HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!

I hope everyone's memorial day is great! I'm not putting up a post today, but will be back with one tomorrow!

Holly Schindler Interview

1. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
As soon as I could read. I’m really serious—I was writing stories on my own by the time I was in the first grade. In the same way that some kids are just natural athletes, or natural pianists or natural speakers, I was just kind of a natural writer. It always FIT, in a way nothing else ever did.

2. How did the idea of A BLUE SO DARK come to you?
As A BLUE SO DARK opens, we find fifteen-year-old Aura Ambrose hiding a secret. Her mother, a talented artist and art teacher, is slowly being consumed by schizophrenia, and Aura has been her sole caretaker ever since Aura’s dad left them. Convinced that “creative” equals crazy, Aura shuns her own artistic talent. But as her mother sinks deeper into the darkness of mental illness, the hunger for a creative outlet draws Aura toward the depths of her imagination. Just as desperation threatens to swallow her whole, Aura discovers that art, love, and family are profoundly linked—and together may offer an escape from her fears.

…There wasn’t really an ah-ha! moment with this one. I just remember it coming to me in pieces, over the course of a couple of weeks. And I remember being in the YA non-fiction section of my library, reading everything I could on schizophrenia (I wanted to find out how schizophrenia had already been presented factually to a teenage audience). Once I had the idea in my head, I sat down to write.

The first draft of this book wrote extremely quickly—in about two months! I just really went for it, not censoring much of anything I put down. (I even took my glasses off to write the first draft—if I couldn’t SEE what I’d just written, I couldn’t second-guess it!) The book had to be revised globally about four times over the next couple of years (and the final draft was about 20,000 words longer than the first). But I think my no-holds-barred, uncensored first draft is responsible for Aura’s brutally honest voice.

3. Many authors have different publishing experiences. How was yours? Hard? Easy?

Hard, hard, hard. Concrete hard. I got my master’s in 2001. And because writing had always been this all-encompassing thing for me, my family let me stay at home and devote full-time effort to getting a writing career off the ground.

I figured that it’d take a year, year and a half to write a novel, and I’d sell it, and I’d be off and running. After all, I’d excelled in all things involving creative writing all through school. I was bound to be a writer. Right?

But the first deal didn’t come easy. I lost count of how many manuscripts I wrote and submitted over the course of seven and a half years. I inked the deal for A BLUE SO DARK in early 2009…

Hard as it was, and as many tears as were shed, I wouldn’t trade those years in the trenches for ANYTHING. No degree can teach you the same thing as years of struggle and hard work…

4. If you hadn’t become a writer, what would you have become?

Probably a literature professor. When I started college, the plan was to get a PhD in lit. After I got my master’s, though, I had to step away from school. All I wanted to do was WRITE. But the PhD’s definitely on the bucket list…

5. Will there be more books after A BLUE SO DARK? What should we expect?

PLAYING HURT is set to be released March 1, 2011! PLAYING HURT centers on two former athletes: Chelsea Keyes, a basketball star whose promising career has been catastrophically snipped short by a horrific accident on the court, and Clint Morgan, an ex-hockey player who gave up his much-loved sport following his own game-related tragedy.

Chelsea meets Clint (who’s working as a resort fishing guide) soon after arriving with her family for a summer vacation in Lake of the Woods, Minnesota. Sparks fly, igniting the pages, even though Chelsea has a boyfriend back home in Missouri…and even though Clint has sworn never to put himself in the position to be hurt emotionally again.

Their unlikely romance has the potential to heal their heartache and force Chelsea and Clint to realize just how timidly they’ve been living…but by playing hurt—entering into a romance with already-broken hearts—are they just setting themselves up for the kind of injury from which they could never recover?

…I also REALLY love working in different genres and styles. As soon as I finish a book in one style, I need to work in something else…which is what’s so fantastic about YA! It incorporates SOOO many different genres!

6. Can you relate to any of your characters that your have written? Are they based on real people?

The voice of Aura is really closest to the voice that just rattles around in my own head. But my characters are never based on real people. They’re always complete fiction.

A lot of my readers seem to WANT the characters in A BLUE SO DARK to be real people…I’ve often been asked if I grew up with a schizophrenic mother! (I didn’t—but Mom and I both laugh about the question…she was a psych major in college!)

Really, though, my characters don’t live anywhere but in my mind…And I can’t wait to introduce the world to my next cast of characters, which I’ll be able to do next March, when PLAYING HURT is released!

…I’d also like to invite everyone over to my blog (hollyschindler.blogspot.com) to check out the official cover art of PLAYING HURT…I’ll be posting updates on PLAYING HURT as the novel nears publication, AND I’ve started a FLASH FICTION CHALLENGE at my blog—you send the prompts, I write the fiction. The writer of the best prompt gets a prize in time for the holidays!

Thanks so much for the wonderful interview Holly!

Kisses and Lies by Lauren Henderson

Publisher: Delacorte Press
Age Group: YA
Rating: 4.5/5
Source: Publisher

After discovering that someone saw what looked like Dan's emergency EpiPen in A-lister Plum's designer handbag, Scarlett and her tough American sidekick, Taylor, sneak into a posh London nightclub, where Plum has a private table. Scarlett is stunned to discover a piece of evidence that might implicate another girl in Plum's exclusive circle, Lucy Raleigh. Which means Scarlett must cast a wider net in order to catch the right suspect.

Back at school, groundskeeper Jase is hoping to take Scarlett's mind off her troubles with some heart-stopping kisses. Scarlett can't help but feel guilty for indulging in romantic rendezvous when she should be hunting down Dan's killer. However, once Scarlett finds out how Lucy is connected to Dan, she knows she must drop everything and travel to the McAndrew estate in Scotland to hunt for more clues. But when she arrives, Scarlett becomes the target of a dangerous hunt herself.

When I read the first book in the Scarlett Wakefield series, KISS ME, KILL ME, I fell in love with it and I was dying to get my hands and begin reading the second book. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. It was a full blown roller coaster.

But I do have to give you a warning: Do NOT read this book f you have not read the first one. You will be very confused. The book picks off right where KISS ME, KILL ME left off, and there is a little recap, but not enough for you to skip the book. Here Scarlett is going after to find out why Dan died. She does travel to Scotland to Dan's family and that whole journey is amazing. I'm not going to say much about it since I don't want to give away anything from this book, but there are twists and turns and never did I want to put this book down. I cannot wait to read the third book in the series, KISS IN THE DARK.

The cover of this book was much better than the first one. I wasn't too big of a fan of the first one, but this one seemed much different. By judging just by the cover, you probably won't think this book is a mystery since there is nothing dark in the cover. Actually, when I saw it first, I thought it was going to be a chick lit book.

Overall, this book was amazing and I will be reading every book in the series.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Publisher: Scholastic
Age Group: YA
Rating: 4.5/5
Source: Bought

the cold.
Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—watches back. He feels deeply familiar to her, but she doesn't know why.

the heat.
Sam has lived two lives. As a wolf, he keeps the silent company of the girl he loves. And then, for a short time each year, he is human, never daring to talk to Grace...until now.

the shiver.
For Grace and Sam, love has always been kept at a distance. But once it's spoken, it cannot be denied. Sam must fight to stay human—and Grace must fight to keep him—even if it means taking on the scars of the past, the fragility of the present, and the impossibility of the future.


Shiver immediatly caught my attention with it's cover. I love Shiver's cover. It's so beautiful and I remember that when I bought this book, it was summer and just looking at that cover made it feel as though it was winter and I actually hoped it was winter because what would be better than reading this book during winter. 

The story was fantastic itself. There was never a dull moment in the book or a moment where I wanted to stop. I didn't want to stop reading. I wanted Grace and Sam's story to continue forever, but as we all know, all good things must come to and end. But don't be disappointed there yet. The story continues with Linger and later on with Forever.

Overall, if you love werewolves and the unltimate love story, this book's for you.

Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings by Helene Boudreau

Publisher: Sourcebooks
Age Group: Middle Grade
Rating: 4/5
Source: Publisher

First zit. First crush. First…mermaid’s tail?
If she hadn’t been so clueless, she might have seen it coming. But really, who expects to get into a relaxing bathtub after a stressful day of shopping for tankinis and come out with scales and a tail?
Most. Embarassing. Moment. Ever.
Jade soon discovers she inherited her mermaid tendencies from her mom. But this revelation raises a serious question: if Mom was a mermaid, how did she drown?
Jade is determined to find out. But how does a plus-sized, aqua-phobic, mer-girl go about doing that, exactly? And how will Jade ever be able to explain her secret to her best friend Cori, and her crush, Luke?
This summer is about to get a lot more interesting…


I thought this book was the most cutest book I had ever read. It took me back in time to when I was young like Jade. The feelings Jade has in the book are very much what a young girl like her would have. Many pre-teens fall in love with a guy, but not all of them find out they are mermaids. Now that made the book even better.

Jade lives with her dad since her mom had died and it's sort of hard for her to talk to her dad about everything. I don't blame her. There are some things that you just have to talk to your mom because you feel more comfortable that way, and here is poor Jade with only her dad around. Her dad does understand her "issues" and he tries to help out, but it's funny because Jade is so embarrassed by it. Also, when Jade finds out she's a mermaid, she also finds out a little secret her mom had as well....

Overall, I very much enjoyed this book and look foreward to reading more of Helene's books because she is just a fun author!

Kirsten Miller's Story

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine the kind of kid who falls prey to bullies. Got a clear picture in your head? The person you just saw is a stereotype. She’s the person none of us ever wants to be. A victim. A weakling. A pariah.
There’s a reason this stereotype persists. Adults who were bullied as kids don’t like to relive the experience. We keep our stories to ourselves. If more of us chose to share, you’d see that anyone can end up suffering at the hands of a bully. There’s absolutely no shame in it. Being bullied doesn’t mean you’re weak, repulsive, or deficient in any way. It only means you’ve been unlucky.

I wish I had reached these conclusions earlier in my life. For a long time, I bought into the stereotype. That’s probably why I’ve never told my own story. I didn’t want anyone to think I used to be that kid. But then I realized no one ever is. That kid simply doesn’t exist.   

I think it’s safe to say that I have never been anyone’s idea of a “victim.” I’ve always been tough, smart (or so I’d like to think), and outspoken. I’m not the sort who backs down from a fight. In fact, I tend to enjoy them. Yet I spent most of the ninth grade being tormented, chased, humiliated, and physically threatened. I didn’t have one bully. I had dozens. There was no point in fighting. I had no hope of winning.

How did it start? You might be surprised. The summer before my freshman year, I met a boy who’d soon be senior at my high school. I don’t think it’s possible to exaggerate how good looking he was. (And still is, I’m told.) It wasn’t long before I was suffering from my first serious crush. A few people who knew us both told me that he liked me, too. I never acted on those reports.
I was arrogant back then—some might even say conceited. But I was also a fairly decent human being who was painfully shy, terribly naive, and incredibly young. (A year younger than my fellow freshmen.) By the time school kicked off in August, I had exchanged no more than a few flirty words with the object of my crush. At no point did anyone mention that the boy had a girlfriend who was away for the summer.
The day the girlfriend returned, I found myself on the top of her hit list. Kristy was a dainty, pretty sophomore with a very popular older brother. Oh yeah—and she had gorgeous hair. That’s all I can say for certain, because I don’t recall actually speaking to her. Still, she hated me with the sort of passion that’s usually reserved for mass-murderers and trophy-wives.

When I first heard someone whisper the nickname Kristy had given me, I had no clue what it meant. To this day, I can’t recall the incident that inspired it. Apparently some upperclassman had once teased me about being a freshman. I jokingly responded that I planned to be “Super Freshman.” That was it. That was how it started.

 It must have been fun to make me suffer, because at least a third of the school decided to join in. Some of the kids really relished the opportunity to be cruel. Most of them probably thought that making my life miserable would be the perfect way to win favor with Kristy and her big brother. Soon the “Super Freshman” whispers became snickers. The snickers became shouts. An astounding variety of objects were hurled at me. The contents of my locker were repeatedly vandalized. Midway through the school year, I was actively avoiding several athletically-inclined girls who were quite keen on kicking my butt.

Believe it or not, living inconstant fear of physical violence wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was discovering that Kristy had a spy in my camp. My very best friend had seen a chance to be the popular kids’ favorite freshman—and she’d happily sold me out. She was the one who had given my tormentors the combination to my locker. (Other delightful things they left inside!) She was the one who’d fueled the fires by whispering lies in Kristy’s ear. (“Repeating” things I’d never said.) She was the one who made Kristy think I was still drooling over her boyfriend. (I thought he was cute, but I was disgusted that he’d never once bothered to defend me.)

By the last month of school, most of my friends had turned against me. Only two had displayed unwavering loyalty.(And I will be eternally grateful to them.) My teachers must have known what was happening, but not a single adult ever attempted to intervene. My grades plummeted. My attendance record was shockingly bad. I was sinking deeper and deeper into depression.
I have no idea how long the torture might have continued if I hadn’t been caught skipping school. I was sentenced to detention—and given a desk next to Kristy’s brother. In one of the strangest turns of fate that I’ve ever experienced, he and I became friendly. Suddenly, it was all over. There were no more whispers or threats. In fact, byte beginning of my sophomore year, most people seemed to have forgotten that the episode had ever taken place. But I will always remember because the experience changed me—and altered the course of my life.

 When I was in high school, I would have argued to the death that nothing good could possibly come from the suffering I’d endured. And if you’re currently being bullied, I don’t expect you to believe that life can get better. I know exactly how much it must suck right now. But you will survive. Then one day, you will step out of the fire with the knowledge that you can endure almost anything. You will be more cautious, but less fearful. Less trusting, but more loyal. You’ll have an inner strength and powers of observation that most people will never possess. And you’ll have enough fodder for at least six young adult novels. (Take my word for it!)

Gwen Hayes' Story

When I was in 5th grade, my parents, trying their best to get us out of a bad neighborhood, moved us across town and me into a new school. I understand their reasons for it now, but at the time, it was very traumatic for me. Being the new girl in the middle of the school year was hard. The school was some kind of "progressive" school and didn't have the same structured classes I was used to. The demographic seemed a little more moneyed than I was used to also--meaning my Tough Skin corduroys were ALL wrong. And so were my shoes. My hair. You get the picture.


 One girl, the IT girl, called me bug eyes. To be fair, my eyes were awfully big for my face. Obviously I already knew that and obviously she knew that I would be sensitive about it. She made fun of me daily, encouraging her friends to do the same. And then I was shunned. Nobody would talk to me except the teachers--and you know what happens to the kid who spends too much time with the teachers.


I don't remember where or who I ate lunch with. I don't remember recess. I don't remember the bus rides to or from school. I blocked it all out and I am more than okay with that. I don't necessarily want to remember.


I was lucky that my parents took me seriously when I told them I was miserable. I had to finish the year, but we moved again and I was able to get a fresh start. I know that not everyone's parents would do the same. I know that there are worse things than to be called a name and shunned. But I also know that it hurts and that it's lonely and that it seems like it will never change or get better.  I just wanted to let people know that it does get better. I want people to know that my husband loves my eyes--that they were the feature that attracted him first. (Well, that's what he says anyway.)


Don't give up on yourself ever. Sometimes in life, you get to be your only friend, so make sure that you are the best one you ever have. And when it hurts the most, remember that someday you will be past it and someone else will need your encouragement to go through their own pain.


And living well is the best revenge. I promise.

Melinda Metz's Story

I was bullied in the sixth grade by two girls, Paula and Yvette (clearly names I've never forgotten). They were always doing things like putting little balls of clay on my seat and saying I pooped. This is nothing compared to the kind of bullying other kids have gone through and are going through. But it was constant. Every day there was something. Ususally multiple somethings. And it hurt. And it wore me down. And it made me feel like there was something deeply wrong with me. My other friends weren't getting bullied. Why was I?

That feeling of something being wrong with me was hard to shake. Even when sixth grade was over. Even when Paula and Yvette were out of my life. All I can say is that being bullied sucks. But it doesn't mean there's something wrong with you, that you deserve it somehow.

I was ashamed of being bullied. I didn't want my parents to talk to the principal. I didn't want to talk to my teacher. I just wanted to curl into a ball until it stopped. Please, if you're being bullied, know that you deserve to ask for help and you deserve to get it.

Eleni (La Femme Readers) Story

In high school I was fortunate enough to not experience bullying first hand. But, that doesn't mean I didn't see it going on around me. I remember this guy, Ian, we actually went to the same elementary school and high school together. I'd see kids everyday calling him names and pushing him around. I remember they used to make fun of his braces and wardrobe. I used to always say hi to him, just because I wanted to be the "nice" one. However, looking back I stood in the sidelines when they would bully him. Back then, I should have stood up for him. Yes, I might have received ridicule from the bullies, but so what. He deserved that respect, and unfortunately I was too immature to realize that at the time. Bullies are horrible people, but the individuals standing in the sidelines are just as bad too. So, I urge whoever is reading this, lend a helping hand when you see one of your classmates being bullied. That one time of ignorance, could cost the life of a student put into a bad and unsafe situation.

Laurie Faria Stolarz's Essay

Bullying is a subject that is very important to me, which is why I’m so honored to be a contributor to the upcoming anthology DEAR BULLY, published by HarperCollins, and edited by young adult authors Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones.  DEAR BULLY will be out this fall, and features the personal stories of 70 authors.  

My story tells about an experience I had in middle school, and how I was able to revisit that experience in my adulthood with a new understanding.  My essay is called “Dear Bully,” and I was honored when the editors chose it as the title to the anthology.

I write a lot about bullying because I think it’s something we all experience on some level and at various stages in our lives.  It may not always be the overt bullying, as we often see on TV.  Very often bullying is subtle, especially when it occurs amongst girls and within families. 
My novel BLEED has a great deal of bullying in it – mother-daughter bullying; bullying amongst friends; and bullying where there’s an obvious imbalance of power.  BLEED is a collection of interlocking short stories that take place over the course of a single day.  In one of the stories, 11-year-old Sadie Dubinsky is bulled by her mother who forces her to wear a sign on her chest that says Please Don’t Feed Me.  Joy Ryder is bullied by a boy in school who makes sexually explicit comments to purposely make her uncomfortable.  Kelly bullies Ginger by making her feel inadequate.  Maria bullies Sadie, trying to get her to cut her.  The bullying in this book is palpable, and so is the message:  that we all bleed, that the decisions we make each day – no matter how seemingly small – can and do affect other people.  

Please check out the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yad28nt0sYI

Jennifer Murgia's Story

It’s 2011. Man has evolved over centuries. Socializing has evolved over decades. Things should be different. Are they?

When it comes to bullying, I’m afraid they are not.

You would think bullying to be a thing of the past, but I’m afraid it’s only gotten worse. People are brazen, feeling they have good cause to take things out on others. Kids are bullied on playgrounds. Teens are cornered in bathrooms. Words are ugly, threats are made and the end result is a person left shaking because they feel they don’t know what to do. It happens to many of us at one time or another, and is very real.

I’m writing this post because I happen to know a sweet, promising, intelligent girl who faces being bullied every day. She’s taunted by a group of peers she believed to be her closest friends. She’s scared. She’s on the brink of trying to understand the motives behind their verbal attacks while praying those attacks don’t become physical. It’s disrupting her life. She faces this alone – but in reality, she is anything but alone. Many, myself included, have been taunted, teased, ridiculed and humiliated at one point in our lives. You never know when a peer will turn on you. You may never know why.

But I do know that you can stop it.

Tell someone; anyone who has the authority to make a difference: a parent, a family member,  teacher or guidance counselor. The more people you make aware of the situation the better. Extra sets of eyes and ears should never be turned away.

In most cases, bullies choose to pick on someone because they feel threatened by them in some way and it makes them feel better to bring that person down. They often go on to be bullies throughout adulthood, thinking they can still push people around. On the other end of the spectrum, the ones who are bullied usually end up making their dreams come true, because they focus their time and energy on what’s important in life.

Ignoring is hard. Sure, trying to close eyes to someone threatening you is no easy task. It might make the bullying worse but soon enough, that bully won’t succeed. They won’t break you. They will see you’re strong and move on once you stand up for yourself. Grab help when it’s offered, and if it isn’t don’t ever be afraid to ask.

I don’t know if this will help my friend, I can only hope. I know firsthand that fighting this is easier said than done but it’s worth it, and she’ll get through. Just like you.

Lisa Cach's Story

I’ll share a bullying story that stretches across 25 years, about a very close friend I’ll call “Angela,” and a bully I’ll call “Tiffany.”
Angela was a sweet, bubbly, funny girl who would never hurt anyone, and yet starting in junior high she became the target of Tiffany.  As Angela says, “Tiffany was the original ‘mean girl.’”  Tiffany was full of sneers, derogatory comments, that ‘I’m looking you over from head to foot and hating what I see’ glare, and was a generally rotten individual who made Angela’s days a misery.
Angela and I told ourselves that Tiffany was insecure, and that’s why she was so mean.  We half believed it, but not really.  It felt like one of those things you tell yourself to feel better, but you aren’t convinced it’s true. 
In high school, Tiffany and her gang of unpleasant people were in several of Angela’s classes.  They sat in the back, and often interrupted the class and made it hard for anyone to learn anything.  Angela was constantly distracted by them.  Angela developed such a hatred for Tiffany & Crew that she vowed she would get good enough grades that next year, she would be moved into higher level classes, where Tiffany could not follow her.
And Angela did it.  The next year, her classes were Tiffany-free.  But of course, Tiffany still roamed the halls like a bad odor, and there was no protection from her there.  I got my own share of sneers and dirty looks from Tiffany, but I wasn’t the direct target that Angela was.
Now fast forward 20 years, to our 20 year high school reunion.  Angela didn’t go (high school was not a happy memory for either of us), but I did.  I had dreamt of someday returning to this reunion and saying, “Ha, ha!  Look at me!  I’m a published author!”  Thing was, it turned out that if you live the life you want, by the time your 20 year reunion comes around, you don’t care what your old high school classmates think of you, one way or the other.  In fact, you can’t remember who 95% of them are.  I had many moments of, ‘Who the heck ARE you, and why are you acting like we’ve ever met before?’ 
And the ones who were mean to you now try to ‘friend’ you on Facebook.  Yeah.  I don’t think so.  I still remember what you said about my butt, in sixth grade.  ‘Ignore!’
I remembered Tiffany, of course.  She was there, and she gave me a tight smile and that look that goes from head to toe.  She seemed to be doing fine:  she had her own small business, and looked attractive.  It didn’t seem like karma had bitten her for her days as a teenage nasty.  From the outside, she looked good.  “Fine and dandy,” I thought.  “Live and let live.  Maybe she’s a grown-up now.”
But it was all an illusion.  A few years after that reunion, I heard that Tiffany killed herself.
It turns out that she had long struggled with depression.  When Tiffany was a kid, her own father had killed himself.  Her home life was difficult:  her mother was unwell, and she had a sibling with a severe disability.  When Angela and I had told ourselves that Tiffany was mean because she was insecure, we had no clue about the pain that she faced every day.  We didn’t know that she was living a life that she didn’t know how to cope with; a life that she never would learn to cope with.  It doesn’t excuse her being so rotten to Angela — many other people have faced similar issues and haven’t dealt with it by being cruel to others -- but it does make clear that it really wasn’t anything about Angela that deserved Tiffany’s attacks. 
As soon as I heard about Tiffany, I called Angela and told her.  She was stunned.  “I thought Tiffany was too mean to ever die,” she said, and then she was quiet for a moment.  “She was really, really messed-up, wasn’t she?” 
Tiffany had left scars on Angela’s psyche, but Angela had survived and prospered anyway.  Tiffany... Hadn’t.  Angela couldn’t quite feel compassion for Tiffany, but her view of the past fundamentally shifted when she found out that Tiffany had not been well.  The flaws really had been in Tiffany, not in Angela; we’d told ourselves that all along, but we had proof, now.  A dark and horrible proof, but proof all the same.
Angela — still bubbly, still funny -- has two little girls of her own now, and she wonders what mean girls they’ll face in school.  When they’re old enough, she’ll tell them about Tiffany.  When someone is a bully, there really is something broken inside them, and in their life.  You may never know what it is, but be assured that it is there.  If you fantasize about revenge, know that a bully’s true punishment is in living her own life, as herself.
And you, meanwhile, can go on to live the life you dream of.  You will love and be loved, will laugh and feel joy, and you will find your place in the world, amongst people who understand and support you.  I promise.

Check this talented author's fantastic book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Wake-Unto-Me-Lisa-Cach/dp/0142414360

Show Love Not Hate

As we all know, bullying affects the lives of many students in middle school and high school. I too was bullied in middle school and right now in high school, I'm being bullied. It's hurts so much that all I do is cry myself to sleep everynight. But I thought to myself one day that in one more year, I'm going to graduate high school and never see the bullies again. I graduated middle school and escaped them.

I know there are others who are being bullied far worse than I am. The bullies in high school were my best friends. One day out of the blue they stopped talking to me. I was lost and scared. I kept on thinking to myself "what did I do to make them hate me so much?" The answer was nothing. They were simply jealous of me. I was making new friendships, but still sat with them during lunch and talked to them. Everything I did was wrong for them.

Everyday at lunch they would look at me sitting at another table and the whispers and talking about would begin. I became so scared that I ran away from lunch and ever since, I haven't gone to the cafeteria to eat. I'm scared. Plian and simple. But I began Show Love Not Hate to raise awareness for bullying. No one has the right to put you down. During the Month of May different authors will be sharing their stories of being bullied. I also will be posting up "Show Love when..." quotes that I'll be making myself. Anyone who wants to add one can so in the comments section.

I want to let every bullied victim out there know that it does get better. It's getting a little better for me right now. The bullies haven't completly stopped, but I guess they are getting bored. But always remeber to show love not hate.