Cheryl Skory Suma

Cheryl has a MHSc, Speech-Language Pathology and a HBSc, Psychology. Over her twenty-five year career as a child/teen Speech-Language Pathologist & therapist, and then as a CEO/medical entrepreneur*, Cheryl always enjoyed bringing creativity and story-telling into her daily work and interactions.

After a TBI (traumatic brain injury) brought about the decision to leave the Canadian health care company she founded so she could focus on her recovery, Cheryl was able to return full-time to her first love, writing.


While Cheryl enjoys the challenge of crafting a full novel, she also creates poetry, short stories, flash fiction and creative nonfiction pieces. Cheryl began submitting her work to journals, magazines and competitions in late 2018.  Her work have been published and placed in contests hosted by journals in Canada, US, and UK, with publication online and in print, and she has multiple PushCart Prize nominations. Her work placed in thirty-nine competitions across 2019-to date (early 2023). In 2023, she joined the staff at two literary journals: Contributing Editor Flash Creative Nonfiction at Barren Magazine and a Staff Reader at Reckon Review.

She has completed a short story collection and is currently working on poetry and creative nonfiction collections, as well as her first screenplay (the last one is for fun--she enjoys a new challenge!). She also presents as a guest author/speaker on a variety of topics to schools and book clubs in the GTA. In her spare time, Cheryl is a passionate chef who enjoys experimenting and discovering new recipes, as well as a horrible gardener (although she still loves cooking with fresh herbs from her struggling garden each summer).


 
  • To learn more about Cheryl, check out her Blog on her Reflections Page, or her 'virtual coffee chat' contributor interview at BlankSpaces Magazine (note Blog page currently on hiatus given time commitments to litmag staff positions, and to allow Cheryl more time for her own writing!)
  • Read Cheryl's flash fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry  (links on applicable pages and on the "Read" page)
  • Competition wins/placements listed below, along with more recent publications                 
  • 2021 & 2023 Pushcart Nominee  (link to pieces on Creative Nonfiction Page )

*Cheryl founded the home healthcare rehabilitation services company, "Exceptionalities Inc." Her team of 45+ therapists (physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers and speech-language pathologists) serviced clients in homes, schools, and long-term care settings across York Region, South Simcoe and parts of  Toronto (Ontario, Canada). She acted as CEO, Manager &  Supervisor, as well as interviewed and personally selected all staff for seven years before selling the business in 2013. Exceptionalities held the Ontario record for its entire existence for the highest ratings/success in providing safe, compassionate, quality care, with superior client & staff satisfaction ratings.

Cheryl launched her writing career with a YA fantasy novel, Habitan, which made the Longlist of the 2019 Santa Fe Writers Project Literary Awards. Her second novel, gods Playground, advanced to the Semifinals of the 2019 ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Competition and the semifinals of the 2022 Launch Pad Prose Writing Competition.


Book/Novel Competition Placements & Publications in other collections

*see Novels page for synopsis, reviews & judges comments on both novels

(Read my piece "A Kiss for Weeping" for FREE via link to issue above)

Short Story & Flash Fiction Competition Placements & Publications

*links to several pieces on Flash Fiction page

Creative Nonfiction Competition Placements & Publications

*links to several pieces on Creative Nonfiction page

Poetry Competition Placements & Publications 

*links to several pieces on Poetry page

Twitter: @CherylSkorySuma

Email:  cheryl.suma@gmail.com 

© Photo Cheryl Suma