What inspired you to write your memoir?
I wanted to know how the onset of bipolar disorder happened by examining my life. I thought that if I could identify the major triggers of my first mania, the mental illness community could potentially benefit. I’m not necessarily discovering new knowledge, but I might serve as an example of how there’s truth in some of the theories out there that aren’t acknowledged much by mainstream psychiatry.
Finally, I knew I had an entertaining story and wanted to see if I could actually make a full novel out of it. I’m really proud of how it turned out.
About your Book:
Robert Epperson walks alone in a new post-college life, one that offers immense freedom from the all-too-familiar ties of suffocating classrooms and lingering baggage from a broken childhood home.
In the face of opportunity for expansion, however, Robert harshly recoils from the frightening unfamiliarity. His mind does not compute. In a society that has treated him like a child all along, he must now rise up and be an adult. Robert turns to the political news cycle to make sense of his world and is swept up in counterculture’s dark current, the bombastic tirades of an anti-establishment radio personality.
Disoriented by the sudden intensity of a perfect storm, Robert crosses a threshold.
On the verge of being laid off from his job after conjuring the explosively energetic surge of a delusional mania, Robert, whose mind has lifted him to new heights of glory, exhibits behavior that is nothing short of bizarre to outsiders. When his boss attempts to soothe Robert’s occult knowledge by reading him a Biblical prophecy on company time, the flames of Robert’s awakening leap to God-like proportions, compelling Robert to embark on an impromptu trip to become the savior of the small Texas town where his family lives.
In need of a sidekick, Robert hits the open highway with Jennifer, the girl he fell for during their final semester together in college. Little do they know where the road—or their love—will take them.
What ensues is a thrilling existentialist story in which Robert believes himself to be a hero. Whether he is or isn’t is a matter of interpretation that only you can decide. The undeniable truth, however, is that Robert is driven to find a purpose, a place, and a voice by learning to trust Jennifer, the mental health system, and the wisdom of the guardians who anchor Robert’s past.
How did you decide how to publish your book and where is it published through:
I self-published using CreateSpace. I decided to self-publish because I knew that I could start getting Softbelly in people’s hands without waiting potentially years to find a traditional publisher.
How do you see writing a Memoir as different from writing other genres of books?
Writing a memoir is a process of remembering and structuring those memories in an interrelated way that tells a story. Mostly I see it as different from writing other genres in that the events of a memoir are limited by what actually happened. However, I was able to add another layer to the “reality” of Softbelly by telling it from the perspective of my rich and aberrant inner world as I experienced a mental illness.
Author Bio:
I earned a BS in Civil Engineering from Texas Tech in 2007, but I don’t think I was supposed to be an engineer. That whole math/science curriculum was part of some inferiority complex conspiring against me.
My debut novel, Softbelly, represents a great achievement for me after largely suppressing my creativity in exchange for taking a “safer” and more left-brained life path that looked to be more rewarding financially while not spiritually.
When I’m not marketing Softbelly and dreaming up ideas for the next novel, I enjoy being around my family in North Texas and pursuing a career in landscape design, another calling that I’m passionate about. I can be contacted at contactsoftbelly@gmail.com.
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