Cheryl Rainfield (born August 19, 1972) is a Canadian novelist, short story writer, and TikToker.
Cheryl Rainfield | |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 August 1972 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Period | 2006-Present |
| Genre | Children's and young adult fiction |
| Website | |
| www | |
Early and personal life
editRainfield was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[1] She was raised in a cult with beliefs drawing from "white supremacy, antisemitism, homophobia and misogyny".[2] While in the cult, she was subject to psychological, ritual, and sexual abuse (including incest).[1][2] She battled with abuse by reading numerous books, and by writing and creating art during her early life which opened doors for her as an escape.[1]
Rainfield ran away from home at age 17. She was later diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), attributed to her childhood trauma.[2]
Rainfield speaks about her experiences of abuse on TikTok.[2]
She is an active feminist and a lesbian. Her favourite pastime is reading. She is a passionate reader, and enjoys writing and creating art. She lives with her dog, Petal, and her cat, Amazon. She currently resides in Toronto, Ontario.[1]
She has been involved with the Regular Children's/YA Critique Group for more than 11 years. She volunteers at CANSCAIP (Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators, and Performers). She completed an editing course at George Brown College in 1999 that covered proofreading, copy editing, and substantive editing.[citation needed]
Novels and short stories
editScars (2011)
editScars is a novel about Kendra, a lesbian teen who was sexually abused but doesn't remember who abused her. As her abuser starts leaving her threatening messages, Kendra uses self-harm, as well as art and therapy, to cope. Kendra is aware that she copes with her emotional pain through self-harm and tries to seek help through a therapist.[3]
Rainfield wrote the first draft of Scars in a few short months, and edited the book for over ten years, revising it more than forty times before it was accepted for publication by WestSide Books.[4] She based Scars on some of her personal life experiences.[2][5] Rainfield wrote the book in order to speak out about self-harm, sexual abuse, and being a queer teen, and to help others who've been through those experiences to know that they are not alone, and to encourage greater compassion and understanding in people who don't have those experiences.[6] For the launching of the book, she partnered with the Toronto Rape Crisis Centre, which she used as a help line when she was a teen.[4] Rainfield donates a portion of all her earnings from Scars to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) and the TRCC (Toronto Rape Crisis Centre).[1] The cover of the book is a photo of Rainfield's scarred forearms.[6][2]
Scars has faced multiple book bans.[2][7]
The Healer and The Horrors
editThe Healer is a compilation of 14 different horror stories. Like most anthologies it contains a variety of stories. Its sequel, The Horrors: Terrifying Tales: Book Two, is also an anthology. The stories ranges from the proverbial babysitter gone mad to the necrophilia fairy tale with a twist. The one thread that weaves itself through this collection of stories is teenage angst. Each story deals with an aspect of teen life and teen fears.[3]
Comfort Food
editComfort Food is a collection of horror stories by twenty three writers and seven artists. The common denominator is anything fast food related, and the ensemble runs the gamut from zombie delicacies to child hungry playgrounds.[8]
The Last Dragon (Dragon Speaker, 1)
editManning, the evil Lord rules through fear and magic over the fallen kingdom in the year 1144. The only hope seems to lie in the prophecy that a dragon speaker will appear to save the people. Jacob, a small young man is an unlikely hero. He walks with a limp and is the only one that can speak to the dragons. When the last dragon returns he is the only one that can communicate with her. Jacob and his friends Orson and Lia must rescue the egg of the world's last dragon. This is a hi-lo (high interest, low vocabulary) book for reluctant teen readers published by High Interest Publishing (HIP Books).[1]
SkinWalkers (Walking Both Sides)
editClaire and her cousin Kelsey are hunting and Kelsey ends up shooting a deer Skinwalker. They soon find themselves captured by Skinwalkers seeking revenge. When angry villagers attack the Skinwalker camp, Claire finds herself in a difficult situation and with the need to choose a side. This is a hi-lo (high interest, low vocabulary) book for reluctant teen readers published by High Interest Publishing (HIP Books).[1]
Hunted
editHunted is a paranormal fantasy/dystopian book about Caitlyn, a teen telepath in a world where paranormal powers are illegal. Caitlyn is on the run from government troopers. Whet Caitlyn falls for Alex, a Normal, and discovers dangerous renegade Paranormals, Caitlyn must decide between staying in hiding to protect herself, or taking a stand to save the world.[1] Rainfield drew on her abuse experiences (and specifically ritual abuse and torture) to write Hunted,[9] just as she did with Scars.
Influences
editCheryl Rainfield uses darker subject matter for her novels about teenage life, drawing from experiences she faced as a teenager and ones that many young adults may have confronted in their lives. Her stories also deal with themes of inner strength, self acceptance, and love in the face of extreme emotional conditions.[1]
Rainfield has also been reviewed in many blogs, newspapers, and magazines such as the Torontoist. She has made public appearances on Daytime Toronto (TV) and on the radio.[1]
Awards
editShe was a finalist for the 2010 Governor General's Literary Awards for Scars, which was also a nominee for the 2011 American Library Association (ALA) Stonewall Book Award,[10] and was #1 on YALSA's 2011 Top 10 Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers,[11] and was on ALA's 2011 Rainbow Project List.[1]
Bibliography
editNovels
edit- The Last Dragon. Dragon Speaker #1. High Interest Publishing Inc. 2009. ISBN 978-1-897039-46-5.
- Scars. Lodi, N.J: WestSide Books. 2010. ISBN 978-1-934813-32-4.
- SkinWalkers: Walking Both Sides (2011, High Interest Publishing (HIP Books))
- Hunted (Dec 2011)
- Parallel Visions: A Teen Psychic Novel. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. 2012-11-20. ISBN 978-1-4802-0419-5.
- Stained. HarperCollins. 2013-10-01. ISBN 978-0-547-94210-0.
Short stories
edit- The Healer (2006)
- Comfort Food (2007)
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rainfield, Cheryl. "Cheryl Rainfield: Teen Fiction Author, Reviewer, and Book-a-Holic". Archived from the original on November 16, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g Lloyd, Sophie (2023-04-09). ""If you talk, you die": Woman reveals how she escaped a cult". Newsweek. Retrieved 2024-10-25.
- ^ a b "SCARS". ProQuest 755499571.
- ^ a b Grainger, James (2010-06-24). "A Q&A with Scars author Cheryl Rainfield". Books.torontoist.com. Archived from the original on 2012-09-21. Retrieved 2012-11-20.
- ^ NDB Media (2010-12-07). ""Among Friends" invites Cheryl Rainfield into the house!". Blog Talk Radio. Archived from the original on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2012-11-20.
- ^ a b "Cheryl-Rainfield-TV-interview_DaytimeToronto.wmv". YouTube. 15 September 2010. Retrieved 2012-11-20.
- ^ "The 50 Most Banned Books in America Right Now". Reader's Digest. Retrieved 2024-10-25.
- ^ "Darkmythproductions.com". Theworldofmyth.com.darkmythproductions.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-27. Retrieved 2012-11-20.
- ^ Cheryl Rainfield (2011-09-13). "Cheryl Rainfield: My Inspiration For HUNTED". YouTube. Retrieved 2012-11-20.
- ^ "Scars". CherylRainfield. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
- ^ "Literary Agent with Harvey Klinger Inc, Agency in New York City, New York - Cheryl Rainfield". Andrea Somberg. Archived from the original on 2012-10-31. Retrieved 2012-11-20.