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
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!
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