Where Is the Line Between Real and Cyber Worlds?
New YA book, Gray Zone, to address growing concerns of cyberbullying.
NATIONWIDE, 2013—Veronica Tabares spent years working with students in school libraries. During this time she saw bullying move from hallways to the online world. Veronica vowed to do her part to eliminate the destructive act of cyberbullying. She has dedicated her time over the past 4 years to research and write a new YA book, Gray Zone.
Gray Zone shares the story of a teenage girl named Autumn who must move to a new school when a website about her goes viral. Gray Zone is fictional, yet this is a common occurrence in today’s world of technology. The statistics for cyberbullying are quite alarming—1 in 3 youth has been on the receiving end of cyberbullying and 1 in 4 a victim of cell phone bullying. Only 1 in 10 of these youth talk to their parents about the bullying they are experiencing.
“What makes cyberbullying so hard is that bullies can be anonymous on the Internet. Anonymous or not, kids are often less reserved in their harsh words and acts when they are online or via cell phones. Once hateful words are posted they usually remain. The destruction continues for years.” Author Veronica Tabares
Veronica crafted Gray Zone to show the struggles caused by cyberbullying. This new YA book shows youth how to respond to being bullied. But in a subtle manner so that readers enjoy their read while learning valuable life lessons.
Gray Zone is complete but still in preproduction. Veronica is asking for support from individuals who want to contribute to the anti-cyberbullying movement. Veronica has set up an Indiegogo Campaign to help cover marketing costs. All donors over $25 receive a signed copy of Gray Zone before it goes public.
“We can all do our part to eliminate this destructive form of bullying. I appreciate every donation small or large. It helps me reach my goal of educating youth with this new YA book. Teens can easily relate to Gray Zone, a fictional story of a modern day teenager.” Author Veronica Tabares
To support Veronica’s efforts with this new YA book you can donate to her Indiegogo Campaign. Her website is http://www.veronicatabares.org/ . If you are not able to financially contribute and would like to support Gray Zone please share and follow Gray Zone’s social media profiles.
(This information about Gray Zone was released a few days ago!)