I’m constantly surprised by the fact that there are still things out there that women “can’t” or aren’t allowed to do. Like this year in the Winter Olympics – did you know that women were prohibited from competing in the ski jump? While the reasons for this event ban are unclear, one member of the International Olympic Committee said he didn’t think women should ski jump because the sport “seems not to be appropriate for ladies from a medical point of view.” Huh?

So this morning when fellow YA author Tanya Lee Stone brought to my attention that the Navy had lifted its ban on women working on submarines, I was surprised, mostly because I didn’t realize there had been a ban in the first place.

According to an article in the Huffington Post, the Navy deemed that women’s “service on submarines would cost too much,” and that “close quarters aboard subs would make coed service difficult to manage.”

The Navy plans to start by assigning three female officers to different crews of guided-missile attack submarines and ballistic missile submarines. These are larger subs, and won’t require modification, allowing the Navy to move faster to include women. Because of additional training required though, it will still be more than a year until women will begin serving on board.

How much do you text? If you’re like many teens, you send out an average of 50 texts per day, about anything from where to meet and who said what, from important updates to mundane responses.

A new study by the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project found the number of teens who text-message daily has shot up to 54% from 38% in just the past 18 months. With this steady increase, as well as the growing number of teens who carry phones (now nearly 75%), many schools are perplexed about how to handle cell phones. Should they be banned? And if so, in school altogether or in class only? Should texting be allowed, but not calls?

Depends on who you ask. Many are concerned that the increase in texting will result in a deficit among teens for important social skills like problem solving, working things out face-to-face, and verbally communicating. According to a story on NPR, Nini Halkett, a teacher at Harvard-Westlake High School in Los Angeles, has noticed bad spelling and writing worsening as texting becomes more widespread. As her students are increasingly immersed in texting, Halkett also finds them increasingly shy and awkward in person.

What concerns me the most about this growing texting trend? I worry that texting and doing all other things cell-phone related are undertaken to fill up empty space and time. Standing in line at a store? Why not text someone? Sitting on the bus? Text someone! In a new situation where you don’t know anyone? Flip on your phone and start texting!

You might be saying to yourself, yeah, so, what’s the problem with that? Well, the way I see it it, when you’re texting and immersed in your cell phone, you’re not fully engaged in the present. And when you’re not in the present, the way you experience life is going to be affected, and not for the better. When you’re standing in line at a store, instead of texting you could try noticing what’s going on around you, people watch, consciously think about what you’re doing. Sitting on the bus? Use the time to reflect on your day, zone out with some music, daydream, or catch up on some reading. In a new situation with people you don’t know? Push yourself outside your comfort zone and be approachable and open to meeting new people.

I know for me, it’s really hard to resist the temptation to fill every empty space and free moment with cell phone stuff: texting, checking email, checking FB, checking Tweets. And sometimes I do it because I really am crunching and need to get back to someone or connect immediately with a text. But often, I’m making the choice out of boredom, convenience, and because I’m in a new situation feeling uncomfortable.

So,here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to give myself a texting / cell phone challenge for the week. No, I’m not going to ban all cell phone texting and nonverbal communication, but I am going to limit such use of my phone to times when I truly need to check in on something or someone as opposed to just trying to fill up empty space and time. I’ll see how it goes and report here in the comments next week. Are you with me?

What are your thoughts? Can too much texting be a bad thing?

On this 40th anniversary of Earth Day, I wanted to share with you the new website, Inconvenient Youth, which stems from The Climate Project, Al Gore’s climate change leadership program.

This new venture is aimed at teens with a goal of creating a “a community of teenagers taking action to address the climate crisis.” On the website, you can create your own profile, and then join in the discussion sharing your ideas for addressing global warming, as well as post specific actions you’ve already taken to do your part.

Also – be sure to visit the official Earth Day website, where you can share what you plan to do in the coming year to lighten your carbon footprint on the earth. Thousands of people have already posted their pledges to do things like:

• shop at a local farmer’s market and buy local / organic food
• use reusable bags and bins when grocery shopping
• start composting
• unplug chargers when not using them
• take the stairs instead of the elevator
• shut down computer when not using them
• use environmentally-friendly cleaning products

For me, I’m going to try to walk even more than I already do, shut down my computer every night, and plan more opportunities for our family, including my 5-year-old son, to take part in environmental clean-up volunteerism.

What are YOU going to do differently?

Most of us do…care what others think about us, that is. When it comes to things like the people you hang out with, the activities you do, the way you talk, and your personal style, chances are you’re at the very least considering how others will perceive you as you make your choices.

Some might say it’s human nature. Well, a new study by Dr. Amanda E. Guyer of the National Institute of Mental Health suggests that for teen girls, this reality of worrying about what others think about them – and therefore their potential depression and anxiety based on this – gets more intense as they progress through teenhood. The study was based on brain science, and looked at how certain regions of the brain were activated more strongly when they thought they were being evaluated by another teen. The more “high-interest” the peer was (prettier, popular, more interesting), the more strongly the brain reacted.

I’ll be honest…worrying about what others think of me is something I’ve struggled with from a very young age. When I was younger, I felt I was too short, too goofy, too plain Jane, and I was sure others saw me this way, too. And while I can’t say that I 100 percent don’t care what others think of me today, it’s definitely not such a big deal anymore. Now, I try to remember that most people are thinking about themselves and their own stuff, not sitting around considering the way I dress or parent or what kind of car I drive. And that’s incredibly freeing thing. I just wish it hadn’t taken me so long to figure it out.

And just to show you that I am OK with whatever you want to think about me, I’m including one of the most embarrassing photos of me I could find…a nice shot from college, complete with dorky glasses, goofy grin, and stuffed animal. Think what you want…go on, I can take it!

How about you? Do you care what others think of you? How does worrying about others’ perceptions impact your life?

After a bit of flip flopping over where to drop off my books for this year’s Operation Teen Book Drop, I ultimately decided to head down to my local public library.

After checking out a book waiting for me on the hold shelf, I planted a copy of my book CHILL and the Louder Than Words memoir, MARNI on the community resources shelf and snapped a photo.

Started by readergirlz in 2007, Operation Teen Book Drop is held in honor of Support Teen Literature Day in conjunction with Guys Lit Wire, YALSA, and If I Can Read I Can Do Anything. As part of Operation TBD, more than 10,000 new YA books have been donated by publishers to go to teens on Native American tribal lands, and more than 100 YA authors (including yours truly), librarians, and teens are dropping off YA books in their own communities.

Want to be a part of Operation TBD? Grab a favorite YA book, download the official book plate to stick inside, and leave the book in a public space for some lucky teen to discover. Then head over to readergirlz for the TBD Post-Op party at the readergirlz blog, tonight at 6pm PST/9pm EST.

You ever have those moments where you just realize, “Hey, I love my life!”? That pretty much sums up my weekend, since I got to spend Saturday and Sunday hanging out with hundreds of other writers and illustrators of children’s and YA books at the annual conference for SCBWI (Society for Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators) of Western Washington.

As a writer, I spend much time alone in my little office upstairs, my only company being my white shepherd Baxter who tends to sprawl out under my desk. So to be surrounded by others who share my passion for writing and connecting with people through stories and words on the page, was just what I needed. I came away from the weekend with pages full of notes on everything from creating believable characters to plotting, new friends and professional acquaintances, and enough inspiration to last me a good long while.

Here are some pictures from the big weekend, where I got to hang with the very funny and inspirational author of 13 Reasons Why, Jay Asher; National Book Award finalist for her novel Lips Touch, author Laini Taylor; the wonderful Mitali Perkins (author of Rickshaw Girl and the First Daughter series); Holly Cupula, whose debut novel comes out this June; Suzanne Young, author of series (and about a cabillion other forthcoming books…she is one busy writer!); Liz Gallagher, author of the YA novel ; Heather Davis, whose newest novel , just came out yesterday (happy book birthday!); and Kevin Emerson, musician and author of the Oliver Nocturne series. I hope some of their literary genius rubs off on me!

When she was only 17 years old, Chelsea Krost created a radio show called Teen Talk Live. Her tagline? “Our Voice, Our Opinion, Our Time to Talk.” Inspired by her life experiences and everyday challenges as a teenager, Chelsea’s goal was to establish a voice for the teen population by providing them with a safe outlet where teens can share their problems and gain advice.

Two years later, her show airs on LA Talk Radio, and she has become a unique and distinctive voice in the teen field. Her show often features interviews with professional experts talking about everything from pregnancy and STDs to body image, self-esteem, and bullying.

“We often have people far removed from our generation discussing issues that directly affect us,” Chelsea says. “Teen Talk live provides teens with an informed voice they can relate to, on a platform that is dedicated to inspiring and helping them make wise decisions.”

Chelsea’s show airs live every Wednesday at 7pm EST / 4PM PST, but you can catch up on the past year’s shows online here. I just listened to this week’s show about eating disorders, and was blown away by Chelsea’s interviewing skills and love that she’s bringing these issues to teens from a teen perspective.

I’m so excited to share with you the covers for the next three Louder Than Words memoirs due out from HCI Books this August. I’ve been working hard with three more incredible teen writers to get these books ready, and I can’t wait to bring these babies out into the world.

Next up is ALEXIS, by 19-year-old Alexis Singer who writes about being lured into an emotionally devastating cybersexual relationship with an older married man, HANNAH, by 18-year-old Hannah Westberg, who shares her personal story of mental illness, and RAE, by 18-year-old Chelsea Rae Swiggett, who describes what it’s like to go through life with severe anxiety disorder.

I’ll be sharing more about these new books in the months leading up to publication, but in the meantime, check out these gorgeous new covers. What do you think?

Girl Zone, one of the first ever websites just for girls, has just relaunched its site with a brand new look and more great content. If you’re not familiar with Girl Zone, it’s one of the the only independent websites for girls. Its goal? To make the zone a place for you to be yourself and have a good time. Their promise?

“We will ALWAYS listen to girls. We will always believe that EVERY girl is cool. We’d love to hear what you think about Girl Zone. Please. Read us. Talk to us. We’ll listen.”

Sounds good to me!

The Girl Zone site is broken down into categories like: Bodyopolis – body health, inside and out; Innercity – mind, spirit, and emotional health; Aroundtown – the future, money, and tech; Advice Central; and Downtown – book reviews, games, and shopping. It also features blogs on media, fashion and careers, as well as discussion boards and resources.

There is a ton of great content on this site, so definitely check it out and be prepared to spend some time there. You’ll definitely find something that connects with you!