My name is Bonnie Stratton, and I’ve worked hard compensating for my learning disabilities my entire life. Here is my story.
I grew up on Long Island, New York, where I spent many years in Special Ed classrooms. Kids were so mean, always calling me stupid. And, if it’s said to you enough times, you start to believe it yourself. By high school, I grew thicker skin, made varsity cheerleading,
and had a bunch of friends.
I grew up on Long Island, New York, where I spent many years in Special Ed classrooms. Kids were so mean, always calling me stupid. And, if it’s said to you enough times, you start to believe it yourself. By high school, I grew thicker skin, made varsity cheerleading,
and had a bunch of friends.
In my twenties, I discovered adults can be crueler than children. I once had a boss tell me I can’t get a raise until I learn how to spell better, knowing I had dyslexia. After that, I used humor to hide my learning disabilities from the world.
Then, in 2008, my husband took me to see the movie, Twilight. Who knew, after walking out of that theater, my life would dramatically change. I was dying to know what happened next, so the following day, I faced my fear of reading and bought my first book, New Moon. A week later, I was done with the series and wanted to read more. So, I did.
Years later, after reading hundreds of fantasy and romance novels, I wanted to write my own book. But the fear of being called stupid again kept me from writing. That is, until one day, I was watching the movie Tangled with my oldest, when my mind birthed the world of Dragovin. From there, Andie's storyline grew, and I kept on thinking about it. So, with the support of my loving husband and two amazing boys, I found the courage to embrace my learning disabilities, and opened a new file in Word. Even though it took me three years to write the first draft, it took me nine more years to understand the art of writing.
Today, I’m proud to say, my first book, My Forever Midnight is finally completed.
My younger son once asked me, if there was a cure for my learning disabilities,
would I want it? I told him no, because if it wasn’t for my dyslexia and ADHD,
my incredible imagination would be average like most.
would I want it? I told him no, because if it wasn’t for my dyslexia and ADHD,
my incredible imagination would be average like most.
