Guest Post: Sherryl Woods (and giveaway, too!)

I am pleased to welcome author Sherryl Woods to Always With a Book. Her latest book, Catching Fireflies, is now available. You can read my review of her book (and enter to win a copy) here. Today Sherryl is talking about the main message in her new book – bullying.

Way, way back I was the fat kid. I dreaded
walking into a classroom or attempting to climb a rope in gym class or waiting
to be the last kid chosen for the team. Amazingly, though, despite the
unthinking cruelty of kids, I was never bullied. In fact I recall a
conversation my mom had with a teacher when deciding I would not have to go
through the potential torture of camp to be a school safety patrol officer. The
teacher expressed her own amazement at how seldom I was ever taunted by
classmates.

In other words, I lucked out. I was merely terminally shy back then, more a
victim of my own insecurities than the cruelty of bullies. However, those days
did make me incredibly sensitive to the impact bullying can have on young
people. Recent news stories have only solidified my determination to do
whatever little bit I can do to shine a light on these unnecessary tragedies.

Bullying is the focus of my latest Sweet Magnolias novel, Catching Fireflies
(August, MIRA Book). In this story an alert high school teacher and a
pediatrician, who’ve had their own devastating experiences with bullying, spot
the signs in a high school student. Through their attempts to help this victim
of cyber-bullying, they draw together not only the Sweet Magnolias, but the
entire town of Serenity, South Carolina, to battle back, to say to the world
that bullying is not acceptable here.

Though I pray that bullying is not an issue for your kids or in your community,
I fear that’s being overly optimistic. Therefore I hope every one of you will
become more alert to the signs that your child is being bullied or more open to
the possibility that your son or daughter could be guilty of bullying someone
else. Parents, teachers, and pediatricians may be the first line of defense in
putting an end to bullying among our young people.

Until bullying — whether it’s mistakenly called a prank, hijinks or a
childhood right of passage — is eradicated, the possibility of a tragedy is
too high. Please, please, do whatever you can to ensure that the young people
in your world are safe and can grow up with the sense of security and
self-worth that they deserve.   

About the author:Sherryl Woods,New
York Times andUSA TODAY Bestselling
Author, has written more than 100 romance and mystery novels. After graduating
from the School of Journalism at Ohio State University, she spent more than ten
years as a journalist and also spent some time coordinating a motivational
program at the University of Miami-Jackson Memorial Medical Center. Aside from
reading and writing, Sherryl also enjoys gardening, tennis, theater, ballet and
baseball. Currently she divides her time between Key Biscayne, Florida and
Colonial Beach, Virginia, the small, river-front town where she spent her
childhood summers.

Thank you Sherryl for writing this great and very timely post and thank you Eric from Media Connect for coordinating it!!!

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for a chance to win a copy of Catching Fireflies!