Blog Tour: Cheryl Rainfield Interview & Giveaway!

1. In what ways do you relate to Kendra and what she went through?

Kendra is a LOT like me—except I think she’s feistier than I ever was. Like

Kendra, I was sexually abused from a very young age, my abusers threatened

to kill me if I told, and I had a strong need to face the abuse and get

safe. Like Kendra, I used self-harm to cope with the abuse, for all the

reasons that Kendra did—to get relief from unbearable emotional pain; to

keep from killing myself; to silence myself; to escape or suppress abuse

memories; to punish myself; and sometimes to cry out for help (even though

I kept the wounds and scars hidden.) Like Kendra, I also used art (and

writing) to try to cope, to heal, and to get out emotion. I knew as a teen

that I was queer, and I had a girlfriend, though older than me. I also had

a good therapist help me deal with the abuse memories and their effects.

There’s a lot of me in Kendra, including some of her responses and ways of

coping. Like Kendra, I didn’t have healthy love or a good family, and I

needed to create my own family of friends. I was also always looking for a

good mom figure, like Kendra was.

Despite all those similarities, Kendra is not me—she is a character I

created. But I relate to so much in her, and I know there’s a lot of me in

her.

2. If you could befriend Kendra with any other YA character who would it be and why?

I think I’d befriend her with Tamora Pierce’s Alanna, for her girl power

and protectiveness and strength; with Suzanne Collins’ Katniss, for her

fierce ability to survive, her loyalty and protectiveness, and her

inventive ways of fighting back against oppressors and authority; and LM

Montgomery’s Anne for her intense love of life, creativity, and imagination.

3.Is there a specific message you hope readers of Scars take away with them?

I want readers to know that you can come through deep pain and horrific

abuse, and still find happiness, hope, and safe love. And I especially want

readers to come away from Scars with more compassion for, and less judgment

of, self-harm—understanding that for some of us, it is a way of coping with

trauma or extreme emotion. And also aware that being queer is a positive

thing. For those readers who’ve used self-harm—I want them to know they’re

not alone.

4. What is one book you wish you'd written?

How to Buy a Love of Reading by Tanya Egan Gibson. That book has SO much

depth and emotional truth. I utterly believed in the characters, cared

about them, and rooted for them. Beautifully woven from character to

character, and beautifully written.

5. You've written both short stories and novels, what's the main difference between writing the two?

I’m not sure if I’m the best person to ask; I am much more comfortable

writing novels. I like how much you can explore in a novel. In short

stories, you can’t go into as much depth for the characters, the

relationships, the plot events. I’ve always loved reading and writing

novels better than short stories—though some short stories are incredible

and moving.

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Thanks so much, Cheryl!

Click here to visit Cheryl's website!

Thanks to The Teen {Book} Scene for arranging this tour!

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Giveaway!

I have one signed hardcover of Scars to giveaway to one lucky winner, along with two bookmarks.

Rules:

US Only

Ends October 3

Fill out THIS FORM to enter!