Hoarders collect to excess, filling bathtubs, closets, kitchens, garages, storage sheds—floor-to-ceiling—to render their living spaces uninhabitable. They’re so consumed they lose jobs, family and friends, homes, health, and occasionally their lives. To the rest us, these people seem bizarre or mentally ill, and we view their challenges with impatience, frustration and simplistic answers. Yet a true fix isn’t so simple. But My Husband’s Under Here Somewhere strives to unearth them. Morbidly … [Read more...]
Interview with Author – Rachel Richards
About Rachel Richards: After years of struggling with an eating disorder, author Rachel Richards turned her life around and now helps others in pain. Returning to school after earning her BFA in theater from Hofstra University, she graduated from the Swedish Institute College of Health Sciences and started her own private practice in Manhattan as a licensed and board-certified massage therapist. She hosts a popular YouTube channel and has written many articles on health and self-care, which … [Read more...]
Hungry for Life by Rachel Richards
My memoir begins at my college graduation ceremony, when I admonished myself for failing to feel the exuberance that such a day should elicit. I observed, as if from far away, excitement all around me. I was about to graduate with honors and a degree in theater. But how will I pursue acting when I weigh a mere 69 pounds? My story then jumps back to kindergarten, where I was punished regularly. No one seemed to notice how unusually troubled and angry I was at only five years old. I spiraled … [Read more...]
FEATURED BOOK: Those Children Are Ours by David Burnett
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Literary Fiction Jennie Bateman screamed at her daughters, cursed at her husband, packed a bag, and walked away. Twelve years later, she petitions the family court for visitation with her daughters, Alexis and Christa. True, Jennie suffered from a bipolar disorder when she began to drink heavily, abandoned her family, and moved in with another man. True, she has turned her life around: leaving her boyfriend, returning to school, entering … [Read more...]
FEATURED BOOK: Once and Future Wife by David Burnett
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Romance, Literary Fiction Jennie Bateman has fallen in love again with Thomas, her former husband, and Tasha, one of his children, is determined to destroy their relationship. Jennie had done that herself a number of years earlier. In the midst of a manic episode, she had deserted Thomas and their two daughters, choosing, instead, a life of shameless debauchery. While Jennie has fallen in love with Thomas, he has no interest in romance. He … [Read more...]
FEATURED BOOK: The Truth She Knew by J.A. Owenby
Genre: Women's Fiction, Coming of Age, Contemporary Fiction Mama didn’t want me. In fact, she would’ve traded my soul back for someone different if God would’ve let her, but he didn’t, so she was stuck with me. For eighteen-year-old Lacey, life at home is a rollercoaster. She doesn’t think she’ll ever be good enough to truly deserve Mama’s love. But when Lacey enters college and meets Walker, everything starts to change. Suddenly, Lacey is face to face with the realization that maybe … [Read more...]
Interview with Author – Belinda G. Buchanan
About Belinda G. Buchanan: I am an author of edgy, women's fiction & mystery. My books include: After All Is Said And Done: A Novel of Infidelity, Healing, & Forgiveness, The Monster of Silver Creek, Seasons of Darkness, and Tragedy at Silver Creek. My books are filled with emotion, drama, and angst. If you don't mind a few intimate scenes and a sprinkling of profanity here and there, then my books are for you. I create stories that deal with very personal and social issues: … [Read more...]
Peter and Lisa: A Mental Illness Children’s Story by Charles Katz and Linda Baron Katz
A children's book about two different mental illnesses, depression and mania. Peter and Lisa makes it easier for children to understand these mental conditions. It is a story about two people affected with such illness and how they got better and recovered through the proper medication and necessary support by family and friends. Charles and Linda Baron Katz's Peter and Lisa: A Mental Illness Children's Story manifest the true essence of love and support to aid us in overcoming every storm … [Read more...]
DEFECTIVE by Susan Sofayov
University of Pittsburgh law student, Maggie Hovis, battles an enemy she cannot escape—her own brain. Her family calls her a drama queen. Her fiancé, Sam, moves out after she throws a shoe at his head. Maggie knows there is only one way to get him back—control her moods. So she takes the step most of her family is against: therapy. After a diagnosis of Bipolar II Disorder, Maggie begins to investigate her family tree—which is plagued by mental illness and hidden relatives—and … [Read more...]
Off the Reservation: Stories I Almost Took to the Grave and Probably Should Have by Michael Rossi
Equal parts shocking and moving, Off the Reservation: Stories I Almost Took to the Grave and Probably Should Have is an absurdist confessional memoir, accurately detailing the reckless hijinks of a bipolar alcoholic with borderline personality disorder. This stranger-than-fiction true story spans over three decades, as Michael recounts his tales with wincing honesty. Eventually, the maniacal nights of booze, drugs, and sex give way to rude awakenings in empty rooms, jail cells, and beds of snow … [Read more...]
Interview with Author – Linda Naomi Baron-Katz
About Linda Naomi Baron-Katz: Linda Naomi Baron-Katz born on March 21, 1969, by the name of Linda Naomi Baron, raised as a modern orthodox Jew, where mental illness became a factor throughout her life. It had started with her mother when she was in the fifth grade. Her mother had suffered a nervous breakdown and was diagnosed with acute depression. This gave Linda and her family a huge amount of stress. As she was growing up into adulthood, her mother's illness affected her in ways that she too … [Read more...]
Interview with Author – Susan Sofayov
About Susan Sofayov: Susan Sofayov lives in scenic, Pittsburgh, PA with her husband, three children, a Lionhead rabbit, and the most hated dog in the neighborhood. She is a former vice president of child care for a large non-profit organization. Currently, she partners with her husband to run their real estate development/management company. She has a BA in English Literature and Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh and an MA in Teaching from Chatham University. What inspires … [Read more...]
