I have the pleasure of sharing a guest post by author and fellow Trojan, Pamela Samuels Young, who shares some eye-opening and startling information...
Courtroom Drama Tackles Devastating Consequences of Teen
Sexting
by
Pamela Samuels Young
I still remember the exact moment that I decided to write about the subject of
teen sexting in a legal drama.
I was on the phone catching up with a law school classmate who is a criminal
defense attorney. He was griping about yet another teen client charged with
possession and distribution of child pornography as a result of sexting. I was
absolutely floored when he explained that prosecutors were not only charging
kids for sending naked selfies, but requiring them to register as sex offenders
for life if convicted. I instantly knew this was a topic I wanted to tackle in
a legal thriller.
Abuse of Discretion, my eighth mystery, provides a shocking look at the
consequences of teen sexting and also takes readers inside the juvenile
criminal justice system. In the book, 14-year-old Graylin is charged with
possession of child pornography. The A-student soon finds himself embroiled in
a legal nightmare.
Before writing Abuse of Discretion, I had no idea that a teen who
sends or receives a naked image of another minor could face pornography
charges. As I hit the road promoting the book, I’m finding that readers are
just as shocked as I was to learn that this is happening.
One of the things that I explore in the book is that our society sends mixed
messages to our children. I grew up watching TV shows like I love Lucy,
with Lucy and Ricky Ricardo sleeping in separate beds. Today’s kids are
inundated with sex. It’s everywhere: on TV, in music, in movies, in
advertising. Our girls watch shows like The Bachelor and see a guy
making out with three or four nearly naked girls in less than an hour. That’s
their norm. So when they hit puberty and start exploring their own sexuality,
of course they don’t think it’s any big deal to send a naked picture. We
shouldn’t punish them with life-altering criminal penalties for being too
immature to understand the consequences of their actions.”
It’s my hope that Abuse of Discretion entertains as well as
educates. Pornography laws were intended to protect children from sexual
predators, not to be used against them. It’s time for the law to catch up with
technology. It’s also time for parents to recognize that teen sexting is at
epidemic levels and that it could very well impact their household. It’s
crucial that parents talk to their children and be aware of what they’re doing
on their computers and cell phones. When the police show up at your door, it’s
way too late.
****************
Abuse of Discretion
by
Pamela Samuels Young
by
Pamela Samuels Young
Publisher: Goldman House Publishing
Pages: 352
Genre: Mystery
BOOK BLURB:
A Kid’s Curiosity … A Parent’s Nightmare
The award-winning author of “Anybody’s Daughter” is back with an
addictive courtroom drama that gives readers a shocking look inside the
juvenile criminal justice system.
Graylin Alexander is a model fourteen-year-old. When his adolescent
curiosity gets the best of him, Graylin finds himself embroiled in a
sexting scandal that threatens to ruin his life. Jenny Ungerman, the
attorney hired to defend Graylin, is smart, confident and committed. She
isn’t thrilled, however, when ex-prosecutor Angela Evans joins
Graylin’s defense team. The two women instantly butt heads. Can they put
aside their differences long enough to ensure Graylin gets justice?
Unbeknownst to Angela, her boyfriend Dre is wrestling with his own
drama. Someone from his past wants him dead. For Dre, his response is
simple—kill or be killed.
***********************
Book Excerpt:
Graylin
“What’s the matter, Mrs.
Singletary? Why do I have to go to the principal’s office?”
I’m walking side-by-side
down the hallway with my second-period teacher. Students are huddled together
staring and pointing at us like we’re zoo animals. When a teacher at Marcus
Preparatory Academy escorts you to the principal’s office, it’s a big deal.
Nothing like this has ever happened to me before. I’m a good student. I never
get in trouble.
Mrs. Singletary won’t
answer my questions or even look at me. I hope she knows she’s only making me
more nervous.
“Mrs. Singletary, please
tell me what’s wrong?”
“Just follow me. You’ll
find out in a minute.”
I’m about to ask her
another question when it hits me. Something happened to my mama!
My mama has been on and
off drugs for as long as I can remember. I haven’t seen her in months and I
don’t even know where she lives. No one does. I act like it doesn’t bother me,
but it does. I’ve prayed to God a million times to get her off drugs. Even
though my granny says God answers prayers, He hasn’t answered mine, so I
stopped asking.
I jump in front of my
teacher, forcing her to stop. “Was there a death in my family, Mrs. Singletary?
Did something happen to my mama?”
“No, there wasn’t a
death.”
She swerves around me and
keeps going. I have to take giant steps to keep up with her.
Once we’re inside the main
office, Mrs. Singletary points at a wooden chair outside Principal Keller’s
office. “Have a seat and don’t move.”
She goes into the
principal’s office and closes the door. My head begins to throb like somebody’s
banging on it from the inside. I close my eyes and try to calm down. I didn’t
do anything wrong. It’s probably just—Oh snap! The picture!
I slide down in the chair
and pull my iPhone from my right pocket. My hands are trembling so bad I have
to concentrate to keep from dropping it. I open the photos app and delete the
last picture on my camera roll. If anyone saw that picture, I’d be screwed.
Loud voices seep through
the closed door. I lean forward, straining to hear. It almost sounds like Mrs.
Singletary and Principal Keller are arguing.
“It’s only an
allegation. We don’t even know if it’s true.”
“I don’t care. We have
to follow protocol.”
“Can’t you at least
check his phone first?”
“I’m not putting myself
in the middle of this mess. I've already made the call.”
The call? I can’t believe Principal Keller called my dad without
even giving me a chance to defend myself. How’d she even find out about the
picture?
The door swings open and I
almost jump out of my skin. The principal crooks her finger at me. “Come in
here, son.”
Trudging into her office,
I sit down on a red cloth chair that’s way more comfortable than the hard one
outside. My heart is beating so fast it feels like it might jump out of my
chest.
The only time I’ve ever
been in Principal Keller’s office was the day my dad enrolled me in school.
Mrs. Singletary is standing in front of the principal’s desk with her arms
folded. I hope she’s going to stay here with me, but a second later, she walks
out and closes the door.
Principal Keller sits on
the edge of her desk, looking down at me. “Graylin, do you have any
inappropriate pictures on your cell phone?”
“Huh?” I try to keep a
straight face. “No, ma’am.”
“It’s been brought to my
attention that you have an inappropriate picture—a naked picture—of Kennedy
Carlyle on your phone. Is that true?”
“No…uh…No, ma’am.” Thank
God I deleted it!
“This is a very serious
matter, young man. So, I need you to tell me the truth.”
“No, ma’am.” I shake my
head so hard my cheeks vibrate. “I don’t have anything like that on my phone.”
“I pray to God you’re
telling me the truth.”
I don’t want to ask this
next question, but I have to know. “Um, so you called my dad?”
“Yes, I did. He’s on his
way down here now.”
I hug myself and start
rocking back and forth. Even though I deleted the picture, my dad is still
going to kill me for having to leave work in the middle of the day.
“I also made another
call.”
At first I’m confused.
Then I realize Mrs. Keller must’ve called my granny too. At least she’ll keep
my dad from going ballistic.
“So you called my granny?”
“No.” The principal’s
cheeks puff up like she’s about to blow something away. “I called the police.”
ORDER YOUR COPY:
Amazon | Barnes& Noble
***********************
About the Author
Pamela Samuels Young has always abided by the
philosophy that you create the change you want to see. She set giant-sized
goals and used her talent, tenacity and positive outlook to accomplish them.
Pamela consequently achieved success in both the corporate arena and literary
world simultaneously.
An author, attorney and motivational speaker, Pamela
spent fifteen years as Managing Counsel for Toyota, specializing in labor and
employment law. While still practicing law, Pamela began moonlighting as a
mystery writer because of the absence of women and people of color depicted in
the legal thrillers she read. She is now an award-winning author of multiple
legal thrillers, including Anybody’s Daughter, which won the
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Fiction, and her new release, Abuse of Discretion, a shocking look at the juvenile justice system in
the context of a troubling teen sexting case.
Prior to her legal career, spent several years as a
television news writer and associate producer. She received a bachelor’s degree
in journalism from USC and earned a master’s degree in broadcasting from
Northwestern University and a law degree from UC Berkeley School of Law. She is
a frequent speaker on the topics of teen sexting, child sex trafficking,
self-empowerment and fiction writing.
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