Messnger - Featured in the Ottawa Media

Author Empowers Young People Through Unique Book

By Jeffrey Morris

Author Cara Rose-Brown uses her writing to make a positive difference in peoples’ lives.

So when she wanted to do something that would inspire a youth-based audience, she knew that a different approach would be the most effective one.
Rather than write a traditional novel, Rose-Brown jumped into the youth world and used their medium and unique and changing methods of communication to deliver a book that is both unique and inspiring.

Messnger – no, that is not a typo – is a book that is written in instant messaging format. It is a book that will inspire not only young people, but everyone who reads it. Putting the words down in chat language is something that Rose-Brown feels will give young people some ownership of the book, and make it more identifiable.
“It is a positive book that will empower young people and make them feel better about life,” she said.

In Messnger, Rose-Brown incorporated many of the life lessons that she teaches through her business, Ignite Potentials Training Inc. As a motivational speaker and life coach, she teaches many lessons that help people improve the quality of their lives.
The book features the story of two friends and follows them through the instant messages and texts that they send each other. When one friend moves from the east coast to the west coast, the friendship is tested but then deepens as the main characters learn more about themselves and their outlooks on and approaches to life. Rose-Brown describes Messnger as a quick and easy read compared to some novels, but it is also one that will inspire readers and call them back for a second and even a third reading.

“The principals in the book are principals that we teach at Ignite Potentials,” Rose-Brown said. “Through the book, young people will learn the philosophies that will empower them and change their lives.

“Reaching out to young people through a book like this is something I have wanted to do for a long time. It is very different being a teenager today than it was a generation ago. The youth of today are a new breed, born into a world of technology, a borderless global world which offers a new set of challenges that we as parents did not have. And being a teenager does not come with an instruction manual, either for the parents or for the young people. They find it difficult to make the right decisions on how to live their lives. I did this book in chat language because they get it, and they understand it. After they read it, they will walk away from it feeling like a million bucks. I wrote this book to make kids feel good about who they are.”

Although the book is targeted at a youth audience, Rose-Brown said that the book has drawn positive feedback from readers “anywhere from 12 to 95”. She has received glowing feedback from young people that have read the book, and has also received tremendous praise from parents who have either obtained the book for their children or just to read themselves.

“The feedback I have received has been incredible,” she said. “It doesn’t matter how old or how young you are. The book is written for everyone.”

Rose-Brown is already working on a follow-up for Messnger. She plans to make Messnger the first in a trilogy. In her next two books, as in her first, she plans to create a template that will empower the readers, particularly the young readers. With Messnger, the trilogy has a solid foundation.

“I want the person reading the book to feel better about their life,” said Rose-Brown. “Messnger is a short, humorous book that will make a difference. Anyone reading this book will love who they are after they finish it.”

Some of the testimonials Rose-Brown has received back up the message of inspiration in her book.

“Inside each one of us is the remains of a teenager still searching for the perfect way to live our life. Cara Rose-Brown’s Messnger offers an insight into the perceptions of our youth, and ultimately ourselves, and directs us through humor and perspective towards a glimpse of our future possibilities.” Said Satish Kumar, Editor of Resurgence Magazine and author of Spirual Compass, The Buddha and the Terrorist, No Destination and You Are Therefore I Am.

Jon Symnes, Outreach Director of Pachamama Alliance and author of Your Planet Needs You, said that “Cara has crafted a beautiful way to bring a few real truths into the lives of our young people, as creative, fun, pithy and accessible as can be. Thank you for caring so much for our next generation.”

Perhaps, as Rose-Brown said, being a teenager does not come with an instruction manual. But with its positive and inspiring story line and life lessons, Messnger is certainly a step in that direction.

Messnger is available in hard copy or e-book download format at www.ignitepotentials.com
Watch our literacy and author pages for upcoming book signings and appearances.