Cheryl Rainfield's Blog, page 57

I dream of a world…

I dream of a world

without bullying, rape, abuse,

Without homophobia, sexism, or racism.

No more murder or violence or people causing pain.

I dream of a world

with only compassion, love, and healing.

Where empathy and kindness come first.

I wish it was now.

-Cheryl Rainfield

From Eye To Pixel / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND

I’m appearing at the Less Than Three conference in St Louis, Missouri this weekend because…

I think that it’s by speaking out about painful issues that we help bring healing for us all. I want there to be more kindness in the world, more compassion and understanding—and my way to do that is to speak out about painful issues and to write books that deal with those issues in an emotionally honest way.

I’ve been hated, abused, raped and tortured, bullied, had my life repeatedly threatened, and had people mistreat me because I’m queer. I’ve seen what people are like when they let hate twist them. And I know what it’s like to be in so much pain and feel so alone in that pain that I want to die. I want to lessen that pain for others if I can. And I want to increase compassion. I think one of the best ways to do that is through books. They help us get inside someone else’s soul—their emotions and thoughts—and really help us understand someone else for a little while. And with understanding comes greater compassion and empathy—for ourselves and for others. We learn that we’re not alone, or we understand a bit more why someone else acts the way they do.

I wanted to die a lot as a child and teen. One thing that saved me was talking about my experiences with a therapist, getting empathy, and finding out I wasn’t alone. Another thing that saved me was books—finding in their pages, in small ways, things that told me that someone else understood my pain, what it felt like to be unloved or hated. What it was like to be bullied. Books saved me, and I know from the reader letters I get every week that books help save others, too. I hear that SCARS helped teens stop cutting, get into therapy or talk to someone for the first time, know they’re not alone, and keep from killing themselves. And now in STAINED I deal with more issues that need to be talked about—bullying, body image issues, rape, torture, and the need to save ourselves. Discovering that we are stronger than we know. Sometimes a book is the only way that a reader finds out that they’re not alone, or discovers (after feeling understood) new, healthier ways to cope. Books that deal with painful issues are powerful. They encourage healing and greater empathy. And they save lives.

So this conference combines two things I’m really passionate about—talking openly about painful issues to encourage healing, and YA books that are emotionally honest and that deal with issues that teens need to talk about. I’m honored to be part of the conference, and excited about it.

If you’re at the conference and come up to me, I’ll have STAINED bookmarks and some “sometimes you have to save yourself/love yourself” wristbands. See you there!

Q & A with Liz Worth, author of PostApoc

As part of her book blog tour, Liz Worth, author of PostApoc, joins us today for a Q & A.

When did you start writing PostApoc?

I was actually writing another book at the time. I was coming off of Treat Me Like Dirt’s release, which was a really busy time for me. I was burnt out by the end and wanted to start working on something totally different, so I decided it was time to tap into my creative side and try writing fiction, which I’d always wanted to do but had never fully put my focus into.

I started working on a horror novel, and I moved apartments. I’d been living in a really weird, dark apartment in a busy downtown area for a few years by then and it was time for a change. I moved to a part of Toronto I’d never lived in before, or spent much time in, and when I got to my new neighbourhood, I thought the change of scenery would help keep me inspired and focused on my horror novel. Instead, I started hearing a young woman in my head. You know how fiction authors say that their characters talk to them? Well, that was happening to me, except I didn’t know it yet. I started writing down little lines as they popped up, and the more I listened, the more the neighbourhood around me started to inspire me.

So the move was a turning point in your life?



Moving apartments was very symbolic for me. I’d been living with depression for many years by then, and in a lot of ways my old apartment said a lot about my mental state. I couldn’t sleep there, never felt comfortable, never liked it, but still I stayed for three years. It was in that apartment one day when I woke up and said I didn’t want to feel that way anymore. I’d been resistant to therapy for so long but I decided it was time, and once I started therapy I started making other changes: to move, to focus on my creative side, to be the kind of writer I’d always wanted to be.

What inspired you to write PostApoc?

There was a time, in my mid-20s, when I was feeling particularly low and I would worry about the end of the world. I would walk down the street and feel convinced that everything would be over any day now. The apocalyptic scenarios in PostApoc are reflections of what I thought was right around the corner. I didn’t base the music scenes in PostApoc off of anything I have ever experienced, but the idea of a cult-like subculture reflects certain pieces of alternative and mainstream culture that I took literally when I was younger. Growing up in the ‘90s when heroin and suicide seemed like daily conversations, you could almost believe that such things could exist. Things felt very wild back then. Young people were very careless. A lot of the kids I knew then did way more drugs and lived much more dangerously than any adult I know now, and I don’t think that had to do with age. I think that had a lot to do with the time we were living in.

Why do you think it’s important to talk about personal struggles, like depression, suicide, anxiety and substance abuse?

Suicide and self-destruction have always been themes in my poetry and short fiction, as well as in some of the articles and blogs I’ve written about my own personal experiences with mental health. Ang, the narrator in PostApoc, deals with a lot of these same things, and I think PostApoc was a result of me processing a lot of my own thoughts on those subjects. When I first finished PostApoc, I thought it might be the last time I explored suicide in my writing, because it felt like I’d gone so deep with it.

Why do you write about painful issues like the ones you explore in PostApoc?

I didn’t have a strong support system at home growing up. I’m an only child, and there is a huge generation gap between me and my parents, who were both born in 1936. To them, talking about any kind of struggle within the family was shameful. They grew up in an era when everything needed to look perfect from the outside, no matter how badly it was crumbling inside. And mental health was definitely not something anyone talked about.

I started struggling with depression and self-harm at 13, and being a teenager is tough enough on its own. But I very much wanted to be open, to talk to someone about what I was going through. I think that’s natural for most people – we look for somewhere to turn, but sometimes, when we get shut down, either by our parents or by the society we live in, we either mirror the reaction we see and decide to bury our feelings, or we keep trying other options until we find somewhere we can be heard. I didn’t have the kind of relationship with my parents where I could just say anything, so I tried friends at school, but it was hard to find other kids who could relate to what I was going through.

I had a lot to say about my experiences, and a lot of frustration to work out as a result of them, so after I’d been writing professionally for about five years I decided I was going to use the platform I had as a writer to say the things I didn’t get a chance to talk about when I was younger. I was a bit nervous the first time I went out there with it, but I had the belief that the more we talk about these things, the easier it will be for those personal conversations to happen among family and friends.

What’s Ang’s message for readers?

I can’t say that Ang is a positive character. She isn’t really a hero. She is very confused, and very lost, and for her being lost is as much a result of her physical state as it is about the destruction around her. But she is loyal, and she is brave. She sticks things out, and in the process of that she surprises herself because she realizes she has more resiliency than she expected. She has gone from being someone who only wanted to die to being a survivor in a world that has turned horrific.

How has music influenced you in PostApoc and your other work?

I have always been interested in the crossover of mediums that was found in the first wave of punk, when it wasn’t just about music, but also fashion, fanzines, photography, art, performance, and poetry. So I have long carried that as a source of inspiration for everything I do, whether it’s just spending an afternoon at home re-styling an old t-shirt or thinking up an idea for a weird novel. I love the crossover that artists like Jim Morrison and Patti Smith have made, where they did both music and poetry, and I love that we still see that with younger artists like James Franco and Amber Tamblyn. They aren’t musicians, but they are showing up creatively in different ways.

I find that music is very fragmented now, but so is a lot of creative culture. I go to a lot of literary events and the people I see at a reading are not the same people I’m seeing when I go see a band. And that’s not to say that we don’t all cross over in our tastes, but our participation in these things seems to have become very specific, at least where I live. So I like to combine influences from different mediums in my writing, like music, and not just take influence from literary tradition.

Do you listen to music while you write?

I do like background noise – when I was growing up I always did my homework in front of the TV – but I do choose my background noise more carefully these days. When I was writing PostApoc I mostly listened to “Treasure” by Cocteau Twins. I can’t listen to music that has lyrics in it when I’m trying to write, because I end up focusing on the words I’m hearing. I’m very much a lyrics person, even if a band just adds them in as a meaningless afterthought. But Cocteau Twins have such an ethereal quality, and even though the vocals are very prominent they are often non-lyrical, so they aren’t distracting. Usually, though, I write in silence at home in the morning, or write somewhere outside in the nice weather, where my thoughts can play off the street sounds.

Thank you, Liz, for this interview.

About PostApoc:

Poetic and gritty, “PostApoc” introduces readers to Ang, sole survivor of a suicide pact who lives to see the end of the world. What Ang sees around her, though, is not what she had expected, despite having grown up in the heart of an underground music scene infatuated with death and apocalyptic ideals. Soon, Ang and those left around her are strung out, miserably erratic and totally hopeless. It’s not long before Ang begins to wonder whether she had something to do with the catastrophic destruction of humanity.

Find Liz on:

Author Website

Twitter (@LizWorthXO)

Facebook

Goodreads

Amazon

Cheryl Rainfield’s Books In The Wild: STAINED at Vromans in CA, STAINED photo by a reader, and SCARS fan art

The lovely YA author Cinda Williams Chima took this photo of my book STAINED at Vromans Independent Bookstore in Pasadena, CA along with other new YA by Robin McKinley, Kami Garcia, Malinda Lo, Marlene Perez, Rainbow Rowell, and many more! (beaming) Cinda Chima’s should be in the pic, too, but she’s busy signing them.

STAINED at Vromans in Pasadena, CA!

And reader Asia Rath posted this photo of STAINED which just arrived in the mail.

photo of STAINED by reader Asia Rath

I was also thrilled to see this powerful SCARS fan art by Be The Voice. It’s called “Oppressed.” I so know the feeling of being silenced and not being able to speak.

“Oppressed.” SCARS fan art by Be The Voice.

And all this the same week that STAINED came out! What a lovely week.

Have one of my books? Or see it out in the world? A bookstore, a library, a classroom? Take a photo and send it to me, and I’ll feature it here on my blog, credit you, and link back to you. I love photos with you and my book, or your pet and my book, or my books out in the world. Email them to me at Cheryl @ CherylRainfield (dot) com.

Cheryl Rainfield’s Books In The Wild: STAINED at Brazos Bookstore, and SCARS with coffee

I love seeing photos of my books out there, so I was excited to see this photo with STAINED prominently displayed that the wonderful folks at Brazos Bookstore, independent bookstore in Houston, Texas, posted on Twitter. “Not Just Good: Scary Good” books. And STAINED is in such good company, with books by Holly Black, Marissa Meyer, RL Stine, Jasper Fforde, Patrick Ness, and many more. It’s especially nice to see since STAINED only came out three days ago. (beaming)

STAINED prominently displayed at Brazos Bookstore in Texas

I don’t think of my books as thrillers, though I put in a lot of suspense; I’m drawing on my own trauma experiences to write them. But I’m glad for however my books reach people, and it’s a thrill to have STAINED in this display!

And here is SCARS out in the wild, next to a cup of coffee. (smiling) This photo is from reader April Sumpter.

Have one of my books? Or see it out in the world? A bookstore, a library, a classroom? Take a photo and send it to me, and I’ll feature it here on my blog, credit you, and link back to you. I love photos with you and my book, or your pet and my book, or my books out in the world. Email them to me at Cheryl @ CherylRainfield (dot) com.

Video: Cheryl Rainfield on the healing power of books, and her newest book STAINED

In honor of STAINED being released today, I made a new author video. I hope it speaks to you. I also have three downloadable freebies–articles on loving your body, being emotionally strong, and self-defense, another author video, and the STAINED book trailer on my STAINED extras page, and I’ll be adding more over time.

Today is STAINED’s book birthday! Come celebrate with me.

eeeee! I’m so excited! (grinning) I love that STAINED is in bookstores now, and that readers can finally pick it up and read it! It’s a wonderful, exciting, slightly scary, very happy thing to have a book come out into the world. A book that I’ve put bits of my soul into, and infused some of my trauma experience as well as healing into. I hope if you loved SCARS that you’ll pick up STAINED. (smiling)

In STAINED, Sarah thought she knew what fear was–until she was abducted. Now she must find a way to rescue herself.

Thank you SO much to everyone who’s celebrating with me today, helping get the word out about STAINED and sending me book birthday wishes. It makes it such a happier day, and I so appreciate it!

I’ve added some freebies that all tie into themes in STAINED that you may want to grab:

10 Ways To Improve Your Body Image And Feel Better About Your Body article (link opens up as a PDF, or you can go to my extras download page and get it as a Word doc);

Girls Are Strong! (And Boys Are, Too.) 17 Ways To Be Strong article (link opens up as a PDF, or you can go to my extras download page and get it as a Word doc);

and

10 Self-Defense Tips For Girls and Women (And Boys, Too) article (link opens up as a PDF, or you can go to my extras download page and get it as a Word doc).





And if you haven’t seen it, check out my video on why I wrote STAINED:

or check out the STAINED trailer

And don’t forget the three contests I’m running! You have two chances to win an ebook reader, bookstore giftcards, special “Sometimes You Have To Be Your Own Hero” wristbands, and more.

Enter to win an eBook Reader, bookstore giftcard, ARC of STAINED with the orignal cover, and more! Every person who buys a copy of STAINED from now until the end of Oct gets a free ebook, a signed bookplate, and a bookmark (plus 10 entries into the contest). You don’t have to buy a copy to win; just share this contest online.

Follow the month-long

STAINED book blog tour (Sept 20-Oct 20) to enter to win another eBook Reader, bookstore giftcards, ebook copies of my book, and more.

Want to read STAINED but not sure you can afford to? Request it at your library. You can also enter to win 1 of 5 signed hardcover copies though my GoodReads contest. (Open US/Canada.)

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Goodreads Book Giveaway







Stained



by Cheryl Rainfield

Giveaway ends October 31, 2013.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Cheryl Rainfield’s Books In The Wild: Multiple Copies of SCARS at Utah Library via Jay Asher

It was SO cool to see this photo YA author Jay Asher (Thirteen Reasons Why, The Future of Us) took of SCARS when he was at a school for a talk. He said the many copies of SCARS were “being processed for use at a school I spoke at in Ogden, Utah.”

It made me feel SO good! (beaming) First, because this Utah library bought so many copies of SCARS. That means so many more teens who need it will be able to find it. I LOVE that! Thank you, thank you, you wonderful librarian or teacher! And second, because an author whose books I’ve read and loved, who is also putting good out into the world, took the time to take a photo of my books and sent it to me. And he so didn’t have to. I LOVE that!

I’ve found the children’s and YA writing and book community to be incredibly supportive, and this is another example. It’s something I’m so grateful for!

And seeing my book out there, reaching people, getting reader letters that let me know how much SCARS helped them, moved them, is another feel-good thing I am so grateful for. I think it’s important to notice these things. What’s something you’re grateful for in your book or writing journey?

Have one of my books? Or see it out in the world? Take a photo and send it to me, and I’ll feature it here on my blog, credit you, and link back to you. I love photos with you and my book, or your pet and my book, or my books out in the world. Email them to me at Cheryl @ CherylRainfield (dot) com.

Being thankful for the good things can help you feel better. (Based on scientific studies.)

If you are feeling depressed, thinking about things you are THANKFUL for can help you become happier and healthier, sleep better, and lessen depression and anxiety. What a wonderful tool to use!

Sometimes it may feel hard to find things you feel thankful for—especially if you’re an abuse or trauma survivor, and having a rough day. But if you can think of someone you love dearly who loves you, or an animal companion who loves you, or being thankful for a good book, delicious food, having enough food to eat—whatever you appreciate and are glad for—it can help you. Gratitude—a good thing to make into a habit if you can. Even if you don’t do it every day it can still help you!

And that doesn’t mean that, by being thankful, you ignore your trauma or pain—it just means that you notice the things that are good in your life, that even if you find one small thing to be grateful for, it will help you. I’m going to try to find one thing I’m grateful for every day. I hope you’ll join me.

This is based on scientific studies. Found via author Maureen Johnson.

Read the article here: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/prefrontal-nudity/201211/the-grateful-brain

Reward Contest For Early Buyers of STAINED by Cheryl Rainfield: Win an ebook reader, bookstore giftcard, ebooks, and more.

STAINED comes out Oct 1 in the US and Canada–in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook editions! I’m having this contest to celebrate.

If you pre-order STAINED or buy it any day in October, you will get these bonuses:

a free ebook copy of SCARS or PARALLEL VISIONS (your choice); and

a specially designed, signed bookplate (like a sticker you put inside a book)

a STAINED bookmark.

AND you’ll be entered to win:

The grand prize: an ebook reader
(Kindle, Kobo, or Nook Simple Touch)

And these prizes:

a $25 bookstore giftcard to an online bookstore of your choice;

1 ebook copy of HUNTED;

1 audiobook copy of SCARS or STAINED (MP3 download, your choice which book);

1 ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of STAINED with the original cover before it was changed and all the mistakes (hey, it might become a collector’s item);

3 purple bracelets with “Sometimes You Have To Be Your Own Hero” on one side (for Stained) and “Love Yourself” on the other (for Scars), with my name in small letters. A good way to remind yourself that you’re strong.

3 decks of Love Yourself affirmation cards (written and drawn by me) that help promote positive body image and self-esteem.

Sometimes You Have To Be Your Own Hero/Love Yourself STAINED bracelets. Photo by Ashlee Isobel

Rules

The contest will run from today until midnight Oct 31st. You can do several things to earn entries and increase your chances of winning. (Note: no purchase is necessary to enter.)

You can win entries by:

1. Buying a copy of STAINED in any format (hardcover, ebook, audiobook). I’m trying to create a surge of sales to boost the book and help get the word out there, so I’d love it if you purchased STAINED now or in the first month of sales. Email me copy of your sales receipt to Cheryl (at) CherylRainfield (dot) com.

Buy a copy of STAINED = 10 points

2. Buy more than one book! You get ten extra points for each additional book you buy.

Buy additional copies of STAINED = 10 extra points per book

3. Share a link to this contest online. You get one point per social media share per day, with a limit of 10 total points–Twitter, FaceBook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Google +, LinkedIN, your blog, etc.

Share on social media once per day per outlet = total of 10 points

5. Post a picture of the book after purchase. Upload the picture (or your e-reader with the book’s cover displayed on the screen) to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or your blog and email me the link.

Post a picture = 5 points

Deadline: midnight EST Oct 31st.

Winners will be announced in the first week of November.

Why am I doing this? It really helps a book get noticed by other readers (and publishers like it, too) when a book sells well in its first month or during the pre-order period. If you like my books, please consider buying a copy of STAINED now or in the first month of its release (Oct 1-Oct 31).

Good luck to you, and thank you so very much for helping me celebrate the launch of STAINED and helping me get the word out about it!

You can also enter to win another eBook reader, more bookstore giftcards and ebook copies of my book by “>following my month-long STAINED book blog tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Praise From Other Authors for STAINED:

“Powerful. I raced through it, wanting to know if Sarah would find a way to escape both her captor and her self-doubts. A real nail-biter!”


—April Henry, New York Times-bestselling author of The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die

“A compelling, gutting, and ultimately triumphant read. You won’t want to stop turning pages — Or blink. Or breathe. — until you reach the very last one.”


—Jennifer Brown, award-winning author of Hate List

“STAINED is dark, tense and gripping; a triumph of one girl’s heart, soul and will to survive. Sarah’s strength during her descent into terror kept me reading way past bedtime!”


—Laura Wiess, critically acclaimed author of Such a Pretty Girl

Reviews

“Rainfield (Scars) imbues Sarah’s story with heartfelt emotion that resonates as much as Sarah’s fighting spirit inspires.”


—Publisher’s Weekly

“Sarah’s determination to stay alive and escape will resonate with readers, and they will cheer her efforts to overcome her underdog status.”


—Kirkus

“Stained was an exciting, action-packed story that kept my heart racing the entire time. Every chance I had, I was reading this book. I felt drawn into the book, like I was actually in it. I felt like it was me clawing at the boards on the windows until my fingers bled. … This is a wonderful book that all teens will enjoy.”


—Michaela B., age 14, teen reviewer in School Library Journal

Where To Buy

Hardcover

Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

Powells

Amazon.ca

Amazon.co.uk

Book Depository

Books A Million

IndieBound or your local indie bookstore




eBook

Amazon.com (US)

Barnes and Noble

Amazon.ca

Amazon.co.uk (UK)




Audiobook (narrated by Emily Bauer, the same narrator who narrated SCARS, and Kirby Heyborne)


Amazon (CD)

Amazon Audible MP3

Audible MP3

Barnes & Noble MP3

Barnes & Noble CD

Downpour


AudioEditions