us for free on iTunes or to the RSS feed! Also, while you’re over at iTunes, leaving us a little review would be most helpful in keeping the show front and center so more people can find it. Thank you so much!     

Teen Talk: Guest Jennifer Maggio, Teens & Single Parents

Country music artist Brandon Chase is nothing shy of a miracle. Only a few days old, Brandon quit breathing 64 times in 12 hours and was told by doctors he could be deaf, blind, mentally impaired, or possibly all three. Not only did the Arlington, TX native not suffer any complications from his childhood, he instead went on to graduate high school at the age of 15. He then completed his masters certificate in songwriting from Berklee College of Music at the age of 17. Brandon taught himself how to play the piano and guitar and has been writing his own original music since the age of 14. Brandon was featured on iTunes "New and Noteworthy" and also "Rising Stars of Country", following the release of his latest EP “Country Enough”. His most recent achievement was appearing multiple times on season 5 of NBC's The Voice as a member of Blake Shelton's team. Brandon is currently recording new music set to release early 2014. Tune in to this episode of Teen Talk to hear Brandon's thoughts about the miracle of his own life, the miracle that is YOUR life, and, of course, his new single, ONE at the end of our chat. ***Teen Talk is part of the Choose NOW Radio network, a division of Choose NOW Ministries. You can download the podcast right here, but we’d love it if you’d subscribe to us for free on iTunes or to the RSS feed! Also, while you’re over at iTunes, leaving us a little review would be most helpful in keeping the show front and center so more people can find it. Thank you so much!   

Teen Talk: Guest Brandon Chase, The Voice, One

 Why would someone choose to go to Bible college? How do you know if it's right for you? What should you look for in a Bible college? In the meantime, have you heard of the Ascension Convention? For more than 25 years, a mass of teens descend upon the Chicago area over Easter weekend to draw close to Jesus. It's a powerful three days of amazong speakers, intense worship, and tons and tons of fun.  Hear from Pastor Daryl Merrill on topics related to Christian higher education in general and the Ascension Convention in specific.  Dr. Daryl Merrill Jr. is Lead Pastor of Christian Life Church and Vice President ofChristian Life College, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree.  Pastor Daryl did his postgraduate work at Cincinnati Bible Seminary, where he earned a Master of Arts degree in 1992 and went on to earn another Master’s degree in Religious Education in 1996.  He has done masters and doctoral work at theUniversity of Oxford in Oxford, England. He graduated in 2000 from the Graduate Theological Foundation with his doctorate degree.   ***Teen Talk is part of the Choose NOW Radio network, a division of Choose NOW Ministries. You can download the podcast right here, but we’d love it if you’d subscribe to us for free on iTunes or to the RSS feed! Also, while you’re over at iTunes, leaving us a little review would be most helpful in keeping the show front and center so more people can find it. Thank you so much!   

Teen Talk: Guest Daryl Merrill, Ascension Convention

What labels are you wearing? Do they define your identity? How can you dig deeper and discover the label God puts on you? Teen Talk guest Amy Joob shares about her own struggles based her commitment to righteous choices while working in the modeling industry. She gets it. Amy has a matter-of-fact delivery style that will reach you right where you're at. Tune in!     Amy Joob has been in the modeling and acting industries for 12 years with numerous national print campaigns and parts in movies like Oceans 11 and more. Amy is currently contracted with Met-Rx Sports Nutrition as a Fitness Model and Product Specialist. Prior to her modeling and acting career, Amy worked with children and teens for ten years. She worked at the YMCA and was the Manager of the Maine Township Teen Center. Amy has a college degree in Criminal Justice – Youth Services from Auburn University and a degree in Pastoral Studies from Christian Life College.   ***Teen Talk is part of the Choose NOW Radio network, a division of Choose NOW Ministries. You can download the podcast right here, but we’d love it if you’d subscribe to us for free on iTunes or to the RSS feed! Also, while you’re over at iTunes, leaving us a little review would be most helpful in keeping the show front and center so more people can find it. Thank you so much!   

Teen Talk: Amy Joob, on Labels

   Is there such a thing as  Hero Gene? There’s been some discussion in recent years about whether or not we are genetically predisposed to run away from danger or toward it. There are obvious examples either way. The first responders in any crisis situation are the most heroic people on this planet. Some say, “But they’re trained to run into danger.” I say, “Yes, but why did they sign up for that?” They are our protectors–our military men and women, our coast guard, our law enforcement and fire and rescue heroes. They are one side of the hero coin, though. The flip side is harder to understand. These are the people who look away. Or walk away. Or ignore humanity in need altogether. We saw an extreme example of this in China not too long away when bystanders stepped around a dying toddler who had been struck by a car.  She laid in agony on the street for hours and no one stopped to help. She eventually died from her horrific injuries. We wonder what people are thinking as they look away from other human beings in need. That answer is above my pay grade, but it must be that we believe someone else will take care of the problem. Someone else must know more than we know. Someone else has time to stop. ...read more... Tune in to This week's Teen Talk for more on this with Laura Kurk. Laura Kurk bets she has more cringe-worthy teenage moments than you and she’s willing to share them all to make you feel better. She’s the author of the YA novel Glass Girl and its upcoming sequel Perfect Glass. She lives in College Station, Texas with her husband, two ginger-headed kids, and 50,000 college students. Visit her at her blog Writing for Young Adults or on Facebook and Twitter!   ***Teen Talk is part of the Choose NOW Radio network, a division of Choose NOW Ministries. You can download the podcast right here, but we’d love it if you’d subscribe to us for free on iTunes or to the RSS feed! Also, while you’re over at iTunes, leaving us a little review would be most helpful in keeping the show front and center so more people can find it. Thank you so much!   

Teen Talk: Guest Laura Kurk, is the Hero Gene real? Is it in Hollywood?

MICHELLE DURAND, FOUNDER/DIRECTOR, TEARS TO TREASURES MINISTRY   Michelle went through the trauma of abortion as a teenager. She had her abortion at Delta Women's Clinic in Baton Rouge. Not only was her unborn baby's life taken that day, her life was devastated for many years to follow. She turned to drugs and alcohol to numb the pain and help her cope with the feelings of guilt, shame and condemnation. She felt unworthy to go to church any longer and ran from God. At the age of 21, she accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior and knew that He forgave her from her sins including ABORTION. However, she had to go through the healing process. Afterwards, she knew that God wanted her to "go and tell everyone what she went through and what Jesus did for her because He desires to do the same for them". Hence, Tears to Treasures ministry was birthed in 2001.   It is the vision of the Tears to Treasures ministry to be able to provide help, hope and healing through God's love and prayer to women and men considering an abortion and those who have had an abortion. We are committed to providing information and speaking to the public in churches, schools, youth groups and at events. We also strive to instruct interested parties in furthering the ministry of abortion recovery.    ***Teen Talk is part of the Choose NOW Radio network, a division of Choose NOW Ministries. You can download the podcast right here, but we’d love it if you’d subscribe to us for free on iTunes or to the RSS feed! Also, while you’re over at iTunes, leaving us a little review would be most helpful in keeping the show front and center so more people can find it. Thank you so much!   

Teen Talk: Michelle Durand, Abortion Recovery for Teens

***NOTICE*** This is the new format for Parent Talk with Nicole O'Dell. If you're already an iTunes subscriber, you'll need to resubscribe here. Don't worry, it's still free! Thanks for supporting the shows in the Choose NOW Radio network!* Sex is better than chocolate? How is that possibly going to convince any teenager to wait until marriage to have sex? Trust me, when Lynn Cowell told me what she wanted to talk about, I wondered the same thing. Why is is difficult to wait until marriage to have sex? Why is it important? What can we do to help you wait? What can you do to make sure you're prepared for the pressure? And Lynn has a story about chocolate! Which is really funny because one of my favorite analogies when teaching about sexual purity involves chocolate, too. So...tune in to hear Lynn's!   Lynn Cowell is an author and speaker for Proverbs 31 Ministries whose passion is helping moms become wise women who raise wiser daughters. For the past 10 years, Lynn has taught women and teens to discover the radical love of Jesus Christ and build an inner confidence that leads to smart choices. Lynn is the author of His Revolutionary Love, a book that helps girls develop a higher self-esteem by discovering Christ’s life-altering love. She also writes articles for popular magazines including, Susie Mag and Focus on the Family’s Thriving Family. Lynn is regularly featured in the Proverbs 31′s daily devotions, Encouragement for Today, which has an audience of over a half-million subscribers. In addition to being a popular speaker for women’s events, her “Revolutionary Love” conferences bring life-change to hundreds of girls each year all across the country.   ***Teen Talk is part of the Choose NOW Radio network, a division of Choose NOW Ministries. You can download the podcast right here, but we’d love it if you’d subscribe to us for free on iTunes or to the RSS feed! Also, while you’re over at iTunes, leaving us a little review would be most helpful in keeping the show front and center so more people can find it. Thank you so much!   

Teen Talk: Guest Lynn Cowell, Sex is Better than Chocolate (Purity)

***NOTICE*** This is the new format for Teen Talk with Nicole O'Dell. If you're already an iTunes subscriber, you'll need to resubscribe here. Don't worry, it's still free! Thanks for supporting the shows in the Choose NOW Radio network!*  Today on Teen Talk, guest Bethany Jett offers some important tips on how to tell a friend a hard truth. Maybe it's something as simple as letting your BFF know that the clothes she's been wearing aren't very flattering. Or maybe it extends to something as serious as cutting or suicidal tendencies.  How do you know when to say something? How do you approach the subject in a way that can have a positive effect on the timing? What do you do if your friend pushes you away because of your confrontation? It's important to plan ahead for these situations so you're prepared for how to handle them when they arise. It's much harder to come up with the right decision in the heat of the moment, so tune in to hear Bethany Jett's advice on Teen Talk! ...read more With five years of "youth sponsor interning" under her belt by the age of 21, Bethany Jett knew God’s purpose involved working with young adults. She taught abstinence education (RESPECT) in high school, and began youth sponsoring at 17. Five months after winning the Florida Christian Writers Conference 2012 Writer of the Year award, Bethany Jett signed contracts with the MacGregor Literary Agency and Regal Publishing. Her debut book, The Cinderella Rule, hits bookstores in April of 2013. She is her husband’s greatest asset in their youth ministry, mentoring teens and young adults. Bethany is a writer and speaker, as well as Sunday School teacher, Bible study leader, cheerleading coach, and mother of three adorable little boys. ***Teen Talk is part of the Choose NOW Radio network, a division of Choose NOW Ministries. You can download the podcast right here, but we’d love it if you’d subscribe to us for free on iTunes or to the RSS feed! Also, while you’re over at iTunes, leaving us a little review would be most helpful in keeping the show front and center so more people can find it. Thank you so much!   

Teen Talk: Guest Bethany Jett, Telling Friends Hard Truths

 Today on Teen Talk, guest Laura L. Smith talks with us about true holiday beauty. What is it, and how can we possibly achieve it? [Tweet "Practical holiday #TrueBeauty tips by @LauraLynnSmith"] Tune in to hear practical tips for this holiday season. Also, check out Laura's recent "True Beauty" post. Here's an excerpt: How do you snazz things up for the holidays? Today’s column gives you twelve days of Christmas beauty tips. I’m proclaiming Day One as December 1 to keep you feeling beautiful throughout the Christmas season, even though officially the twelve days start on Christmas itself. As you fill up your holiday calendar with festivities and pull out your embellished tops and high heels, enjoy. Christ loves that we celebrate His birthday with sprinkles and sparkles. But remember you’re most beautiful when you feel good on the inside, when you’re in a good place with the God who loves and made you. On the twelfth day of Christmas… Bake twelve of your favorite Christmas cookies for yourself and another dozen for a friend (more if you’re motivated). Write, “you’re beautiful” on the tag of the giveaways. Few things boost your true beauty more than boosting someone else’s. On the eleventh day of Christmas… Be generous with your smiles in honor of Mona. On December 11 in 1913 the Mona Lisa, who had been stolen two years previously, was returned to her home in the Louvre. Nothing lights up your face like a smile. ...read more   ***Teen Talk is part of the Choose NOW Radio network, a division of Choose NOW Ministries. You can download the podcast right here, but we’d love it if you’d subscribe to us for free on iTunes or to the RSS feed! Also, while you’re over at iTunes, leaving us a little review would be most helpful in keeping the show front and center so more people can find it. Thank you so much! 

Teen Talk: Guest Laura L. Smith, True Holiday Beauty

Teen Talk, part of the Choose NOW Radio network, is hosted by Nicole O'Dell since 2010. Archives available at www.choosenowrado.com. Here, at Teen Talk, it's all about choices! Big or small, major or minor, there's a moment before every decision when you can alter the course of your life. Dive in with me on topics like peer pressure, dating, purity, drugs, alcohol, modesty, popularity, your future, and many other things that might come up along the way. They tell me I'm a youth culture expert because I write and speak to pre-teens, teens, and parents about how to prepare for life's tough choices. I've written six books, been published over 200 times in devotional books, will see eleven more books release in the next year, and been interviewed on numerous radio stations as well as television--maybe that all does makes me an expert of some sort. I suppose being a mom of six, including toddler triplets, and working as a youth director, a Bible study leader for women and teens, a counselor at a crisis pregnancy center and serving as camp counselor for over a decade might qualify me in some ways, too. But, it's the memory of my own teen years (yes, I can remember that far back) that has created a passion within me to reach out to teens and help them muddle through the confusion and pressure that life throws at them…at you! Hang out with me; let's figure it out together. I promise I won't preach at you--well, I'll try really hard not to! Want some free stuff? Sometimes me or my guests will have giveaways, too. Gotta tune in to find out! You can also subscribe to Teen Talk Radio free on iTunes!

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