Adult coloring books are popping up all over the place. From beautiful, intricate designs to dealing with themes simply deemed adult. Coloring is a therapeutic activity, often used in nursing homes to great success. It only makes sense that with its therapy value a "color away your sadness" breakup book has been born.
Chin Up Dreamboat! A Creative Companion for Lesbian Breakups, created by Nawwal Moustafa, keeps things pretty light, but its importance to the queer community is non-debatable. "I got to a point where I was like, 'This is just cute,'" admits Moustafa, "But then I realized that this is who we are and we need voices out there. I remembered my mission and that it mattered, to be out there matters, to be more present; it's strength in numbers, it's more media, just more! There's no more important time to be a brave queer voice than the present.
Chin Up is a series of words and pictures, like this one that I colored: 
The messages and scenarios focus on the more typical aspects of a lesbian specific breakup, though the book is good medicine for anyone going through heartache. Hook ups with strangers, trying not to text, wondering who gets the cat, these are all real dilemmas that can be contemplated while coloring. And the space around the words? Get funky with it, own it, own your breakup, Dreamboat! Love anew will come with great force - after a series of good cries and contemplations. Sometimes breakups aren't that difficult and you may find yourself coloring for joy. 'Emotionally Available' is an especially empowering page, and Moustafa knew it. She had it and the cover art made into totes and t-shirts that can be found on the Chin Up Dreamboat website.
Some of the pages are personal in other ways. One of the pages is an - "I still remember you," said Moustafa, "It was definitely a little call out. For the most part the book is really innocent and revolves around problems that come up kind of typically in lesbian relationships. So maybe there's a little salt, but it's more like, 'You know what? I'm gonna make sure you're shouted out in this little book.'" She laughed, charm dispelling any meanness or real digs. And hey, who doesn't want a page in herstory?
That prevalent charm helped Moustafa to climb to the top of Kickstarter campaigns and made Chin Up a reality for Dreamboats everywhere. Her release party at Portland, Oregon's Curious Comedy Theater was for top tier contributors and, "It was awesome. Maybe 100+ people came. It was sponsored by Montucky Cold Snacks out of Montana with free beer. We had a great crowd of people from all different backgrounds, I read from the book, did a signing, it was just great," said a very happy author.
Now that this book is rocking and rolling out of local Portland stores like Books and Pictures (contact the author directly for mass book requests), not to mention of course Amazon and her own website, Moustafa still isn't quitting her awesome day job teaching High School kids character and life development skills - yet. She is, most definitely, ready to put out some new books and see where her dreams and ambitions take her. "Dreamboat is meant for everyone, maybe it's not entirely queer specific, but since Orlando I'm thinking of staying the queer coarse. I've had guys saying they want one too. I thought about a body positive one, a queer empowerment one, one about good and bad first dates... I'm toying with different ideas and am always open to stories and input."
Nawwal Moustafa at the Chin Up Dreamboat release party for top tier donors