Cheryl Rainfield's Blog, page 121

Another gay book banned at a high school–but some reactions still give hope

Another LGBT book has been banned at a high school–Revolutionary Voices edited by Amy Sonnie–a "groundbreaking, multicultural collection of stories by the queer and young" banned at Rancocas Valley High School.

Sad.

But what I found refreshing and hopeful was seeing in the video below, that at least one person attending the meeting passionately objected to this censorship, and that the students themselves weren't objecting to or trying to ban the book, but were caring about more important...

Winners of the Scars Book Trailer Contest

There were 130 entries in the Scars book trailer contest. Thank you so much to everyone who entered, and helped to spread the word about Scars!

The winners are:

Grand Prize: Melissa Montovani, Canada

First Prize: Amanda Speer, USA

Second Prize: Kari Olsen, USA

Third Prize: TBA (waiting for the person to contact me back)

Congratualitons, all–and thank you again to everyone who entered.

If you didn't get a chance to watch the book trailer, you can see it below.

So many good things lately!

So much good stuff has been happening lately, that I feel like I'm floating on happy and grinning so often!

I just moved, and didn't have internet acess for a week and a half because my internet provider messed up. I felt SO internet deprived. (No, that's not the good thing.) (laughing) I had a bunch of friends come over for a painting party, and then another day to help me move–and it was lovely! Including writers Erin Thomas, Aaron Thomas, Lena Coakley, Claudia Osmond, Debbie Ridpath Ohi,

I ended up carrying Scars around with me

So, ahem, I *did* carry my hardcover copy of SCARS with me today. (I knew I would.) And I read it on the subway! (laughing) But I had a good excuse! I needed to read it to see if there were any typos or things needing correcting, in case it gets reprinted. I've only found 3 so far, so I'm thrilled about that.

And oh–it felt amazing to hold the book. And yes, I kept showing it to people! (grinning) I think I'll likely be carrying around my book for a good long while. It just feels SO good!

I h...

I just got my hard cover copy of SCARS in the mail!

I just got my hard cover, jacketed copy of SCARS in the mail! Not the uncorrected ARC, but the real thing!! And I love it! I couldn't let it go for the longest time; I just kept holding it. Here it is, something that took me ten years to get published, a book I care about so deeply. Here it is, in a form I can hold and see and show other people.

It feels so good. And–I'm admitting it, here–I actually smelled the book! (laughing) I love the smell of books, but my own book? It just felt...

Interviewed on Ultimate Living Radio about Scars

Today I was interviewed about SCARS on Ultimate Living Radio by Lisa and Nancy. I was a bit nervous–it was my first radio interview–but both Lisa and Nancy were so friendly, and helped make it like a conversation!

If you'd like to listen, go to 30 minutes in, and it starts.

Er–what do you think?

SCARS book trailer and contest! Win a Sony Digital Reader, $100 bookstore gift card, & more

Enter to win a Sony Digital Reader, a $100, $50, or $25 gift card to Amazon.com (or any online bookstore) plus a copy of SCARS just for sharing the SCARS book trailer! You can also get 5 bonus entries for every copy of SCARS that you purchase. Read on for details.

I am SO excited about my novel SCARS coming out! It took me 10 years to get it published. I felt so alone and had so much shame for many years about using self-harm to cope with the abuse. I know it would have helped me to know I...

Carrie Ryan blog tour stop

Carrie, tell us what's behind the first line of The Forest of Hands and Teeth "My mother used to tell me about the ocean." The line leads to The Dead-Tossed Waves.

Author Carrie Ryan. Photo credit: Darren Cassese

Carrie Ryan:
One day at work I read an article online about the overfishing of Tuna and I thought to myself how odd it would be if tuna became so rare that the next generation would rarely every eat it when right now it's so ubiquitous that I have cans of it sitting on my shelf (and a...

Father-Daughter Read Aloud Together for 3,218 nights!

Elementary school librarian Jim Brozina and his daughter, Kristen, read books aloud together every single night for 3,218 nights in a row! The reading aloud became a tradition, one that gave them a strong bond, stability, and added richness to their lives.

This is an inspiring story! Check out the entire story here.

Do you read aloud to your kids? Did your parents read aloud to you?

Are you thinking about creating your own reading streak?

Neat video on the future of publishing

I love this video on the future of publishing, pointed out to me by YA author Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson. I think it's so cool! But you have to watch the entire video to get the true meaning.

What do you think?