• R.I.P. Sherryl Jordan, 74, in Dec. 2023 (NZ fantasy author)

    From Lenona@3:633/280.2 to All on Wed Jul 16 01:54:59 2025
    She also wrote historical fiction. Many of her books are for teenagers.
    One such book is "The Raging Quiet." (She worked as a teacher aide with
    deaf children.)

    About that 1999 book:

    "After her husband dies, Marnie remains in the quiet village to help a
    deaf boy learn sign language, yet the villagers fear her and soon
    believe that she is a witch who may have caused her husband's death
    through the power of her strange hand gestures."


    https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=4aa233782b511ba8&q=sherryl+jordan+books&udm=2&fbs=AIIjpHxU7SXXniUZfeShr2fp4giZ1Y6MJ25_tmWITc7uy4KIeioyp3OhN11EY0n5qfq-zENwnGygERInUV_0g0XKeHGJBEXLz4R1Z33kknVKOo4klAWEwLDmfKzNgyWb11dC_RLV1epr7ou6rOCC1qfQfNDJx3qLmihyl6qsiTtlf4t3RjE340AbyEil7UkB7dBMiHmUZhFemaiW-N0Dseb8P52FAyr_ag&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiO0uTMmL-OAxXaMVkFHWCvEXkQtKgLKAF6BAgTEAE&biw=1920&bih=863&dpr=1
    (book covers)

    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/j/sherryl-jordan/
    (more covers)

    https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/68871.Sherryl_Jordan
    (reader reviews and photo)


    https://debbiemccauleyauthor.wordpress.com/biographies/sherryl-rose-jordan-nee-brogden/
    (this includes her bibliography and awards)

    Tauranga author Sherryl Jordan won a number of prestigious awards and
    rates among the great names of children and young adult’s literature,
    both nationally and internationally. Her outstanding books are a blend
    of fantasy, science fiction and romantic realism. She was the recipient
    of a 1993 fellowship to the prestigious writing program at the
    University of Iowa and several of her books have been translated into
    other languages. Sherryl was a founding member of Bookrapt (Est. 1983),
    the Bay of Plenty Children’s Literature Association, which was
    established with the vision of encouraging, supporting, and promoting
    reading and writing. I was privileged to meet and chat with Sherryl at
    Bookrapt events many times over the years and am still in awe of her
    great talent and ability to easily transport us to other times and other worlds. She was a lovely soul and will be sadly missed. – Debbie
    McCauley.

    Sherryl Rose Brogden was born at Hāwera in the Taranaki region of New Zealand’s North Island on 8 June 1949. Her parents were Alan Vivian
    Brogden and Patricia Ita Brogden (ne Cornwall) who had married in 1948.
    The family moved to Tauranga where Sherryl attended Tauranga Girls’
    College from 1962 to 1964. From 1967 to 1968 she completed two years of
    nursing training.

    From 1979 to 1987 Sherryl worked as a teacher’s aide in primary schools, learning sign language in order to help profoundly deaf children.
    Sherryl had been writing stories since the age of 10, and in 1989
    started suffering from occupational overuse syndrome so was forced to
    take a break. Eventually she was able to return to writing.

    Sherryl was a successful book illustrator before she turned to serious
    writing. She wrote 36 picture books and 12 novels before her 13th novel,
    Rocco, was selected for publication in 1990. The novel went on to win
    the AIM Book of the Year in 1991, and Sherryl soon found her place in
    the literary world with her novels for young adults.

    During 1993 Sherryl was the Writer in Residence at the University of
    Iowa after winning a fellowship. She spoke widely at schools and
    conferences in the United States, Australia, Denmark, and New Zealand.
    However, in 1999 she was afflicted with chronic fatigue syndrome which
    she struggled with for five years. In 2017 she was diagnosed with
    cancer, and then a disc slipped in her spine, leaving her only able to
    write for half an hour at a time.

    Many of Sherryl’s books are inspired by medieval times, the turning of
    the seasons and the rhythm of nature. Her stories blend fantasy, science fiction and romantic realism. The hard realities of life are also
    explored, with ordinary people struggling against oppression and
    prejudice.

    Sherryl was a founding member, long-time supporter, and beloved part of Bookrapt (the Bay of Plenty Children’s Literature Association). She was
    also a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), the New Zealand Children’s Book Foundation (from 2000 the Children’s Literature Foundation of New Zealand) and the New Zealand
    Society of Authors.

    Sadly, Sherryl passed away in Tauranga on 15 December 2023. Sherryl
    requested a private farewell and asked that you remember her in your own
    way.

    Kia hora te marino, kia whakapapa pounamu te moana, kia tere te
    kārohirohi i mua i t huarahi.

    May peace be widespread, may the sea glisten like pounamu, and may the
    shimmer of light guide you on your way.



    https://www.adamsliterary.com/sherryl-jordan

    First part:

    Sherryl Jordan was born in New Zealand in 1949, and at the age of four
    created her first book. Her early years were rich with imagined
    worlds—with reading books, writing stories, and with drawing pictures.
    But although as an adult she wrote over 30 picture book stories and 12
    novels, for many years her written work remained unpublished. She became
    an illustrator, though all the time hoped that one day she would
    illustrate her own stories. In 1988 she began what she decided would be
    her final attempt at writing a publishable novel, and created Rocco,
    published in the US under the title A Time of Darkness. This 13th novel
    became her first published book, and won a major award in New Zealand.

    Since then Sherryl has written many novels for young adults, most of
    which have been published world-wide...


    https://thespinoff.co.nz/books/18-01-2024/celebrating-sherryl-jordan-author-of-the-best-book-of-all-time
    (mainly about the 2019 reprint of "Winter of Fire," which was
    published in 1992)

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