Louder Than Words

The first-ever series of teen-authored memoirs, Louder Than Words, is being published in August by HCI books. The first three memoirs are being re-released.

Marni

Marni pulls. Her hair, that is.

Struggling with the stress disorder trichotillomania, Marni's compulsion to yank out her eyebrows, eyelashes...even the hair from the top of her head, makes surviving high school no easy feat.

When Marni first started pulling, it helped her turn off her brain and escape the stresses of the world around her. Unfortunately, she didn't realize she was hooked until it was way too late.


Emily

Emily's the sick one. All of the time.

Plagued with some sort of cold or fever or bizarre ache or pain for much of her life, Emily thought the dizziness and stomachaches at the start of her senior year were just another bout of "Emily flu." But when they didn't go away, she knew something serious was wrong.

Eventually diagnosed with the rare and incurable West Nile virus, Emily watched her senior year and the future she had planned for go up in smoke.


Chelsey

Chelsey was dealt the unthinkable.

When her only surviving parent, her beloved father, was violently murdered days before her fourteenth birthday, Chelsey's life was forever changed.

Forced to come to terms with a new home life, a new school...a new identity as an orphan, Chelsey struggled to make sense of her personal tragedy and find a way to flourish despite the odds.


I think these sound really amazing. Starting tonight and every night this week, you can watch Louder Than Words TV. This features videos of the authors for each book and teh editor of the series.

Schedule from the HCI website:

Monday, August 10, 8-9 p.m. ET
Guest: Deborah Reber, Series Editor
Topic: Introducing the Louder Than Words Series

Description: Join us Monday night as Deborah Reber, editor of the new series of teen-authored memoirs, "Louder Than Words," gives us the story behind the series. How were the teen authors chosen? How were the books put together? Who is the series written for? What kind of feedback are you getting? Are there more books coming? How can I be a "Louder Than Words" author?

Tuesday, August 11, 8-9 p.m. ET
Guest: Marni Bates, author of "Marni"
Topic: Compulsive Behavior and How the Internet Can Help

Description: Join us Tuesday night as teen author Marni Bates answers questions about her book, "Marni." Marni has trichotillomania - a irresistible desire to pull out her own hair. What do you have? Marni discusses how the Internet helped her understand the problem, and also how she feels about having her secrets revealed in a book.

Wednesday, August 12, 8-9 p.m. ET
Guest: Emily Smucker, author of "Emily"
Topic: Sickness and Faith, Pickles and Cake

Description: Join us Wednesday when Emily Smucker will answer questions about what it's like getting through senior year with a chronic illness. Emily is a Mennonite but, don't worry, it's not contagious. She'll also talk about blogging and writing books.

Thursday, August 13, 8-9 p.m. ET
Guest: Chelsey Shannon, author of "Chelsey"
Topic: Assembling a New Life with Pieces from the Past

Description: Join us Thursday night as Chelsey Shannon, author of "Chelsey," talks about fashioning a new life for herself after her father was murdered a week before her 14th birthday and she had to move away from home and school. She'll talk about overcoming grief, and how she discovered a group of women writers who helped her get over.

Friday, August 14, 8-9 p.m. ET
Guest: Deborah Reber, Series Editor
Topic: How to Break Into Publishing for Teen Writers

Description: On Friday, series editor Deborah Reber will answer questions about how teen writers can break into publishing. All the "Louder Than Words" authors were teen writers when they were first published. Some made money as writers. All of them wrote on the Internet, and made friends wither writers online. One of the author's moms is a writer. If you have something better to do Friday night, you can watch replay on demand at louderthanwordsbooks.com