Elizabeth Thomas's Blog
February 17, 2015
Familial Support
Now that Arden's Act has been out for a few months, I should be trying to figure out ways to have it linked to something ragingly popular on the internet, like 50 Shades of Gray or Outlander. The latter is somewhat plausible, in that I at least read and admire Diana Gabaldon, and love the miniseries--but I digress.
Instead I've decided to share one of the most harrowing parts of getting published--having one's family members actually read what one has written. I can let a million strangers read my words without batting an eyelash. But my relatives? People whose thoughts and feelings about me I actually care about? Almost as scary as the thought of a world without restaurants. And when your book has, quite frankly, a lot of sex scenes in it? Oh my.
Fortunately, I have pretty great relatives, and amazing parents. Not only that, but most of them are really a hoot. My mother, and her sister, my Aunt Clara, have now read the book. Apparently, they both loved it, and they are both just so proud of me! My mother was gracious enough to share with me the following bits of their conversation:
Aunt Clara: "I had no idea Elizabeth knew about [insert name of kinky sex act here]."
Mom: "Elizabeth is French. She is always horny."
It is a great comfort to me to have a family who really gets me.
Apparently, my father has decided to read Arden's Act, too. He is the one who so graciously donated those French genes.
Mom: "You can just skip over the filth if you want to."
Dad: "But that might be the best part!"
Seriously, though, my family has been great about my e-book. I am so blessed to have them all.
Instead I've decided to share one of the most harrowing parts of getting published--having one's family members actually read what one has written. I can let a million strangers read my words without batting an eyelash. But my relatives? People whose thoughts and feelings about me I actually care about? Almost as scary as the thought of a world without restaurants. And when your book has, quite frankly, a lot of sex scenes in it? Oh my.
Fortunately, I have pretty great relatives, and amazing parents. Not only that, but most of them are really a hoot. My mother, and her sister, my Aunt Clara, have now read the book. Apparently, they both loved it, and they are both just so proud of me! My mother was gracious enough to share with me the following bits of their conversation:
Aunt Clara: "I had no idea Elizabeth knew about [insert name of kinky sex act here]."
Mom: "Elizabeth is French. She is always horny."
It is a great comfort to me to have a family who really gets me.
Apparently, my father has decided to read Arden's Act, too. He is the one who so graciously donated those French genes.
Mom: "You can just skip over the filth if you want to."
Dad: "But that might be the best part!"
Seriously, though, my family has been great about my e-book. I am so blessed to have them all.
September 24, 2014
Guest Appearance
I am the guest blogger for my publisher, in celebration of Keith Publications' fourth anniversary. I'm going to put the link down here, because you have to comment on their site to be entered to win fabulous prizes.
http://keithpublications.com/blog/60-....
http://keithpublications.com/blog/60-....
August 3, 2013
To Fanfic, or Not to Fanfic (and other news)
I know I say this every time I come here, but I really need to do this more often. There are noises everywhere that it really can be done--make money as an independent author (which is not to say I'd turn down any form of book contract!)--but that the key to doing so is to blog, and tweet, and make all sorts of vulgar and comical-sounding noises. Apparently it is pretty key even with a conventional contract. So, without further ado, I will announce that my short story More Than the Quest, published by Keith Publications, is now available on Amazon for Kindle. Here is the link to it: http://www.amazon.com/More-Than-the-Quest-ebook/dp/B00E5G85DE/ref=sr_1_1/177-8323824-7150801?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1375573403&sr=1-1&keywords=more+than+the+quest.
It's a short fantasy tale, a stand-alone excerpt from a novel I am writing called The White Squirrel.
I want to do more with this blog, however, than publicize myself. In the last entry I made, I posted a link to a book written by a friend from my old writers' group, Barbara Ann Wright. Her first book, The Pyramid Waltz, did very well for itself, and got a review in USA Today; her second book in the series, For Want of a Fiend, came out in May, and here's the link to it: http://www.amazon.com/Want-Fiend-Barbara-Ann-Wright/dp/1602828733/ref=sr_1_1/179-9177260-5298851?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1375574265&sr=1-1&keywords=barbara+ann+wright
There are electronic versions of both books, now, too. I haven't had the time to read it yet, but I'm sure it will be every bit as good as the last one. I'll be sure to review it when I'm done.
Now to the actual topic of this entry. Not all of my friends know that I've become absolutely addicted to Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's Pendergast series, but my kids sure do. And I have made a great many online friends on one of the Facebook pages devoted to their works, Team Pendergast. I picked up the first in the series, Relic (please do not judge it by the movie that was made from it; Pendergast was left in all his magnificence on the cutting room floor!), looking for a quick, keep-yourself-from-being-bored mystery fix, and came away, eleven books later, with an obsession and lots of new friends. (Actually, he had me at the third book, Cabinet of Curiosities; his brother Diogenes had me by the seventh, Book of the Dead.) Not only that, but the authors themselves are genuinely good human beings who are willing to interact with their readers. While they cannot officially endorse fan fiction, they are okay with it; on their author website they include links to fan sites that include fan fiction about their characters. Mr. Preston even seems somewhat proud of the subgenre called, for obvious reasons, "Pendergasms."
As prolific as these Gentlemen (my pet term for them) are, the wait between Pendergast books is nevertheless excruciating. My friends and I have often been driven to the vast body of Pendergast fanfic in desperate need of a fix. Still, most of the aspiring writers I know would not ever write fanfic. It is, to their minds, a waste of time, to work on something they can never sell to a publisher, or even independently, because the characters belong to other people. I have such a hard time making time to write that I could ill afford this kind of indulgence. However, as I was trying to work on The White Squirrel, and writing myself into corners, a story with the Pendergast characters came to me and would not let me alone. I kept telling it no, but it would keep whispering yes, in Diogenes' sibilant tones, chiming in with the lyrics of the songs I listened to on the long commute to my day job and showing up in my dreams. Eventually, it occurred to me that the quickest way to get it to leave me in peace to write my original, and, God-willing, someday profitable work, was to actually write the damned thing.
And so I have. I have been sharing it with my friends on Team P, on an offshoot page christened The Writer's Shack after a cottage Mr. Preston uses to write in. They have been gracious and kind. I have been having fun, too, and recapturing an enthusiasm that has often eluded me. In a PM with one of my Team P friends (or Penderpeeps, as most of us call each other), I affirmed that even TRYING to write like Preston and Child made me a better writer; my wise friend compared it to art students learning by setting up their easels in the Louvre and copying the masters. That is exactly how it feels. Also, I have never felt that I would be any good at writing any sort of mystery; I have never felt I would be able to come up with a plot in which the reader would not immediately know who the murderer was from the first chapter. This fanfic was a safe area to play with a genre in which I was not at all comfortable.
From the beginning of my fanfic adventure, my daughter has been making Fifty Shades of Grey comparisons. I have been shrugging them off. I feel like the characters I have been borrowing from the Pendergast universe are too distinct, and that the things I am writing about them would not be as funny or--yes--sexy!--if they were about different people that we didn't already know like old heartthrobs. But my wise friend at Team P has urged me to think about it a little harder, and at his urging, I have been thinking of some ways to change the characters enough, but still preserve the dynamics between the four I find the most fun to write.... Who knows? We'll see.
It's a short fantasy tale, a stand-alone excerpt from a novel I am writing called The White Squirrel.
I want to do more with this blog, however, than publicize myself. In the last entry I made, I posted a link to a book written by a friend from my old writers' group, Barbara Ann Wright. Her first book, The Pyramid Waltz, did very well for itself, and got a review in USA Today; her second book in the series, For Want of a Fiend, came out in May, and here's the link to it: http://www.amazon.com/Want-Fiend-Barbara-Ann-Wright/dp/1602828733/ref=sr_1_1/179-9177260-5298851?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1375574265&sr=1-1&keywords=barbara+ann+wright
There are electronic versions of both books, now, too. I haven't had the time to read it yet, but I'm sure it will be every bit as good as the last one. I'll be sure to review it when I'm done.
Now to the actual topic of this entry. Not all of my friends know that I've become absolutely addicted to Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's Pendergast series, but my kids sure do. And I have made a great many online friends on one of the Facebook pages devoted to their works, Team Pendergast. I picked up the first in the series, Relic (please do not judge it by the movie that was made from it; Pendergast was left in all his magnificence on the cutting room floor!), looking for a quick, keep-yourself-from-being-bored mystery fix, and came away, eleven books later, with an obsession and lots of new friends. (Actually, he had me at the third book, Cabinet of Curiosities; his brother Diogenes had me by the seventh, Book of the Dead.) Not only that, but the authors themselves are genuinely good human beings who are willing to interact with their readers. While they cannot officially endorse fan fiction, they are okay with it; on their author website they include links to fan sites that include fan fiction about their characters. Mr. Preston even seems somewhat proud of the subgenre called, for obvious reasons, "Pendergasms."
As prolific as these Gentlemen (my pet term for them) are, the wait between Pendergast books is nevertheless excruciating. My friends and I have often been driven to the vast body of Pendergast fanfic in desperate need of a fix. Still, most of the aspiring writers I know would not ever write fanfic. It is, to their minds, a waste of time, to work on something they can never sell to a publisher, or even independently, because the characters belong to other people. I have such a hard time making time to write that I could ill afford this kind of indulgence. However, as I was trying to work on The White Squirrel, and writing myself into corners, a story with the Pendergast characters came to me and would not let me alone. I kept telling it no, but it would keep whispering yes, in Diogenes' sibilant tones, chiming in with the lyrics of the songs I listened to on the long commute to my day job and showing up in my dreams. Eventually, it occurred to me that the quickest way to get it to leave me in peace to write my original, and, God-willing, someday profitable work, was to actually write the damned thing.
And so I have. I have been sharing it with my friends on Team P, on an offshoot page christened The Writer's Shack after a cottage Mr. Preston uses to write in. They have been gracious and kind. I have been having fun, too, and recapturing an enthusiasm that has often eluded me. In a PM with one of my Team P friends (or Penderpeeps, as most of us call each other), I affirmed that even TRYING to write like Preston and Child made me a better writer; my wise friend compared it to art students learning by setting up their easels in the Louvre and copying the masters. That is exactly how it feels. Also, I have never felt that I would be any good at writing any sort of mystery; I have never felt I would be able to come up with a plot in which the reader would not immediately know who the murderer was from the first chapter. This fanfic was a safe area to play with a genre in which I was not at all comfortable.
From the beginning of my fanfic adventure, my daughter has been making Fifty Shades of Grey comparisons. I have been shrugging them off. I feel like the characters I have been borrowing from the Pendergast universe are too distinct, and that the things I am writing about them would not be as funny or--yes--sexy!--if they were about different people that we didn't already know like old heartthrobs. But my wise friend at Team P has urged me to think about it a little harder, and at his urging, I have been thinking of some ways to change the characters enough, but still preserve the dynamics between the four I find the most fun to write.... Who knows? We'll see.
November 9, 2012
Living the Dream
Wow. Haven't been here in far too long. And a lot has been happening. Not only has Keith Publications released my e-short story, they are also going to publish my historical romance, Arden's Act. Here is a link to the short, More Than the Quest. And here is the cover--even e-books have covers! Anyone who blogs and who would like a PDF review copy, please comment on this blog or contact me via Facebook...
Keith is also interested in the novel from which the short story comes, The White Squirrel, which I am working on for NanoWriMo. I will never make the 50,000 words in a month, since I am also moving this month, but I'm getting more done than I would otherwise.
In my association with Keith Publications, I have also made the cyberaquaintance of other writers, including Nikki Prince, whose novel (novela?) Demon Mine I have reviewed for Amazon and Goodreads. We need a photo of Nikki's cover, too--it's pretty:
If you like erotica, check it out--Ms. Prince knows her stuff. I have to admit, however, that I found it interesting in part because of its take on Apocrypha characters, Lilith and Samael.
I also don't think I've mentioned that I joined a writers' group this year, a group that has many talented members. One of the most talented is Barbara Ann Wright, whose first novel The Pyramid Waltz was just published by Bold Strokes Books. I've reviewed it for Amazon and Goodreads as well. It's a great, imaginative fantasy, with strong female characters. Barbara writes with wit and intelligence. Here's her cover; it's an actual print book and not available for Kindle or Nook--yet.
One of the really cool things about knowing Barbara is that she was gracious enough to invite the members of her various writers' groups to a masquerade ball to celebrate the release of her novel. So early last month I got to hobnob with other writers, dressed like I'd never been dressed in my life:
Here's a picture of the proud authoress herself, holding her first-born:
After the party, I adjourned to my dear P's British Museum, where I had him take a photo or two for use on web sites, blogs, etc. I love that he chose the fleur de lis as a backdrop--he knows me so well.
After the photo shoot, let's just say I had an experience every woman writer who claims historical romance as part of her repertoire should have...
One last photo I want to post before I adjourn--the proposed cover for Arden's Act. I shall try not to stay away from here so long in the future!
Keith is also interested in the novel from which the short story comes, The White Squirrel, which I am working on for NanoWriMo. I will never make the 50,000 words in a month, since I am also moving this month, but I'm getting more done than I would otherwise.
In my association with Keith Publications, I have also made the cyberaquaintance of other writers, including Nikki Prince, whose novel (novela?) Demon Mine I have reviewed for Amazon and Goodreads. We need a photo of Nikki's cover, too--it's pretty:
If you like erotica, check it out--Ms. Prince knows her stuff. I have to admit, however, that I found it interesting in part because of its take on Apocrypha characters, Lilith and Samael.
I also don't think I've mentioned that I joined a writers' group this year, a group that has many talented members. One of the most talented is Barbara Ann Wright, whose first novel The Pyramid Waltz was just published by Bold Strokes Books. I've reviewed it for Amazon and Goodreads as well. It's a great, imaginative fantasy, with strong female characters. Barbara writes with wit and intelligence. Here's her cover; it's an actual print book and not available for Kindle or Nook--yet.
One of the really cool things about knowing Barbara is that she was gracious enough to invite the members of her various writers' groups to a masquerade ball to celebrate the release of her novel. So early last month I got to hobnob with other writers, dressed like I'd never been dressed in my life:
Here's a picture of the proud authoress herself, holding her first-born:
After the party, I adjourned to my dear P's British Museum, where I had him take a photo or two for use on web sites, blogs, etc. I love that he chose the fleur de lis as a backdrop--he knows me so well.
After the photo shoot, let's just say I had an experience every woman writer who claims historical romance as part of her repertoire should have...One last photo I want to post before I adjourn--the proposed cover for Arden's Act. I shall try not to stay away from here so long in the future!
April 13, 2012
Lot's Daughter
Have been meaning to post about this for a while. It's a short story I self-published through Kindle, called Lot's Daughter. It's gotten a couple of good reviews. Hopefully the link I'm going to put here will work, although it didn't work on my web site. Okay, this one should work!
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Lot's
Daughter by Elizabeth Thomas (Kindle Edition - Mar 31,
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March 2, 2012
Long Time, No Blog
Yes, it has been a long time. I had run out of things to say that I felt comfortable sharing with people who actually know me. But I have had some exciting news--an e-publisher, Keith Publications, accepted a short story of mine for publication as an e-book. I'm not sure when it will actually become available, because one of their editors needs to take my story out of the stack, and start the editing process. I will definitely keep you posted. The story is called "More Than the Quest," and for those of you who knew me in my White Squirrel days, this is a stand-alone excerpt from that novel.
I have also joined a writers' group here in Austin that is filled with talented people. They have critiqued another short story of mine that I intend to publish independently as a Kindle short. I'll be keeping you posted on that as well.
I have also joined a writers' group here in Austin that is filled with talented people. They have critiqued another short story of mine that I intend to publish independently as a Kindle short. I'll be keeping you posted on that as well.
June 25, 2011
The One After Chemistry
I finally finished chemistry. I got a B and was glad to get it. I finished in May, and still didn't get around to blogging until now. And in this time between, I have come to realize something. Using my own name, there is very little that I am not too timid and far too afraid of offending people (or having them think me totally uncool) to write my honest opinions about. And I realized I needed to stop wasting time trying to overcome these fears, or trying to find really neutral things to write about. Because most really neutral things are really boring, and I've been trying to overcome these fears all my life. I realized what I really needed to do, if I wanted to talk about things that matter to me, is to blog under a pseudonym. I will still try to occasionally make entries here, because they assure me that it helps one's writing career to have a blog site. And while I'm here, I might as well note that I've started another novel. It's something of a sequel to Arden's Act, which I'm still shopping around. I wanted to do a Civil War romance novel, but do it from the Northern perspective. I'm going to set it in Michigan. And while I'm on the subject of my writing, I did recently publish my little middle school book, Confessions of a Mixed-Up Weasel Hater, as an e-book, both for Kindle and Nook. I've sold a grand total of 3 e-copies, one to myself, because I wanted to see how bad the e-file was. Messed up all my paragraph indentations, and for this I apologize. While publicizing this event, however, I apparently sold a few more hard copies... And while I'm on the subject of Kindles, I got one. Now I carry temptation with me daily.
April 10, 2011
Chemistry and Procrastination
My apologies for not having done this yet this year. I had to try to remember how to get here so I could actually write. Anyway, as the title implies, my biggest excuse is the chemistry class I have had to take in order to be able to apply to the nurse practitioner's program. Turns out, I cannot apply until next spring anyway, but I digress. This chemistry class has taken up so much of my time--and so much of the space my brain allots to worrying--that when I found out I couldn't apply to the NP program until next year, I was tempted to drop it. But the only thing worse than continuing to struggle along with it would be having to start it all over again, so here I am. It's not that I don't enjoy it. I have a wonderful, wonderful professor whom I am so grateful to have met. It never fails to amaze me how far people have traveled to teach me chemistry--my high school chemistry teacher emigrated from Greece as a young man; this gentleman emigrated from Lebanon. The least I can do is be grateful, and do my best. But, for those of you over 40--do you remember when you had to get reading glasses? And then, for some reason, you can't find your glasses, and you have to try to make out some small print anyway? How you can almost feel the lenses of your eyes creaking, trying desperately to stretch so you can make sense out of the blurry letters in front of you? Well, that is how my brain feels, trying to stretch itself to do the algebra involved in chemical equations after all these years. Also, when I study for a test, I review everything, do the sample problems, and feel as though I understand everything. But when I get to the test, aside from the anxiety factor, I feel as though my brain can only hold so many formulas at once. Some problems I will do just fine with, and some I will stare at, recognize I've successfully worked something exactly like it the night before, but be completely blank on the subject of how to do it again. One problem I've managed to hold onto, and the other has just completely spilled out. Then, of course, there's the fact that I'd rather be thinking about P, or wondering what Lisa's going to want for dinner, or dreading a certain doctor at work, etc. It really isn't that our minds deteriorate so much in middle age. It's just that we are juggling so much more, not only because of our life situations, but because of the complexity of the modern world in which we live. Nevertheless, I was feeling a lot less intelligent than I used to be--like I was doing worse than anyone else in the class--until I started talking to some of my fellow classmates and found that they shared many of my perceptions. At least I am now feeling like I am on the downhill slope, and not only will I soon be finished, but I'll at least pass, if not get a B. As for procrastination, I came to the realization this week that this basic personality trait of mine is what is sabotaging my efforts at weight loss. I have this tendency to think, "I can stick to my diet and exercise tomorrow." Of course, when it comes to even more unpleasant things than diet and exercise, I have always tended to procrastinate with the thought, "I could get hit by a bus tomorrow. And if I do, at least I won't have had to do ______________." But with weight loss and other things, I have to constantly remind myself that the sooner I accomplish certain goals, the sooner I will be able to have everything I want.
October 27, 2010
For Once, Will Power--Plus an Update
I feel decently satisfied by my accomplishments this evening. I took my second test in Texas Government, and aced it; then came home and finished another chemo article for Suite 101. Then I took out the garbage--two bags full, to paraphrase "Baa Baa Black Sheep." And now I am even making a blog entry.
Recently I applied for a different position within the same health care company where I work now. If I get it--and if the pay is enough--I will be a research nurse. I believe in research; I believe there would be more growth opportunity in the new position, plus more experience with which to ensure I never have to work nights on a hospital floor ever again. Plus, I would get to use my writing skills as a research nurse. I would still (probably--unless I really can't endure chemistry next semester....) apply to the nurse practitioner program. But who knows if I'll succeed? In the meantime, this might well be a good move.
I am somewhat embarrassed to admit, however, that some of the things about the new position that really excite me are as follows: I would be salaried instead of hourly. I would get sent to conferences in cool cities at company expense. I would get to wear real clothes to work instead of scrubs. Not that working in your pajamas doesn't have its good side....
I would have said uncategorically that the interview went well. They looked at the education I already had and the education I am working towards, plus all my writing, and called me "driven." But then I left my purse in the interview room and had to come back for it. I told them: "I will remember the lab values of every patient you ever give me, but I will occasionally leave my purse in odd places." I hope that worked. P assures me that the purse thing won't matter. They told me I should find out this Friday--i.e., within two days. Reita tells me our company does not usually move that fast, and advised me not to be surprised if it takes longer than that. I hate suspense.
In other news, my historical romance got rejected by one small publisher, but I have already submitted it to another small publisher. This one allows you to submit the whole manuscript, but promises a much longer response time--12 to 16 weeks. More suspense. I am hoping, however, for a positive Valentine's surprise.
Recently I applied for a different position within the same health care company where I work now. If I get it--and if the pay is enough--I will be a research nurse. I believe in research; I believe there would be more growth opportunity in the new position, plus more experience with which to ensure I never have to work nights on a hospital floor ever again. Plus, I would get to use my writing skills as a research nurse. I would still (probably--unless I really can't endure chemistry next semester....) apply to the nurse practitioner program. But who knows if I'll succeed? In the meantime, this might well be a good move.
I am somewhat embarrassed to admit, however, that some of the things about the new position that really excite me are as follows: I would be salaried instead of hourly. I would get sent to conferences in cool cities at company expense. I would get to wear real clothes to work instead of scrubs. Not that working in your pajamas doesn't have its good side....
I would have said uncategorically that the interview went well. They looked at the education I already had and the education I am working towards, plus all my writing, and called me "driven." But then I left my purse in the interview room and had to come back for it. I told them: "I will remember the lab values of every patient you ever give me, but I will occasionally leave my purse in odd places." I hope that worked. P assures me that the purse thing won't matter. They told me I should find out this Friday--i.e., within two days. Reita tells me our company does not usually move that fast, and advised me not to be surprised if it takes longer than that. I hate suspense.
In other news, my historical romance got rejected by one small publisher, but I have already submitted it to another small publisher. This one allows you to submit the whole manuscript, but promises a much longer response time--12 to 16 weeks. More suspense. I am hoping, however, for a positive Valentine's surprise.
October 2, 2010
School, or; With Apologies to Jonathan Swift
I started my first pre-requisite that I must finish before applying to the nurse practitioner program. Texas Government, believe it or not. Understandably, perhaps, my Aunt Sharon asked me on Facebook what that had to do with nursing. I replied that it was to teach me just how much trouble I would be in if I handed out condoms to teenagers. I turned in my first paper for the class a few days ago, and I am sufficiently proud of it to post it here. I apologize for the "rant" nature of it--I've mentioned before that I do not approve of rants, but, hey, it's a government class and they WANT me to have opinions. Thank God my professor has a sense of humor. Ah, well. It follows:
Looking over the statistics on how Texas compares with the rest of the states that compose our country is an interesting experience. Some figures do not surprise me—for instance, learning that Texas tax revenue per capita is among the lowest in the nation did not raise my eyebrows at all. On the other hand, I was shocked to see that Texas releases more carcinogens into the environment than any other state. Yet, so far, it has not resulted in a corresponding rise in new cancer cases or cancer deaths. One wonders, however, if we will see a higher correlation between these statistics in the future.
The facts and figures that truly concern me, though, are some of those about children and young people in Texas. In the 2009 edition of Texas on the Brink, Senator Eliott Shapleigh asserts that Texas ranks first in the nation when it comes to teenagers giving birth (4). This rank is even higher than Shapleigh reported it to be in 2007, when Texas only came in fifth in this category (5). In both the 2009 and 2007 editions of Texas on the Brink, Shapleigh quotes from a 2001 study revealing that nearly half of Texas teenagers had had sex at least once during their lifetimes, and that only a little over half of the Texas teens who were currently sexually active had used a condom. Only ten percent of them said that they or their partner had used birth control pills (16-17), (19). I cannot help believing that these statistics have a direct bearing on the fact that in 2009, Texas ranked seventh among all the states in the percentage of its children who live below the poverty level (3). Though this is an improvement over the 2007 ranking, in which Texas placed fifth (3), it is still unacceptable.
I feel that the only way to make any change in the first group of statistics is to repeal the bill passed by the seventy-fourth Texas legislature in 1995 making it mandatory to teach abstinence in sex education. Shapleigh's statistics on the number of teens having sex mean that the abstinence message is not being taken to heart by the adolescents of Texas; his statistics on the use of any reliable birth control methods mean that far too many teenagers are left without the knowledge of how to effectively prevent pregnancy.
I despair, however, of ever wresting control of these matters—at least in the state of Texas—from the Christian Right. The University of Texas at Austin's Web site Texas Politics, in its “Texas Political Culture” section, speaks of “the deep historical roots” of “culturally conservative social policy in areas such as education, religion, and civil rights,” and asserts that this dominance “has been challenged and modified to some extent during various periods in Texas history, but never substantially overturned.” The only hope of bringing any improvement in the situation is to draw enough outraged attention to Shapleigh's statistics that we might be able to slip in an amendment to the existing bill that would mandate “abstinence plus”(italics mine) programs—i.e., sex education programs that tell teenagers about the various methods of birth control and how to most effectively use them (and maybe even where to get them at low or no cost), but which still state that abstinence is the only certain way to prevent pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases. That kind of compromise is the only way even the smallest progress might be made here—to remove the language of abstinence entirely would draw the immediate scrutiny and all the powers of resistance possessed by the state's Christian conservatives. I fear even the language of “abstinence plus” might only mean the brief beginnings of an improvement in the number of children born to children in the state of Texas—and then, a little further in the future, a decline in the number of Texas children living in poverty. Sooner or later, though, the state's religious conservatives would conclude once more that practical information about birth control would give young people too many options other than embracing their parents' values, and they would find a way to make “abstinence only” the law once more.
I learned other things, however, from the “Texas Political Culture” section of Texas Politics. The urban areas of Texas have a much higher level of income and education than that of the state as a whole. Austin, especially, has always seemed to me personally an oasis of culture and free thought in the middle of an otherwise conservative state. “Texas Political Culture” also taught me that when Texas was admitted to the Union, it came with provisions that it might be divided into a total of five states. It is probably an impossible dream, but if conservatives can talk of Texas seceding from the union, why can't Austin secede from the rest of Texas? Austin itself, however, is probably not big enough for such a move to be practical. But what if we took San Antonio, Houston, and Galveston with us? I can envision a thin crescent of a state, with San Antonio at its southwestern tip, arching up to Austin, then down to Houston (to bring us the oil money!), and then with a little tail to Galveston so we'll have a port. (Sorry, Dallas, you're too conservative. But maybe you can be the new capital of the old state.) The new state of Austontonio would surely rank better among the Fifty-One than Old Texas in many of these categories, especially once we taught our teenagers how to prevent pregnancy. The cultural conservatives of the rest of Texas would probably be glad to get rid of infamously weird Austin and its far too urban allies. Perhaps most fortunate of all, Austontonio would retain the wonderful diversity and flavor that is the best of Texas.
True, the creation of Austontonio would not end the problems faced by the rest of Texas. Then again, what would? At least this way, some of the most promising places in the state could band together and free themselves in order to be able to enact change.
Works Cited
Parents for Truth. What's Happening in Your State?--Texas. 2008. Web. 28 Sept. 2010.
“Seventy-Fourth Texas Legislature.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Jan. 2010. Web. 28 Sept. 2010.
Shapleigh, Eliott. Texas on the Brink, 2007: How Texas Ranks Among the 50 States. Shapleigh.Org, 2010. Web. 27 Sept. 2010.
---. Texas on the Brink, 2009: How Texas Ranks Among the 50 States. Shapleigh.Org, 2010. Web. 27 Sept. 2010.
University of Texas at Austin. “Texas Political Culture.” Texas Politics. 2009. Web. 28 Sept. 2010.
Looking over the statistics on how Texas compares with the rest of the states that compose our country is an interesting experience. Some figures do not surprise me—for instance, learning that Texas tax revenue per capita is among the lowest in the nation did not raise my eyebrows at all. On the other hand, I was shocked to see that Texas releases more carcinogens into the environment than any other state. Yet, so far, it has not resulted in a corresponding rise in new cancer cases or cancer deaths. One wonders, however, if we will see a higher correlation between these statistics in the future.
The facts and figures that truly concern me, though, are some of those about children and young people in Texas. In the 2009 edition of Texas on the Brink, Senator Eliott Shapleigh asserts that Texas ranks first in the nation when it comes to teenagers giving birth (4). This rank is even higher than Shapleigh reported it to be in 2007, when Texas only came in fifth in this category (5). In both the 2009 and 2007 editions of Texas on the Brink, Shapleigh quotes from a 2001 study revealing that nearly half of Texas teenagers had had sex at least once during their lifetimes, and that only a little over half of the Texas teens who were currently sexually active had used a condom. Only ten percent of them said that they or their partner had used birth control pills (16-17), (19). I cannot help believing that these statistics have a direct bearing on the fact that in 2009, Texas ranked seventh among all the states in the percentage of its children who live below the poverty level (3). Though this is an improvement over the 2007 ranking, in which Texas placed fifth (3), it is still unacceptable.
I feel that the only way to make any change in the first group of statistics is to repeal the bill passed by the seventy-fourth Texas legislature in 1995 making it mandatory to teach abstinence in sex education. Shapleigh's statistics on the number of teens having sex mean that the abstinence message is not being taken to heart by the adolescents of Texas; his statistics on the use of any reliable birth control methods mean that far too many teenagers are left without the knowledge of how to effectively prevent pregnancy.
I despair, however, of ever wresting control of these matters—at least in the state of Texas—from the Christian Right. The University of Texas at Austin's Web site Texas Politics, in its “Texas Political Culture” section, speaks of “the deep historical roots” of “culturally conservative social policy in areas such as education, religion, and civil rights,” and asserts that this dominance “has been challenged and modified to some extent during various periods in Texas history, but never substantially overturned.” The only hope of bringing any improvement in the situation is to draw enough outraged attention to Shapleigh's statistics that we might be able to slip in an amendment to the existing bill that would mandate “abstinence plus”(italics mine) programs—i.e., sex education programs that tell teenagers about the various methods of birth control and how to most effectively use them (and maybe even where to get them at low or no cost), but which still state that abstinence is the only certain way to prevent pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases. That kind of compromise is the only way even the smallest progress might be made here—to remove the language of abstinence entirely would draw the immediate scrutiny and all the powers of resistance possessed by the state's Christian conservatives. I fear even the language of “abstinence plus” might only mean the brief beginnings of an improvement in the number of children born to children in the state of Texas—and then, a little further in the future, a decline in the number of Texas children living in poverty. Sooner or later, though, the state's religious conservatives would conclude once more that practical information about birth control would give young people too many options other than embracing their parents' values, and they would find a way to make “abstinence only” the law once more.
I learned other things, however, from the “Texas Political Culture” section of Texas Politics. The urban areas of Texas have a much higher level of income and education than that of the state as a whole. Austin, especially, has always seemed to me personally an oasis of culture and free thought in the middle of an otherwise conservative state. “Texas Political Culture” also taught me that when Texas was admitted to the Union, it came with provisions that it might be divided into a total of five states. It is probably an impossible dream, but if conservatives can talk of Texas seceding from the union, why can't Austin secede from the rest of Texas? Austin itself, however, is probably not big enough for such a move to be practical. But what if we took San Antonio, Houston, and Galveston with us? I can envision a thin crescent of a state, with San Antonio at its southwestern tip, arching up to Austin, then down to Houston (to bring us the oil money!), and then with a little tail to Galveston so we'll have a port. (Sorry, Dallas, you're too conservative. But maybe you can be the new capital of the old state.) The new state of Austontonio would surely rank better among the Fifty-One than Old Texas in many of these categories, especially once we taught our teenagers how to prevent pregnancy. The cultural conservatives of the rest of Texas would probably be glad to get rid of infamously weird Austin and its far too urban allies. Perhaps most fortunate of all, Austontonio would retain the wonderful diversity and flavor that is the best of Texas.
True, the creation of Austontonio would not end the problems faced by the rest of Texas. Then again, what would? At least this way, some of the most promising places in the state could band together and free themselves in order to be able to enact change.
Works Cited
Parents for Truth. What's Happening in Your State?--Texas. 2008. Web. 28 Sept. 2010.
“Seventy-Fourth Texas Legislature.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Jan. 2010. Web. 28 Sept. 2010.
Shapleigh, Eliott. Texas on the Brink, 2007: How Texas Ranks Among the 50 States. Shapleigh.Org, 2010. Web. 27 Sept. 2010.
---. Texas on the Brink, 2009: How Texas Ranks Among the 50 States. Shapleigh.Org, 2010. Web. 27 Sept. 2010.
University of Texas at Austin. “Texas Political Culture.” Texas Politics. 2009. Web. 28 Sept. 2010.
