Here, at www.choicesradio.com Teen Talk Radio, it's all about choices! Big or small, major or minor, there's a moment before every decision when you can alter the course of your life. Dive in with me on topics like peer pressure, dating, purity, drugs, alcohol, modesty, popularity, your future, and many other things that might come up along the way.

They tell me I'm a youth culture expert because I write and speak to pre-teens, teens, and parents about how to prepare for life's tough choices. I've written six books, been published over 200 times in devotional books, will see eleven more books release in the next year, and been interviewed on numerous radio stations as well as television--maybe that all does makes me an expert of some sort. I suppose being a mom of six, including toddler triplets, and working as a youth director, a Bible study leader for women and teens, a counselor at a crisis pregnancy center and serving as camp counselor for over a decade might qualify me in some ways, too.

But, it's the memory of my own teen years (yes, I can remember that far back) that has created a passion within me to reach out to teens and help them muddle through the confusion and pressure that life throws at them…at you! Hang out with me; let's figure it out together. I promise I won't preach at you--well, I'll try really hard not to!

Want some free stuff? Sometimes me or my guests will have giveaways, too. Gotta tune in to find out! You can also subscribe to Teen Talk Radio free on iTunes!

Nicole O'Dell, Choose NOW Ministries, ...battling peer pressure by tackling the tough issues

It's that time of the month!. . . No, not THAT time.

It's time for Laura Kurk to join us and award the newest recipient of the LOLA Award! Join us to find out who's doing it right in Hollywood!

"But, there are so many musicians who know who they are. Who are unchanging in their value systems and their beliefs. There are Christian artists to admire. But, there are also mainstream artists who feel deeply, know themselves well, and show us, the fans, the same face that they show their friends and family in private. They’re just good people."

Hmm...? Wonder who she's talking about! Tune in to find out!  

After Laura and I chat about Hollywood, I'll be spending the rest of the show introducing Choose HER to you. What is it? Why do you want to Choose HER? Who is "HER" anyway? Then, I have a stack of questions that I'm going to tackle in a mini Q&A segment.

And, just for fun, I'm giving one of these away:

Friends, you're going to want to tune in to Teen Talk Radio on Friday, May 11th at 11am EST for the encore presentation of this show.

Both Jim and Mary have a special place in my heart because of the way they feel about YOU! They love their readers and that care is evident in every word they write.

James L. Rubart is a professional marketer, speaker, and writer. He serves on the board of the Northwest Christian Writers Association and lives with his wife and sons in Seattle, Washington.

If someone gave you a chair and said it was made by Jesus Christ, would you believe them? When an elderly lady shows up in Corin Roscoe's antiques store and gives him a chair she claims was crafted by Jesus, he scoffs. But when a young boy is miraculously healed two days after sitting in the chair, he stops laughing and starts wondering . . . could this chair heal the person whose life Corin destroyed twelve years ago?

As word spreads of the boy's healing, a mega-church pastor is determined to manipulate Corin into turning over the chair. And that mysterious woman who gave him the piece flits in and out of his life like a shadow, insinuating it's Corin’s destiny to guard the chair above everything else. But why? Desperate, he turns to the one person he can trust, a college history professor who knows more about the legend of the chair than he'll reveal. Corin's life shatters as he searches for the truth about the artifact and the unexplained phenomena surrounding it. What’s more, he's not the only one willing do almost anything to possess the power seemingly connected to the chair.

We'll be chatting about Jim's latest book, The Chair, as well as his other books,Rooms and Book of Days. We'll also talk about what it's like to parent two teenage boys these days and Jim will share from his heart with you about how he feels about teenagers.     

Mary DeMuth...oh, I love me some Mary DeMuth! She's such a joy to me--one of those rare people who wears her heart on her sleeves and loves big. Mary has a unique ability to make herself vulnerable in her writing while drawing the reader in and making it about YOU.

I love Jesus, my family, and my life. Jesus has helped me live uncaged, and for that I'm eternally grateful. In that place of thanks, I write books and blogs and whatnot.

Among other things, Mary and I will talk about her latest fiction release, The Muir House.

Willa Muir can’t say yes to the love of her life … until she explores her past and solves the mystery of a haunting dream. But when Willa’s desperate search unearths unthinkable secrets, her heart collapses. Can Willa shake her past to embrace a love that could finally lead her home?

“You’ll find home one day. Sure as sweet tea on a hot afternoon.” Words from Willa Muir’s sketchy childhood haunt her dreams and color her days with longing, regret, and fear. What do the words mean? Willa is far from sure. When Hale Landon places a ring on her finger, Willa panics, feeling she can’t possibly say yes when so much in her past is a mystery.

Bent on sorting out her history, Willa returns to Rockwall, Texas, to the Muir House Bed & Breakfast, a former funeral home. But the old place holds her empty memory close to itself. Willa’s mother utters unintelligible clues from her deathbed, and the caretaker of the house keeps coveted answers carefully protected. Throw in an old flame, and Willa careens farther away from ever knowing the truth. Set in a growing suburb of Texas, The Muir House explores trauma, healing, love new and old, and the life-changingchoices people make to keep their reputations intact.

Join us as we chat about all sort of things...including your questions. I've already received several for Jim and Mary, but feel free to send in more. Are you subscribed to Teen Talk Radio on iTunes? It's totally free, and you'll never miss an episode!

Be sure to tune in, Friday, May 4th, at 11am EST to Teen Talk!!

Next up, Valerie Comer, Annalisa Daughety, (me) Nicole O’Dell and Cara Putman, the authors of the novella anthology, Rainbow’s End. We're here to tell you there really is something of value where X marks the spot. Join a geocaching adventure in the spectacular Lake of the Ozarks wilderness, with Lyssa, the reluctant volunteer whose former nemesis is now her chief sponsor; Madison, a city girl paired with an outdoorsy guy who gets on her very last nerve; cautious Reagan, who meets an equally cautious guy; and Hadley, who doesn't know enough about guys to realize she's met a womanizer.

Will they find the treasure they're looking for ... or something else entirely?

Curious about what geocaching is? Or maybe you already do it and want to call in to share your experiences with us! We'd love to hear from you at 866-404-6519!

If you're unfamiliar with geocaching, this will bring you to speed:

Tune in to Teen Talk Radio, immediately  following Parent Talk at 11 am EST.  

Laura Kurk, author of the On Hollywood column here at Choose NOW Ministries, joins us on Teen Talk Radio to chat about Hollywood marriages and this month's LOLA Award, and to present a call to action! Check out this month's ON HOLLYWOOD column (goes live on Friday morning), then tune in at 11 am EST on 4/20/12. Who is Laura Kurk? She says:

I’m Laura and I like to write. Just not about myself. Here’s what I’m supposed to tell you in my real bio: I live in College Station, Texas with my husband and two beautiful kids. I’ve been a writer since finishing a graduate degree in English, although before Glass Girl I mostly wrote academic brochures and marketing and public relations copy. I grew up in a little town in Oklahoma and that’s one of the best things about me. No, really. There's much more to her bio; you can check it out here.

 Next up: Kelly Irvin

It’s been four years since Carl left. Four years since he left the safety of the small Amish community for the Englisch world. And in four years, Emma’s heart has only begun to heal.  Now, with the unexpected death of her parents, Emma is plunged back into a world of despair and confusion. It’s a confusion only compounded by Carl’s return. She’s supposed to be in love with him…so why can’t she keep her mind off Thomas, the strong, quiet widower who always seems to be underfoot? Could the man she knew only as a friend be the one to help her to heal? 

In a world that seems to be changing no matter how tightly she clings to the past, one woman must see beyond her pain, find strength in God, and open her heart to trust once again.   Kelly Irvin is the author of two romantic suspense novels, A Deadly Wilderness and No Child of Mine, published in 2010 and 2011.

She is contracted with Harvest House for two Amish romances, To Love and To Cherish, which released on Feb. 12, 2012, and A Heart Made New, to hit bookstores Sept. 1, 2012.

Get out the vote! Let's get SUSIE magazine on the shelves of Walmart!  . .

SUSIE Magazine beat 4,000 other products in Walmart’s Get On the Shelf contest. They're now in the top ten with two more weeks of voting to go! 

YOU can help shape eternity by voting twice a day every day and bugging all your friends and family to:

1. Vote for SUSIE online

2. Text 4959 to 383838.

Thank you for your votes and prayers! Let’s do this! And join me on Friday as I talk with author, speaker and editor of  SUSIE magazine, Susie Shellenberger herself! She'll share all about this awesome resource for girls and about this amazing contest and opportunity. Don't miss it! 11 am est on Teen Talk!

Following my chat with Susie, I'll welcome Mark Gilroy to chat about his new release:

Detective Kristen Conner goes undercover to find a serialkiller who selects his victims - all successful young professional women - in the most unlikely of places - only to find herself as his new favorite target.

The Killer ... Chicago has a new resident; a heartless killer on a decade-long crime spree.  When a successful young woman is found dead in her fashionable town home, a red flag goes up in Washington, D.C. The FBI knows an elusive "organized killer" is at work again.  The problem is the Feds have only one tenuous lead to assist local police in the manhunt ... a most unlikely place the killer likes to find his victims.

The Detective ... Conner, turning thirty, single, light as a feather but tougher than nails—growing up in a cop’s home and taking every hand-to-hand combat course that the Chicago Police Department offers does that—and the coach of her niece’s 7-year-old soccer team, the Snowflakes, becomes a lead detective in her first major homicide case. She’s a good girl—loves her mom, goes to church, only yells when she’s really mad—who just can’t stop fighting with her partner, police department brass, and most of all, her TV news anchor sister, Klarissa, who can turn a single bite of chicken into a 30-minute ordeal of starting, stopping, and starting again. Her mom, sisters, and various suitors all think she’s wonderful—except for her anger and bonding issues.

The Climax ... From the opening chase scene that leads to a back alley where a Punk with a knife awaits, to the climactic scene where Kristen goes one-on-one with a man who is killing innocent women in her town and now has her in his sights, Cuts Like a Knife, the debut novel from Mark Gilroy, is loaded with action, humor, and wry introspection through the voice of its irrepressible lead character.

Join us, starting with SUSIE at 11 am est on Teen Talk!