Cheryl Rainfield's Blog, page 26
December 16, 2018
December 14, 2018
I just had an awesome Skype talk about SCARS with Dee Schmidt Kramer’s students who read SCARS
I just had an awesome Skype talk about SCARS with Dee Schmidt Kramer’s students who read SCARS as an independent reading book at Silver Creek High School in Indiana. The students asked such intelligent, thoughtful questions afterwards. I told them they could ask me anything and I meant it.
And despite some technical difficulties – I couldn’t see or hear them on Skype but they could see and hear me – it went really well. Dee helped solve it in a creative way, using her cell so I could see the students, typing their questions in Skype, and one student turned Dee’s cell to landscape mode so I could see them all.
I talked about self-harm and why I used it to cope, and myths about self-harm; being queer in a homophobic world; being a sexual abuse survivor; and how I hoped to increase compassion and awareness about those issues through SCARS (and from reader letters, I know I have). I also discussed how much books have helped me, including publishing my own, and especially all the reader letters I receive, told them that my arm is on the cover of SCARS, and when one of them asked why I hadn’t written a book about Petal yet, I was happy to tell them that Petal is in my new manuscript! (grinning)
I enjoyed it so much. I could see them taking it all in, and caring about it. I delight in readers caring about books – and authors!
Petal also made an appearance! (laughing) She’s always by my side, and at the end when I picked her up and she rested her head on my shoulder they awwed. (Smiling)
#authorskype #skypeauthorvisit#deeschmidtkramer #SilverCreekHighSchool#cherylrainfield #YAwriter #LGBTQwriter #booknerd #bookworm #ireadYA #survivor #feminist #YAlit #YAbooks#YAlitmentalhealth #yabookrecs #bookstagram #selfharm #sexualabuse #trauma #healing #MeToo
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December 9, 2018
I also put up my Christmas tree the other day, and then finally decorated it today.
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I also put up my Christmas tree the other day, and then finally decorated it today. It is probably too full of things but I love them all. I have fairies and unicorns and a pegasus; bookish decorations, especially kid-lit ones; superheroes; rainbows; and ornaments from people that I care about or that I bought when I was with them. And of course Petal!
All of them have meaning to me. Some of them are for child parts of me that didn’t get to play when I was a kid, some of them are for the writer in me, and there are so many others.
I think it’s important that we do what makes us feel good. So it might not look like a tree out of a magazine, but it’s a tree that feels right to me.
What kind of decorations do you like to put on a tree, or have around during the holidays?
#christmastree #writerchristmas#cherylrainfield #YAwriter #LGBTQwriter #booknerd #bookworm #ireadYA #survivor #feminist
I spent time with the four little girls this afternoon. I love them so much. And I love that they love me.
I spent time with the four little girls this afternoon. I love them so much. And I love that they love me. I try to go see them once a month.
I will visit them again on December 24th. They would happily have me over for Christmas but I think I get to sad and down on that day and I’d rather not. It’s been our tradition to have me over there on the 24th the last few years and I enjoy it. I love them all.
#chosenfamily #friendsarefamily#cherylrainfield #YAwriter #LGBTQwriter #booknerd #bookworm #ireadYA #survivor #feminist
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December 8, 2018
Dear readers, every year Toronto’s children’s bookstore Mabel’s Fables does something special
Dear readers, every year Toronto’s children’s bookstore Mabel’s Fables does something special – they invite booklovers to donate their favorite book to a child in need. If you go into the bookstore you will see hundreds of angel ornaments hanging from the ceiling with a child’s name on it who needs a good story.
Mabel’s Fables gift wraps the books and delivers them to Social Services in time for the holidays. What a special gift for a hurting child.
If you’d like to take part you can call them up to buy a book for a child who needs one. www.mablesfables.com.
And don’t forget: Books make great presents for the people you love.
#giveabook #donateabook #booksmakegreatpresents#mablesfables #toronto #thankyoutoronto
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December 6, 2018
It’s snowing out! Big, white, fluffy snowflakes swirling around. I love the first snow like this.
It’s snowing out! Big, white, fluffy snowflakes swirling around. I love the first snow like this. I love the big fluffy snowflakes. I love how it looks magical and beautiful.
I don’t love being cold all winter and trudging through snow. But that first snowfall? It is beautiful….
#snow#cherylrainfield #YAwriter #LGBTQwriter #booknerd #bookworm #ireadYA #survivor #feminist#petalrainfield #chinesecrested #hairyhairless #dogstagram #ilovemydog #ilovemychinesecresteddog #servicedog #dogmom
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