Blog Archives
A Retired School Counselor
Almost Fourteen follows a group of middle school students as they navigate the complexities of young love, friendships, and school drama, all while facing real-world dangers and moral dilemmas. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Almost Fourteen is actually a continuation of a series that originally I started for two of my grandchildren when they were in 5th and 6th grade (The Mystery of the Old Purse). As a writer I became invested in the two characters (Cali Snipe and Sky McCray), and I began inventing situations for the two characters. Also, as a retired school counselor, I was familiar with some of the school situations that teens encounter and need to navigate as they transition into adults. I try to include those situations in the novels.
I was also interested in showing examples of positive parenting, concerned and functioning adults trying to mentor their teen son or daughter in a beneficial fashion.
There was a lot of time spent crafting the character traits in this novel. What was the most important factor for you to get right in your characters?
I hope the way they converse with each other, the dialog between teen characters, mostly ones who are motivated and have high personal expectations, would be realistic. Unfortunately for a writer, teen-speak changes rather rapidly so it is difficult to make dialog of characters always apropos for the current generation of adolescents. For example, currently (2024-25) most teens communicate largely via phone texts while when I was working as a school counselor most teens communicated face-to-face.
Judy Bloom and S.E. Hinton do this better than me. Their youth characters still register well with modern youth.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Teen romance, teen friendship, teen rivalries, inspirational teachers/coaches, healthy teen activities/sports, self-reliance when solving challenges.
I hope the series continues in other books. If so, where will the story take readers?
As it now stands, the series has followed Cali and Sky and their friends through junior high and into high school. In Forced Apart, Cali and Sky are in eleventh grade. If I do write the eighth volume in the series, they will be in twelfth grade, will have already seen some of their friends graduate and go on to other experiences, and they will also be graduating and moving on to develop new friendships either in college, in the military, or in the workforce.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads
Almost Fourteen
When I first cracked open Almost Fourteen, I wasn’t sure what I was in for. What I found was a gritty and surprisingly tender story about young teens caught between the messy edges of childhood and the raw beginnings of adulthood. The book follows Calista Snipe and Skyler McCray, two friends-turned-something-more, as they try to make sense of junior high life while fending off dangers that are far darker than most kids their age should face. Alongside them are classmates like Mohini, who’s pulled into drug dealing, and Talia, who finds confidence through running. It’s a tale that mixes school dances and awkward crushes with kidnappings, gang threats, and brushes with predators.
I didn’t expect a coming-of-age story to dive into such dangerous territory. There were moments that left me uneasy, even angry, because of how vividly the author captures the vulnerabilities of kids. But then, in the middle of all that heaviness, you get these really sweet moments between Cali and Sky. Their awkward romance feels real, almost painfully so, and it’s a reminder that kids this age are pulled in opposite directions, wanting freedom but still being so young. I admired how the story didn’t shy away from showing both the light and dark sides of early teen years. It made me remember my own clumsy steps into adolescence, when one moment was pure fun and the next was laced with fear or uncertainty.
Some dialogue sparkles with humor and warmth, while other parts get weighed down by explanations or blunt descriptions. Sometimes I wanted the characters’ emotions to be shown more subtly. But I kept turning the pages. There’s an urgency in the way the plot moves, with danger always lurking around the corner, that made it hard to put down. And I got invested in these kids. I wanted them to win, to stay safe, to keep figuring out who they are in a world that can be cruel.
Almost Fourteen is not a light read, but it is a worthwhile one. It’s best suited for readers who appreciate stories that capture both the innocence and the peril of adolescence. If you like tales that mix young love, friendship, and school drama with real-world dangers and moral choices, this book will keep you hooked. I’d recommend it to parents, teachers, or even teens themselves who want something raw and honest.
Pages: 587 | ASIN : B07RHBR2VT
LITERARY TITAN 