Cheryl Skory Suma
Cheryl always enjoyed making up bedtime stories for her two children when they were little, brief tales she imagined on the spot. She would incorporate characters, animals and places from their family travels across Canada that her children shouted out as theme requests while they snuggled in bed. She used these adventure-filled fantasies not only to entertain them, but also to teach lessons about courage and grit. At age nine, her daughter Melissa asked her to write a “longer story,” and Habitan was born.
Cheryl is proud of her multi-cultural Canadian background, including one-quarter Cree Aboriginal/Inuit via her maternal grandmother, plus a mix of Ukrainian and British European grandparents who travelled to Canada seeking adventure and opportunity. Her Aboriginal grandmother’s spirit and grace were inspirational to the creation of Habitan and led to the choice to use Cree as the basis for the magical language in the book. The primary matriarch queen of “the Good” in Habitan is based on Cheryl’s Cree grandma.
Cheryl holds an Honors degree in Child Psychology and a Masters of Health Science in Speech-Language Pathology. She brings over 30 years of experience working with children and youth to her storytelling, and a passion for reminding them of the power of believing in your ability to make a difference. “Stand up to bullies, believe in yourself and your values, and be brave” is the mantra she taught her children, and she hopes the adventures in Habitan will pass this theme of resilience and bravery on to generations of readers of all ages.
Following a successful career as a Speech-Language Pathologist and later as the founder of a home healthcare company, Cheryl suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury, which forced her to leave healthcare so she could focus on her recovery. This accident brought an unexpected gift, allowing her to return to her true love, storying, as part of her healing process. She has since become a multi-pushcart nominee, and her short stories, creative nonfiction, poetry and photography have appeared in literary journals across Canada, the US, and the UK, with her work placing in over fifty competitions since 2019. Habitan is her first full-length YA fantasy novel. Cheryl lives in Aurora, Ontario, with her very spoiled Goldendoodle, Penny. She enjoys gourmet cooking and occasional visits from her adult children whom she adores (Her children, Melissa and Michael, were the basis for two of the three child heroes in Habitan). They always remind her we can all still put something wonderful back into this world.
