Est. 2/17/2020
This addition of meet the authors is meant to allow readers to learn how their favorite stories originated. These interviews are surfaced around what went into each story. For example, what the reader struggled with writing, what insp...
I've always struggled with my mental health for as long as I could remember. I've also struggled to connect with fictional characters that represent voices for mental health. I was in the middle of a particularly bad manic high when I realized I wanted people to see the real effects of mental illness. So one night I wrote a slew chapters and began my long journey with Phoenix (the MC). Thus Hero Syndrome was born.
2 what is something you struggled constructing with your story?
When I began my story I expected there to be triggers. I tried to prepare myself for the emotional and mental roller coaster the story would take me. Some days I couldn't bring myself to be honest with my characters and to depict the challenges that came with storylines. I struggled facing the honesty it took to accurately tell this story.
3 what did you enjoy writing most of your story?
Shockingly, I have had many messages of people struggling with the same issues as Phoenix. They see this young girl at odds with herself and find comfort in her journey. They've told me that Hero Syndrome has helped them feel seen in a way other books and movies have failed to represent them.
4 what's the overall response of your story from your readers?
I loved that Hero Syndrome had become therapeutic to me. Visiting Phoenix for a new chapter was like spilling my inner thoughts and turmoil in a diary. It really helped me make sense of the world and forced me to see the perspective of mental illness from many viewpoints. This was perhaps the hardest story to write but my proudest thus far.
5 is your story a stand alone novel or a piece of a series ?
As of now it's a stand alone, but I'm not opposed to writing a spinoff for one of my other characters.
6 what would you like your readers to take away from your story?
Mental illness shouldn't be a taboo subject. Seek out help and find resources to help you make sense of your metal health. And always remember, 'You are never alone."
7 what advice would you provide to fellow writers, when it comes to focusing on their own story?
I have a hard time focusing for the most part. I have found that I am my most productive when I'm working with a story that talks back to me. If I can't connect with the story anymore, or if the characters don't tell me how they want to be written, I will leave it to flounder in draft purgatory for years. Find a story that will talk and won't stop until it's done.
8 does your main character share any similarities to yourself?
Phoenix is perhaps the character that is most like me. We both share a deep devotion to our family, we both have a complicated relationship with the past, and we both struggle with mental illness. She's me at my best and my worst.
9 what is something about your story you believe would draw in new readers?
Honestly, I'm not sure. I hope they're drawn to the cause I'm highlighting. I hope they come to hear another voice for the #freementalillnesss movement.
10 do you have any future projects?
Yes! I have a new book called, "A Quiet Kismet". It's a romance novel and something I have been working on for the past year. Weekly chapters upload every Monday on Radish Fiction @rheaday97 The Wattpad release is coming this summer. I can't wait to share it with my followers and finally hear their feedback.
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