Cheryl Rainfield's Blog, page 75

Guest Post: Want to Escape Reality? LGBTQ books and a new safehouse Pride Space

Guest Post by Kat Wells, co-founder of Pride Space, a safe house for LGBTQ youth.

Want to escape reality?

Hello beautifuls! The first thing I want to say is how thankful we are for Cheryl Rainfield to write a whole blog for me and to allow us to write something on her blog! It is amazing anytime someone reaches out and tries to help. Also, lots of thanks to Karen (from Ocdofbooks on YouTube) because she is the whole reason why I am writing this! We love being able to put our name out there so people know what we are doing! We are truly thankful for all of this and all of the other help we are getting!

When I talked to Cheryl she asked me to do a guest blog on hers about the influence of books and LGBTQ books in my life and within the safe house. This topic really got me thinking but I wanted to tell a little bit about the actual safe house even though she did tell you all a little bit about it. You can always go back to her blog about us andlook at the video I put up on YouTube about the safe house. It is going to be called 'Pride Space', so you are welcome to go and look for it under 'Pride Space info'! I should probably clarify the 'we'… the people that take part in the 'we' are Laurin Blanchard, Jessica Weinschenk, and of course me, Katherine Wells. We are starting an LGBTQ safe house in Western Massachusetts for the LGBTQ community. Some of the features that we are hoping to include in this house are – a place to stay if someone gets kicked out of their home because they are gay, or if they are getting bullied or harassed for being gay, HIV testing, GED services, some support groups and so much more! The biggest thing we are trying to achieve is to help people and possibly change someone or even something in the world. But of course we would be nowhere without the lovely help from all the individuals or groups that have helped us.

However, when I was younger I was always the kid that used to stay inside and read instead of going outside and playing with everyone else. I also had a hard childhood because of some unfortunate events. I was born and grew up in Indiana so I never even knew anything about LGBTQ or even what a lesbian or gay was so I was so confused moving to Connecticut and hearing about it. I never really had anyone to talk to about it because I didn't know what I wanted/needed to talk about. One of the greatest things I found when I was very young was that I had a way to escape reality. Reading! Ever since I could read I always read – anything I could! I could sit down and read for hours on end because it helped me forget what was happening in reality! Of course the real world is still going on – there's no way to change that but you can at least not think about it and enter the fantastic world that is made up of the letters on the page. My favorite thing to do was to find a good book and just let my mind fly free. Once I started figuring out about my sexuality LGBT books helped me with how to think or how to handle things. They made me actually know that I was normal no matter what anyone had to say to me. This is what I personally want to have for others. I have been buying a lot of books lately, yes because I want them but more because I want to have some type of library for the safe house. I want to give those people, no matter how old or young they are, a chance to escape reality and for even just ten minutes, not worry about not being right or good enough or the hurt they are going through. In my eyes books helped me throughout my years of growing into the person I am today. So all I really have to say is how important it is to read, it can do wonders for your intelligence and your emotional intelligence.

I loved Keeping You a Secret by Julie Anne Peters and a lot of her other books; they helped me. Lately I buy any LGBTQ books that I can find. I just finished reading It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living from the It Gets Better project and it was amazing! I can tell that if it came out when i was growing up it would have helped me a lot!

If you were wondering about anything that has to do with Pride Space or want to know how you can help – please feel free to email us at pridespaceinc@gmail.com! I will be waiting to hear from you!

Listen – I just told you how important books are so why are you still sitting here?? Go Read!

Love you all and always remember to smile!!

Kat Wells (co-founder of Pride Space)

Children's and Teen eBooks on sale or cheap: Week of March 17, 2012

There are some real deals this week. As always, be sure to check the price before you buy, and remember that you can download a preview if you want to see if the writing style appeals to you before you buy.

YA Books

The Iron Witch (The Iron Witch Series) by Karen Mahoney is $0.99 (90% off) (YA fantasy)

When she was seven, a horrific fey attack killed Donna Underwood's father and drove her mother mad. Her own nearly fatal injuries were fixed by alchemy—the iron tattoos branding her hands and arms. Now seventeen, Donna feels like a freak, doomed by the magical heritage that destroyed her parents and any chance she had for a normal life. Only her relationship with her best friend, Navin, is keeping her sane.

But when vicious wood elves abduct Navin, Donna is forced to accept her role in the centuries-old war between human alchemists and these darkest outcasts of Faerie. Assisted by Xan, a gorgeous guy with faery blood running through his veins and secrets of his own, Donna races to save Navin—even if it means betraying everything her parents fought to the death to protect.

Praise:

"Dark and beautiful, sensual and dangerous, utterly enthralling. . . You'll fall under this book's spell."—Richelle Mead, New York Times bestselling author

"Mahoney's debut sizzles with romance and alchemical swashbuckling. . . A captivating read."

—Tiffany Trent, author of In the Serpent's Coils

Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines is $2.99 (70% off)

As a modern gladiator's daughter, Lyn and her family live by the rules of the Gladiator Sports Association. But those rules can turn against you. When Lyn's seventh father dies in the ring, his opponent, Uber, captures Lyn's dowry bracelet-and her hand in marriage. To win her freedom, Lyn will do what no girl has done before: enter the arena and fight her father's murderer-even though she's falling in love with him.

Merlin's Harp by Anne Elliot Crompton is $1.99 (75% off)

When I was yet a very young woman I threw my heart away. Ever since then I have lived heartless, or almost heartless, the way Humans think all Fey live.

Among the towering trees of magical Avalon, where humans dare not tread, lives Niviene, daughter of the Lady of the Lake. Her people, the Fey, are folk of the wood and avoid the violence and greed of man. But the strife of King Arthur's realm threatens even the peace of Avalon. And while Merlin the mage has been training Niviene as his apprentice, he now needs her help to thwart the chaos devouring Camelot. Niviene's special talents must help save a kingdom and discover the treachery of men and the beauty of love…

"The story glows…a mythical tapestry that is at once completely recognizable yet utterly fresh…"

-Publishers Weekly

Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble is $1.99 (80% off)

What really happened to Anastasia Romanov?

Anastasia Romanov thought she would never feel more alone than when the gunfire started and her family began to fall around her. Surely the bullets would come for her next. But they didn't. Instead, two gnarled old hands reached for her. When she wakes up she discovers that she is in the ancient hut of the witch Baba Yaga, and that some things are worse than being dead.

In modern-day Chicago, Anne doesn't know much about Russian history. She is more concerned about getting into a good college—until the dreams start. She is somewhere else. She is someone else. And she is sharing a small room with a very old woman. The vivid dreams startle her, but not until a handsome stranger offers to explain them does she realize her life is going to change forever. She is the only one who can save Anastasia. But, Anastasia is having her own dreams…

Warriors: Hollyleaf's Story (Warriors: Omen of the Stars) by Erin Hunter is $2.99 (middle grade) This is a short story fiction exclusive.

When Hollyleaf disappeared in the tunnels by the Lake, ThunderClan believed she was gone forever. But her adventure was only beginning. . . .

Lost and lonely, Hollyleaf soon meets a mysterious cat named Fallen Leaves, who teaches her how to live in the tunnels. Hollyleaf tries to be happy, but she can't help wondering if leaving her Clanmates was the right choice. Hollyleaf knows she's a ThunderClan cat at heart, but can she ever truly go back?

Children's Books

Halfway Herbert by Francis Chan is $0.99 (92% off) (picture book)

From best-selling author Francis Chan (Crazy Love and Forgotten God) comes a picture book for children 4 to 8. Halfway Herbert never completes anything. Homework remains half done, his room stays only partly clean, and dinner is never finished. Halfway Herbert somehow gets by. But when he tells a half-truth, he learns the importance of honesty and of following God with all his heart.

Through Chan's trademark teaching and storytelling, children discover what living for God really means. Halfway Herbert offers parents a practical tool for inspiring godly character. Parents will appreciate that Chan, a father of four, understands the characher development issues parents face. And fans of his previsou books will treasure lessons geared especially for children.

E-mergency! by Tom Lichtenheld (picture book) is $3.99 (77% off)

It s an e-mergecy! The letter E took a tumble and the only way to get her back on her foot is for people to stop using her. But who can take her place? The other letters have to make a decision ASAP. Z is too sleepy and Y asks way too many questions. Thankfully, O rolls in to try and save the day. Now E can rost up and got bottor . . . as long as ovorybody follows the rulos. Chock-full of verbal and visual puns, this zany book is sure to tickle both the brain and the funny bone.

"Every page is chock-full of inventive letter-play" – The New York Times

"It's like Chicka Chicka Boom Boom on steroids."- Publishers Weekly, starred review

Bart's King-Sized Book of Fun by Bart King and Chris Sabating is $1.99

Funny man Bart King is at it again with his own gigantic book of fun! Jam-packed with awesome jokes, silly trivia, cool activities, mysterious puzzles, and much more, this book is the perfect companion for kids everywhere.

With help from Bart's King-Sized Book of Fun, you will soon be able to astound your friends with newfound tricks like The Dramatic Underwear Move and The Baby Head Switcheroo.

This book also answers some of life's most important questions, like:

Can I make a go-cart out of a pumpkin?

What is Anti-Monkey Butt Powder?

Why are people with facial hair so much fun?

You won't want to leave home without it!

Judy Blume on Feminism and Abortion (I love it!)

Judy Blume is one of the YA writers I look up to. I read two of her books over and over again as a teen–BLUBBER and DEENIE–because they spoke to me, they gave me small bits of my life reflected back to me (being bullied and not fitting in). So I loved finding these short video where Judy Blume speaks out in support of feminism and the choice to have an abortion (or how horrible it could be to not have that choice). Feminism, to me, is about equality, kindness, compassion, human decency, basic human rights. About treating people the way they should be treated. And both of those things–books that spoke to me, including Judy Blume's books, and feminism–helped me through many rough years while I was being abused and tortured. They helped me survive, helped me have hope. So this video and the others Judy's done means a lot to me. I also think that her books, which talked openly about puberty, teen sexuality, bullying, when adults weren't talking about this with teens, was a feminist act.

What do you think of the videos? And of authors using their voice to try to make positive change? (I love it.)

New digital magazine for LGBTQ youth

Check out It's Who I Am – the new LGBT magazine for queer youth. You can read it online for free or download a copy for $1.99. It's packed full of articles, art, and more!

You can also read a detailed, thoughtful, indepth interview that Tina Toler Keel did with me, and see some of my art.

To add to the fun at my Toronto launch for HUNTED…

I will have a psychic there–Michael Smith–who will be doing psychic readings for guests! So there will be psychic readings (which fits with the whole paranormal theme of HUNTED, and the main character having telepathy and empathy), prizes (everyone gets a raffle ticket when they enter!), and food (including cake!). I'll also be talking briefly about why I wrote HUNTED, and will probably read a page or two (tops).

I hope you can make it!

Location: Bakka-Phoenix Books (84 Harbord St near Spadina in Toronto)

Time: Saturday, March 31st from 4-6pm

Book: HUNTED (YA Paranormal fantasy/dystopian, Canadian paperback edition published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside)

In HUNTED, Caitlyn is a telepath in a world where having any Paranormal power at all is illegal. So she's on the run a lot from ParaTroopers, who can torture her, enslave her, even kill her if they capture her. When Caitlyn settles down in a city with her mom, she falls for Alex, a Normal (someone without any Paranormal powers at all) which is dangerous because if he discovers her powers he can turn her in. And she also stumbles across a group of Paranormals who want to kill all the Normals for oppressing them–and that would include Alex. This forces Caitlyn to have to decide: Is she going to stay in hiding to protect herself, or take a stand to save the people around her?

I had someone ask me the other night what a book launch is. A book launch is a celebration of the book, a way to let people know about it. And it's also a lovely thing to buy the book at the launch, to support the writer and to feed your reading habit.

I love this video review of SCARS!

I love this video review of SCARS by LoveIsMyWeapon1234. I'm so glad SCARS touched her, and that she felt I understood. (I do! I've been there.)

Photo of HUNTED combined with a mug in Penguin Mugs and Books Go Hand In Hand contest

I love stumbling across stuff like this! Reader and book reviewer Melysah Bunting took a photo combining scaredy-cat mug with my novel HUNTED for the Penguin "Mugs and Books Go Hand In Hand" photo contest. It was so fun to see! (beaming) You can check out the photo and vote for it here.

And don't forget there's a HUNTED book blog tour this month, with many interviews, reviews, and posts about it, and copies of HUNTED and SCARS to be won.

Book Joy – sharing a favorite book with a friend and having them love it, too

I get such joy when I lend a book that I love, a real favorite, to a friend, and they end up loving it, too! Recently I lent a friend The Forgotten Door by Alexander Key–one of my very favorite MG fantasy books–and she loved it! It gave me such good feeling to hear back how much she loved it as well.

The Forgotten Door is a fantastic story, AND I love the ethics in it as well, the way that Jon is so very caring and kind and ethical, and uses his telepathy and other powers to help others, not hurt them–and how this is contrasted by greedy, brutal people. At the same time, Jon is helped by some very good people, and it always gives me hope to read this book. If you're looking for a good read, I hope you'll pick it up.

Have you lent a favorite book to a friend and had them love it, too? What books have you lent out?

Guest Post by R J Palacio, author of YA novel Wonder

Today RJ Palacio, author of Wonder, will talk to us about her writing process and her road to publication. Take it away, RJ!

Evolutionary Road

I'm 48 years old, and Wonder is my first published book. When people hear that, they often take that to mean that I suddenly took to writing right smack in the middle of middle age, but that isn't the case. I've been writing my whole life. I have a file cabinet full of half-written books, ideas for books, outlines for books, and even one almost-completed novel from my early twenties. I had lots of reasons why I never managed to finish those books, of course: lack of time, lack of focus. I used to blame my day job, the thing I did for a living that paid the bills, for sapping all my creative juices. Mind you, I loved my day job, but the more successful I became at that, the less energy I had to devote to

my secret life as a writer. And then I had children, the best excuse in the world for letting life get in the way of one's writing. So I had lots of reasons why I never finished any of those writing projects that ended up in my file cabinet. But looking back, I realize now that all those projects were never really about the end result as much as they were about the process. I didn't know that at the time, but now I see that what I was actually doing was quietly working away in my own apprenticeship, honing my craft, being my own worst critic, indulging ridiculous flights of fancy and whatever bad trends needed to work their way out of my system. In essence, I was finding my voice as a writer. Some people find it early on. But my voice, the voice that became Wonder—needed time to develop, needed to be a mom first, needed to have had a career doing something else, before it could say what it wanted to say. I no longer mourn those books that lived inside my head, half-explored and left abandoned inside my file cabinet. They served a purpose. They were part of an evolution, and followed the same Darwinian rules as every other creation in the universe, real or imagined. Some books are born and live and flourish. And some books are just never meant to be.

Thank you, RJ; that was inspiring! I'm sure a lot of readers and writers will be inspired, too.

R. J. PALACIO lives in NYC with her husband, two sons, and two dogs. For more than twenty years, she was an art director and graphic designer, designing book jackets for other people while waiting for the perfect time in her life to start writing her own novel. But one day several years ago, a chance encounter with an extraordinary child in front of an ice cream store made R. J. realize that the perfect time to write that novel had finally come. Wonder is her first novel. She did not design the cover, but she sure does love it.

I'm in the new Dear Teen Me book!

I'm proud (and excited!) to be a contributor in the upcoming Dear Teen Me book (based on the blog by the same name) from Zest Books. 70+ Young Adult authors are part of the book, including Ellen Hopkins, Carrie Jones, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Tera Lynn Childs, Mitali Perkins, Sara Zarr, Bethany Hegedus, Janet Gurtler, and many more fantastic YA writers, all writing letters to their teen selves! The letters in Dear Teen Me cover compelling and important issues including sexual and physical abuse, body image issues, bullying, friendship, love, and insecurity–all things I think we need to talk about and know that we're not alone in.

My own letter to my teen self (and teens today) is titled Keep Hold Of Your Strength. I talk about the effects of abuse and the things that helped me survive and later thrive.

The book is edited by E. Kristin Anderson and Miranda Kenneally, who are also contributors to the book.

Miranda Kenneally is the author of Catching Jordan, a contemporary YA novel about football and femininity (December 2011). Other books include Playing Parker (Fall 2012) and Bad, Bad Thing (Spring 2013). Miranda is also the co-creator, with E. Kristin Anderson, of the Dear Teen Me blog and book (Zest Books, November 2012). @MirandaKennealy

E. Kristin Anderson is the co-editor of the upcoming Dear Teen Me anthology (Zest Books, November 2012), based on the website of the same name. As a poet she has been published worldwide in around two dozen literary journals, from the indie-queen Fuselit, to the prestigious Cimarron Review. She is also an assistant editor at Hunger Mountain for their YA and Children's section. @ek_anderson

Dear Teen Me releases October 31, 2012 from ZestBooks, but you can pre-order it now!

You can connect with Dear Teen Me on their blog and Facebook page.