Totally Mad
I'm doing a bit of hardcore fangirling right now.
Also, I love that spell check recognizes the word fangirling and doesn't try to fix it.
When I released the Danvers State Hospital book I hoped it would have a positive impact. Thankfully it has thus far and even though the royalties from the book aren't even enough to buy myself a cup of Starbucks, the outreach opportunities alone have made the whole strange trip worth it.
Because I'm a book lover I tend to idolize my fellow authors over say athletes or celebrities (unless of course, it's the cast of either Downton Abbey or The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel -- who by the way gave me a shoutout on my wedding day for channeling my inner Midge), I try my best to make connections with the authors who have influenced me along the way. It's how I've forged solid relationships with Patrick McGrath and D.M. Pulley, two of my favorite fiction authors. It's also how I met Dominick Bosco who asked me to write the foreword of the newest edition of his book Bedlam: A Year in the Life of a Mental Hospital. I'm not afraid to reach out and potentially embarrass myself when it comes to my idols so when I started writing the DSH book I reached out to Jack El-Hai who had written the definitive story of Walter Freeman (famous for perfecting the ice pick lobotomy) and Robert Whitaker who wrote one of my favorite mental health treatises Mad In America.
In the end I sent them both a copy of the finished book but also sent them my well-worn, dog-eared copies of their own books with a girlish plea for a signature. Both obliged and I was thrilled to add two more signed copies to my collection. However, I also added two valuable mental health folks to my extended network of virtual friends. Two more individuals who have helped move the history of mental health and its treatment into the spotlight and keep it there with their powerful written work. It is this that I idolize most, the broad reach that these writers have, the resources at their fingertips to keep the conversation going.
Every time I get an email in my inbox from one of these authors or I get an invitation to come and speak at an event or function I'm surprised that they want to contact me of all people. That they're inviting me to their event. And it's because of the writers that went before me that this interest is there at all and I'm grateful every time I look at my neatly organized shelves full of signed editions of books that I treasure and won't let out of my sight.
So excuse me while I go fangirl in a corner and reflect somberly on just how damned cool it is to have these books!
xoxo
Paste (The Book Nerd)
Also, I love that spell check recognizes the word fangirling and doesn't try to fix it.
When I released the Danvers State Hospital book I hoped it would have a positive impact. Thankfully it has thus far and even though the royalties from the book aren't even enough to buy myself a cup of Starbucks, the outreach opportunities alone have made the whole strange trip worth it.
Because I'm a book lover I tend to idolize my fellow authors over say athletes or celebrities (unless of course, it's the cast of either Downton Abbey or The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel -- who by the way gave me a shoutout on my wedding day for channeling my inner Midge), I try my best to make connections with the authors who have influenced me along the way. It's how I've forged solid relationships with Patrick McGrath and D.M. Pulley, two of my favorite fiction authors. It's also how I met Dominick Bosco who asked me to write the foreword of the newest edition of his book Bedlam: A Year in the Life of a Mental Hospital. I'm not afraid to reach out and potentially embarrass myself when it comes to my idols so when I started writing the DSH book I reached out to Jack El-Hai who had written the definitive story of Walter Freeman (famous for perfecting the ice pick lobotomy) and Robert Whitaker who wrote one of my favorite mental health treatises Mad In America.
In the end I sent them both a copy of the finished book but also sent them my well-worn, dog-eared copies of their own books with a girlish plea for a signature. Both obliged and I was thrilled to add two more signed copies to my collection. However, I also added two valuable mental health folks to my extended network of virtual friends. Two more individuals who have helped move the history of mental health and its treatment into the spotlight and keep it there with their powerful written work. It is this that I idolize most, the broad reach that these writers have, the resources at their fingertips to keep the conversation going.
Every time I get an email in my inbox from one of these authors or I get an invitation to come and speak at an event or function I'm surprised that they want to contact me of all people. That they're inviting me to their event. And it's because of the writers that went before me that this interest is there at all and I'm grateful every time I look at my neatly organized shelves full of signed editions of books that I treasure and won't let out of my sight.
So excuse me while I go fangirl in a corner and reflect somberly on just how damned cool it is to have these books!
xoxo
Paste (The Book Nerd)
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