Guest Post + Giveaway: Cheryl Rainfield (Blog Tour Stop)

Here today is Cheryl Rainfield, author of the gripping and raw Scars. A real life survivor of abuse and self harm, Cheryl's turned to art to cope with everything. Now, Cheryl is opening that part of herself up and sharing both a piece from her teenage years, and a happier, later piece.



The black-and-white drawing I’ve shared here is one that I actually mentioned in Scars. I did this drawing as a teen when I was remembering and dealing with the sexual abuse. I drew it first in pencil, and then in ink.

To me, the bandages on the girl’s crotch were saying that sexual abuse and rape is so painful and traumatic that the bits of comfort and healing that you first get and make for yourself don’t seem like they can ever make a difference. (But they do over time.) And the strands, reaching up all
around and over her, represented the way the abuse affected my whole life—and also, though I didn’t realize it at the time, the way my abusers still had a hold on me (that they were still abusing me). There was so much pain that I was trying to get out in this drawing. Art, and the expression and release of pain, of intense emotion—it does help.



I did this drawing first in pencil, and then in colored pencil. That there’s happiness and hope in this drawing is a big thing for me; like my main character, Kendra, in Scars, I didn’t used to be able to draw happiness without pain. I also was rarely ever able to use color; most of my artwork was black and white. So using color and bringing happiness into it was a great step that reflected my healing and also my increased safety.

This drawing meant to me hope and happiness. Being able to hold the light, the day inside of you even when it’s night all around you. And it was also, for me, about dreams, about there being a sense of magic in the world, of goodness.


Thank you, Cheryl, for sharing that! Cheryl is working to break the silence, and shares her story so others in similar situations know they aren't alone. Click here to check out an interview Cheryl did recently on Daytime Toronto.

For your chance to win a signed copy of Scars, fill out this form!
Contest is US/Canada only. Ends October 10 at 6 pm CST

Author Interview + Giveaway: Natalie Standiford (Blog Tour Stop)

Dropping in today as part of her blog tour is Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters author Natalie Standiford. This is the author that brought us How to Say Goodbye in Robot, and now she's back with a tale of secrets. Stick around after the interview for your chance to win both these great books.

The premise of Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters hints at big secrets that go beyond stealing a cookie out of the cookie jar. Which of the confessions were the most difficult for you to come up?

Jane's voice came easily to me, but her confessions were the hardest. I had to think up a whole, plausible family history for the Sullivans, and sins for each generation to commit, so she could post them on her blog (www.myevilfamily.com –it's real! Check it out.) I had to do a little research to see what was historically plausible for Jane's ancestors to have done, and then come up with things that were both evil and realistic.

If you had a deep secret and were the reason for your grandmother to cut the entire family out of her will, would you confess if it benefited everyone or keep quiet and protect it?

I'd confess it. First of all, I'd hate to have my whole family mad at me, but also, since my grandmother would already know the secret, it would probably come out eventually anyway.

If you could pair the three sisters with any character from any book, who would you pick for them?

Do you mean, pair them romantically? I'm going to assume that you do.

Hmm… I'd put Norrie with a Jane Austen hero, probably Mr. Knightley from EMMA.

Jane's a tough one. I don't think she's too interested in being paired up with a boy, so I'll put her with James Hoff from DESTROY ALL CARS by Blake Nelson, since he's rebellious like she is. She's probably not environmentally-aware enough for him but they'll enjoy fighting about it.

For Sassy: Harold from HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON. I know it sounds crazy because he lives in a picture book and is just a little boy, but I think if he grew up to be Sassy's age they'd share a similar vision of the world.

What is the most private confession you're willing to make here?

I haven't read TWILIGHT yet.

What kind of cake or confection would you describe yourself as?

Dark chocolate cake with vanilla icing.


Thank you, Natalie! Now for your chance to win both of Natalie's books, fill out this form!

Contest is US only and ends October 10 at 6 pm CST. One winner will receive both Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters and Ho

Book Review: Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford

SUMMARY:

The Sullivan sisters have a big problem. On Christmas Day their rich and imperious grandmother gathers the family and announces that she will soon die . . .and has cut the entire family out of her will. Since she is the source of almost all their income, this means they will soon be penniless.

Someone in the family has offended her deeply. If that person comes forward with a confession of her (or his) crime, submitted in writing to her lawyer by New Year's Day, she will reinstate the family in her will. Or at least consider it.

And so the confessions begin....


OPINION: 4 STARS

The Short Version:
With three different, well written voices, a flamboyant and entertaining family set up, and confessions that are both amusing and surprising, Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters lays everything of this rich family out for the reader, holding nothing back. Despite the few qualms I had with the ending, the overall feel is a great read with a smooth mixture of depth and lightheartedness. This is not just rich brats throwing a fit, but teens muddling through and balancing a few different things thrown at them, handling it both with fumbles and brawn.

The Long Version:
Quirky and funny, Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters blends a rich lifestyle with humor and teenage realism. With three different perspectives, a certain flamboyance throughout, and an amusing, simplistic premise, it is easy to get into and engaging from the start. Which sister has offended Almighty to the point of no inheritance? What did they do that was so heinous the entire family has been cut out of the will? Interest in piqued from the start and the ultimate answers are not revealed until the end.

Norrie is the oldest of the three, and the first to confess. Many of the family and setting introductions are made in her section, but are blended smoothly and come from her voice, making it more realistic. With an upcoming debutante cotillion looming over her head, pressure to use a grandmother approved escort, and her own fiery romance starting, Norrie has plenty to confess about. She is kind and funny, perceptive and able to piece things together. Norrie thinks things through, and takes her family into consideration often, but she also feels a strong urge to do things her way.

Jane is the middle of the three girls, and the black sheep of the family, so to speak. Her basic reason for confessing is hilarious and plays out in a fantastic way, and her growth as things progress plays out tremendously well. She struggles with her religion and beliefs, struggles with her family, and struggles with her friends. Jane was incredibly authentic, and stood out the most to me.

Sassy had an interesting voice and some amusing beliefs. She has a huge, kind heart, is selfish in the most selfless of ways, and wears many of her feelings right out on her sleeve. Her confession was the most surprising, even if a bit predictable by the time her story came around. She makes her own growth strides, but I felt of the three, hers was the least notable and clear.

The interactions between the sisters was one of the most notable aspects of this book. They got along well, spent quite a bit of time together, and clearly cared deeply for each other, but all three still had their own hobbies and secrets. Another unique aspect of this book was the perspective shifts, getting first all of Norrie's story, then Jane, and finally Sassy. The same time period was told from the different viewpoints, with some variations according to memory of the same events, and new things thrown in that were specific to each girl. This did lead to some repetition and predictability, but it was also interesting to see it in different lights.

Each of the three confessions are both surprising and interesting, making the reader question which one would really upset Almighty that much. The actual confession is unpredictable, and not given until the last few pages of the book. While I did feel the very last little bit was rushed and unexpected, overall, the flow and tie ins were well paced. There are subtle but clear differences in voice between the three girls, and the three sections are written in a way that really does make it seem like the girls have written it, rather than a typical narrative voice.

Details:
Source: ARC received for review from publisher/author as part of a promotional tour with The {Teen} Book Scene
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press (September 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0545107105
ISBN-13: 978-0545107105

Speak Loudly!

I am sure you all have heard by now about the flat out ridiculous "opinion" piece written by an associate professor in Missouri. The one where he equates rape to soft porn, and completely misses the point of Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak? He even goes so far as to bring in Sarah Ockler's Twenty Boy Summer, appalled at the teenage drinking and sex in it and again completely mischaracterizing not only the book but the purpose of the events in it.

He's got his opinion (which I find to be a piece of crap and ridiculous), and I've got mine. And that opinion is that Speak was one of the first YA books I read, without fully realizing it was YA. It was a movie I rented one night, because it sounded both interesting and heartbreaking. And I was right. It was gutting to watch this teenage girl suffer through memories of being raped. Of wanting attention from a guy, and being held down, and hurt, and violated. That is not soft porn. That is horrible and painful. That is something that is hard for the victim to get over, not because they can't handle things, but because it is the ultimate invasion to a person.

Speak is not a novel of family dysfunction. Could her parents have been better? Maybe. But they didn't know, because she didn't tell them. She didn't tell anyone, and she didn't even have friends. What would you do, Wesley Scroggins, if you were held down and raped? If you had no one to tell because everyone turned their back on you? And even if you did tell, it isn't instantly over. It doesn't work like that.

I didn't just finish reading the book, or later watching the movie, and go about my life. It made me think. It made me feel horrible for this "fictional character" because there are so many people this really happens to. I can give you a list, right now, of books I've read that deal with rape and sexual abuse. Cheryl Rainfield's Scars, which takes on a whole new element because it's her story. Because her parents abused her. Because she was taught to harm herself to forget. And what does Cheryl think about this nutjob's opinion? She's appalled, because as she says, how can anyone think rape can be erotic, unless they are like her parents? You can read her full opinion here, but hers is an opinion rooted deeply in reality.

But did I find any of those books to be a turn on, and did I find some need to go do that to someone else? No. I thought about the people in my apartment complex, in the neighborhoods I've lived in throughout my life. I thought about what could really be going on behind those doors. I thought about the girls at my schools who were quiet and kept to themselves, who seemed to have poor social skills. What was really going on? And was I just too oblivious to realize, when maybe they were screaming for help without a voice to do it?

Speak and the other books that deal with this subject need to be in schools. Teachers, parents, educators and students need to have access to this. They need to understand how it isn't the victims fault, and that they can help. Victims need a link to something that lets them know they aren't alone, and that they can speak up. This isn't just an author's work that needs defending, but a voice for the thousands who have had to endure sexual abuse.

And what I want to know, more than anything, is why Wesley Scroggin's issue is not with the fact that teenagers are being raped, but that an author included them and he now thinks it's porn. How many teenagers in his community have been date raped? How many were drugged and don't even know it happened? But are those the issues he's having a problem with? No, despite the fact that they should be. Despite the fact that he is making some big call for Christ, and yet something that is far more heinous than teenage (consensual) sex is what he is targeting.

That's my opinion on this. My opinion on how important Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak is. How Speak is not just some book, but a strong message that can reach so many, both victims and not. Rape is not to be taken lightly. Rape is not just something that happens and you move on. And "opinions" like this one are not to be ignored.

In My Mailbox!

I want to start by saying... the Smart Chicks stop in The Woodlands was awesome! So worth taking time off work and the 3 1/2 hour drive! At this stop were Alyson Noel, Melissa Marr, Kelley Armstrong, Cassandra Clare, Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl, Holly Black and Rachel Vincent. It was a crapton of awesomeness all in one spot, and I have to admit, I was pretty overloaded by the time I got to the end of the signing line. I had 22 books total to get signed (19 were mine), including the few I bought at the store. Also, you know those orange chucks I won from Heidi Kling in the summer? They are filliping with signatures nicely- and Cassandra Clare even signed it as Team Magnus (definitely my favorite of her characters)! All in all, it was awesome though! And now on to my IMM post....

For Review:

Boys Don't Cry by Malorie Blackman
Knight Angels 2: The Book of Revenge by Abra Ebner
Blessed by Cynthia Leitich Smith
The Dead Boys by Royce Buckingham
The Search for Wondla by Tony DiTerlizzi
(Huge thanks to Random House UK, Abra Ebner, Cynthia Leitich Smith + Candlewick, Planned TV Arts and Simon & Schuster!)

Bought:
White Cat by Holly Black
Tithe by Holly Black
Valiant by Holly Black
Ironside by Holly Black
Taken by Storm by Angela Morrison
Torched by April Henry
Undercover by Beth Kephart
My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent
Jay's Journal by Anonymous

For my blogoversay giveaway:
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Posters!
Beautiful Creatures (From the Smart Chicks signing)
Sea (From Heidi Kling)

IMM is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

Book Review: Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

SUMMARY:

Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.

Sometimes life-ending.

Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.


OPINION: 4 STARS

Intricate and intriguing, Beautiful Darkness delves deeper into the Caster world, both building it more and creating new questions. With many of the same characters and a few new ones, things kick up a few notches in this installment in the series. Garcia and Stohl continue to smoothly blend a modern setting with a supernatural world. The Southern setting is still striking, memorable and well done, holding a very true not to small towns of the Deep South while maintaining a fluidity for anyone not accustomed to that way of life.

Ethan is still loving, thoughtful and intelligent. His heart is firmly with Lena, and the character development he gained in book one carries through to this one. Even when he is in clear denial of a situation's truth, the reasons are clear and concise. Ethan endures some heartbreaking challenges in Beautiful Darkness, handling some more smoothly than others, and the impact it has on him comes through strongly by the end. I switched from wanting to hug him to having a strong desire to smack him upside the head and knock a little sense into him, and it is this shifting that signifies how well Garcia and Stohl are able to write their narrator.

Lena goes through her own trials and changes, all seen through Ethan's eyes which adds an interesting perspective and bias. She is confused and unsure, guilt ridden and overwhelmed. Her actions are both understandable and frustrating, and she drives this book's plot in a big way. Lena is both an open book and an enigma in this book, as she was in Beautiful Creatures, and Garcia and Stohl continue to both strengthen and shroud her overall character and personality.

Apart from Lena and Ethan, the side characters continue to hold a strong presence, and their personalities are well developed and brought forth. Link is a great best friend, willing to have Ethan's back no matter the situation. He is caring and funny in the dorkiest, most awkward of ways, and brings quite a bit to the table. Ridley, my personal favorite character, makes her appearance in this book and of course brings all the trouble we'd expect with every new lick of a lollipop. She slips into this plot in a surprising way, and shows up when you least expect it to build her character and purpose. Her quips are perfectly delivered and her nonchalance well written.

This plot is unpredictable, intricate and brilliant. When linked with the book one events, it's overall nature is astounding in how deep everything runs, how well thought out and put together it is, and how beautifully things play out. Though parts did lag for me, the overall scope is fantastic. With small things that end up being something important, plenty of tie ins to the Beautiful Creatures events, and numerous unforeseeable twists, Beautiful Darkness takes Ethan and Lena's struggles to a new level.

By the end of the book, the majority of this book's events are wrapped up, with just hints of what might be coming. Despite those hints, the specifics remain unpredictable and innumerable. The writing is still smooth, detailed in a subtle way and very strongly able to build scenery in a reader's mind. From the great cast of characters, the realistic and detailed setting, the intricately built world and unpredictable plot, Beautiful Darkness is another great installment to the Caster Chronicles and showcases the natural ability of Garcia and Stohl in the simplest of ways.

Details:
Source: ARC borrowed from friend
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 512 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (October 12, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316077054
ISBN-13: 978-0316077057