It’s not even summer yet, and already Texas is sizzling. It got to nearly 100 degrees the other day, and I’m sure that it is pretty hot in many other places. Perhaps it’s time for some cherry lemonade. It’s easy to make, and I have plenty, so help yourself. If you’d like the recipe, you can get it on the Damn Delicious Website.
Before moving on, don’t forget to enter the CONTEST I’m sponsoring with a number of other authors at the Kindle Book Review. You could win a bunch of neat prizes, including a Kindle Fire. I’m sponsoring with my mystery, Open Season, and I had fun checking out all the books on the giveaway site. I’ve found a couple of new books I’m going to read. Just a few days left to enter as the contest ends June 30, 2018. Click and enter every day.
Now here is today’s Wednesday’s Guest, Pamela Samuels Young, who wrote Abuse of Discretion that I reviewed here last Sunday. She is sharing a bit about why she writes “Mysteries That Matter.”
Thanks for having me as a guest, Maryann. People often ask me where I find ideas for my legal thrillers. In many cases, it’s an article or news story that addresses some social issue or legal case that piques my interest. On occasion, a novel develops from a conversation with a lawyer friend about some troubling legal case they’re handling. If I’m surprised or stunned by the topic, I know my readers will have the same reaction.
That later scenario was how my latest legal thriller Abuse of Discretion came to life. When a lawyer friend complained to me about having yet another teenage client charged with distributing child pornography as a result of sexting, I was stunned. He went on to explain that all over the country, teens who swap naked selfies are facing child pornography charges. Even worse, if convicted, these children must register as sex offenders.
I immediately started researching teen sexting. One study reports that 30% of teens have sent a naked selfie and 57% have been asked to send one. I was shocked to learn that children as young as thirteen or fourteen were facing child pornography charges. In some schools, dozens of teens were found to be trading naked selfies.
Determined to shine a spotlight on this epidemic, I wrote Abuse of Discretion. In the book, 14-year-old Graylin is charged with possession of child pornography and quickly finds himself embroiled in a legal nightmare. My goal in writing the book was to both entertain and educate readers.
Mothers and grandmothers who’ve read Abuse of Discretion constantly tell me it’s prompted a discussion about sexting with the children in their lives. I began hearing that so often that I decided to write #Abuse of Discretion—a young adult adaptation of the book—in an effort to reach teens directly.
It’s my hope that after reading Abuse of Discretion and #Abuse of Discretion, parents begin to monitor what their kids are doing on their computers and cell phones and kids become aware of the legal consequences of sexting.
Quite by accident, my legal curiosity has developed into a niche for writing legal thrillers that address important social topics. My novels have tackled subjects such as sexual harassment in the workplace, child sex trafficking, and HIV and AIDS. Future topics will include elder abuse and bipolar disorder.
It’s my plan to continue writing mysteries that matter. I tell readers that if they haven’t learned something new after reading one of my books, then I haven’t done my job.
BUY LINK For Abuse of Discretion
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Pamela Samuels Young is an attorney and award-winning author of eight legal thrillers. Her most recent courtroom drama, Abuse of Discretion, tackles a troubling sexting case that gives readers a shocking look inside the juvenile justice system. Pamela is also the recipient of an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Fiction for her thriller Anybody’s Daughter. The former journalist received a bachelor’s degree from USC and earned graduate degrees from Northwestern University and UC Berkeley School of Law. She is a frequent speaker on the topics of child sex trafficking, online safety, fiction writing, and pursuing your passion.
To read an excerpt of Pamela’s books or to invite her to a book club meeting or speaking engagement, visit her website You can follow her BLOG, meet her on FACEBOOK or TWITTER or INSTAGRAM or YOUTUBE or LINKEDIN