What inspired you to write your memoir?
I carried on writing about my life after publishing my first memoir, ‘My Alien Self: My Journey Back to Me’, and my continued recovery from mental illness, plus more uplifting events and techniques and decided to create this sequel to show that recovery is tough and can take a long time, but with effort and self help, it is possible. However, this book is also a standalone memoir for everyone, as it touches on many subjects, such as music memories, animal/pet therapy and more fun stuff.
About your Book:
After recovering from mental illness and many other adversities, Amanda Green published her true story (‘My Alien Self: My Journey Back to Me’ on kindle). This is the journal of her life during the year following publication. Dysfunctional and ever more inspiring, this memoir will take you into a whirlwind of love, humour, emotion, depression, adventures, music, animals, family health and relationships, as she strives to stay strong and achieve a life really worth living as a childless woman before her fast approaching 40th birthday.
Due to flashbacks of dark scenes and sexual abuse, this memoir is for adults only and although it’s a sequel, it can easily be read alone.
How did you decide how to publish your book and where is it published through:
I had already self published my first memoir, and I enjoy that process where I am in control, so I decided to do the same for this one.
How do you see writing a Memoir as different from writing other genres of books?
Although writing a memoir does need to have a story line, flow and peaks/troughs, it does not require the same story arc a novel does. Also the protagonist in a memoir just does what they do rather than a fictional character who needs to tick certain boxes. It is harder to write a memoir because it is so close to you, the author, but then it’s easier in many other ways, because the story is already there.
Author Bio:
I am Amanda Green, author of ‘My Alien Self – My Journey Back To Me’ and the sequel ’39’.
‘My Alien Self – My Journey Back To Me’ is my memoir which follows my journey through travel, excitement, normality and mental illness to find myself again. ’39’ is about what happened afterwards; the year before reaching the prime age of forty, family relationships, love and memories. I want to inspire others that it is possible to recover and have a life worth living.
Because I grew up with my mother having severe Schizophrenia, who had been incarcerated in psychiatric hospitals for years, and felt the bullying and loneliness that stigma can spread, I campaign to ‘stop the stigma surrounding mental illness. I also felt the wrath of stigma when I was diagnosed with Borderline Personality disorder. Many people do not understand mental illness, so judge people unfairly. So I created www.amandagreenauthor.co.uk where I publish articles on the topics covered in my story, including self help, depression, bankruptcy, Alcohol/drug abuse, family and relationships, sexual, physical and mental abuse, anxiety, anger, Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), self harm, Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), Anorexia Nervosa/Bulimia, mindfulness, panic, rape, Schizophrenia, psychosis, Suicidal thoughts, , paranoia, dissociation, mood disorder, thyroid issues and psychology.
I love photography, writing and looking after my many websites, and have had my work published in magazines. I enjoy the challenge of getting published and very much enjoy doing my own PR, which is why I chose to self publish to kindle in this first instance.
I will be working with mental health charities, magazines, newspapers, social networking and other PR projects, actively making people aware of this disorder through every means possible through the media. But also, I hope that my books will help other sufferers and their families and friends to understand BPD and mental health and how to help oneself to feel better. I want to raise awareness to the general public about mental illness and the stigma sufferers have to deal with. I am going to continue writing through fact and fiction storytelling, on the genre of Mental Health and love stories – facing and combating adversity as the main point. (not self help books, but based on reality)
I hope that Doctors and the medical industry involved with mental health will benefit from reading my stories, as they unfold what it is like to suffer from debilitating mental illness from the inside out and how it manifests itself.
But I have also written my memoirs in a style that I hope will be compelling and sometimes shocking reads for anyone interested in memoirs with a twist, so that I can reach more people.
I really hope to encourage more celebrities to come out about BPD, depression or other mental illnesses.
Outside of work, I love eating out and reviewing restaurants, travel, days out, campaigning for the precious Orang-utan and the issues of unsustainable palm oil production, running six websites of my own and seeing my family. I also enjoy reading, theatre, films, TV and cooking and when I can calm my mind down, just relaxing!
Website(s)
Author Home Page Link
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6525174.Amanda_Green
https://www.facebook.com/AmandaGreenAuthor
https://twitter.com/AmandaGreenUK
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