Beth Steury: Before I Knew You
Hi Julie, I’m so excited to be here today, to share the first book in my YA series with your audience. Now readers, before you get hung up on the YA label and conclude this is not the book or series for you, be advised that adult women read YA as much (some surveys say MORE) than those in the YA age range.
Beth Steury
So, let me introduce you to Maggie who stars in “before I knew you.” Julie, you will be thrilled to learn that Maggie loves chocolate at least as much as you do! Chocolate plays a crucial role in her teenage life. Let’s hear from Maggie herself—
“During my sophomore year of high school, my parents got the bright idea to drag me and my brother five hundred miles from our friends, our school, our church—from everything I’d known my whole life. Who does that?? All so they could open a health clinic—their dream in life, not mine—in Pine Crossing, Indiana. Now, I go to Madison High School which is huge compared to my tiny high school back in Minnesota where I knew everyone. After six months, I’m still not thrilled about the situation, but I’m trying to make the best of it. The one bright spot has been Chelsea, my new best friend, whose mom also works at the clinic. I can’t imagine adjusting to this move without her.
But I want a boyfriend! I was so sure that this year it would be my turn to be in an amazing relationship with an awesome guy. An awesome Christian guy who would respect my white-wedding-dress future. But . . . I guess not.
Thanks to Logan Wallace and the worst first date ever, the pursuit of the perfect guy is completely on hold. If all the guys at Madison are like him, junior year will definitely not be the year of the boyfriend.
Unless . . . by some absolute miracle, Preston is interested in me. Chelsea insists he doesn’t have a girlfriend, she says I should “got for it”. But it’s ridiculous to even entertain the thought of us as a couple. He’s popular, charming, and hot. He could have any girl he wanted, so why would he ever be interested in me? He’s actually a lot more than incredibly handsome, he’s sweet, funny, and a gentleman to the nth degree. Nothing like that creep Logan. But he’s so out of my league . . .”
A realistic, candid, and relevant cast of high school-aged characters accompany Preston and Maggie as they navigate choices and consequences in the choppy waters of friendship, dating relationships, saving sex for marriage, and “renewed waiting.”
The inspiration for this series came from a radio interview I heard many years ago. Following a presentation, a well-known youth speaker met outside in the parking lot with a young man from the audience. The young guy leaned on his truck, kicking the tire with his shoe. He looked up at the speaker. “What happens when true love didn’t wait?” he asked. The speaker went on to say how that young man’s question and the conversation that followed forever changed how he approached the subject of teenagers and sex.
beth steury
For days, that scenario played through my mind accompanied by the faces of the many teenagers I knew who also had stumbled into premarital sex. From there, the story of Preston and Maggie began to percolate in my mind.
Book two in the “Choices Matters” series released last month. Stop by Julie’s blog on October 8 to get the scoop on “because I know you.” But you’ll want to get in on the beginning of Preston and Maggie’s story in “before I knew you” first!
Thanks, Julie. See you again on October 8th!
Beth immerses herself in the world of YA via substitute teaching at the local high school, by connecting with the teenage staff and patrons at the fast food joint where she claims the back booth as her office, and by reading YA fiction.
She’s a “cheerleader” for saving sex for marriage and an even bigger supporter of “renewed waiting” because it’s never too late to make wiser, healthier choices. She welcomes questions and topic suggestions for the “Waiting Matters … Because YOU Matter” blog that inspired the Waiting Matters YA non-fiction series. Check out her Choices Matter fiction series that follows Preston, Maggie, and a cast of high schooler as they navigate the choppy waters of high school, friendships, guy/girl relationships, and sex. Both series are available on Amazon in paperback and e-book.
Beth is also active in the adoption community where she writes and speaks about her experiences as a “foundling” who located her birth parents and is enjoying making up for lost time with her biological family.
Connect with her at BethSteury.com, the home of all her writing endeavors. She loves to hear from readers! Write to her at waitingmatters@gmail.com.
Find her on social media—
Facebook: Beth Steury, Author
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Twitter: @Beth_Steury
Goodreads: Beth Steury, Author
