Thank you, Allison Bruning, for inviting me to the Next Big Thing Blog Hop.  Here's a link to Allison's page:  Allison Bruning's Next Big Thing
 The Next Big Thing Blog Hop is a way for readers to learn about new books that will be released soon. The rules are simple:

1) Thank the blogger who invited your to participate and place a link to their Next Best Thing blog post  at the beginning of your post.

2) Answer the questions about your next release.

3) Choose five bloggers to write about their next releases and post their names at the bottom of your post with links to their blogs.

That's it.

So here it goes.

1: What is the title of your book?
  She’s So Bipolar, which was born from a blog.  I expanded it and added self-portraits in the form of photos. 

2: Where did the idea come from for the book?
  I am bipolar, and I really wanted a book out there for family and friends of bipolar people that they could relate to.  Working against stigma in mental illness is a passion of mine. 

3: What genre does your book come under?  Non-fiction. Honesty is the key to survival in this illness.

 4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?  Me:  Diane Lane or Parker Posey.  My daughter:  Natalie Portman. 

5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?  A bipolar author opens up to her audience about what it’s like to have the illness and offers helpful tips on surviving it. 

6: Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency?
  Looking for a publisher …

7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?  It took about a year for the writing and a year for the photographs.  I took all of my “mood” photographs during the time I was working on my Master’s degree.

8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
  My book would be similar to An Unquiet Mind, by Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison. 

9: Who or what inspired you to write this book?
  My daughter.  I want to leave something behind for her to understand the illness from my point-of-view.  My more general readership would be for anyone who knows someone with a mood disorder to pick up the book and not only read about what it feels like, but can see it in the photographs.  All those that are like me inspire me, because I know their struggle. 

10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?  With chapter titles like, Medication Cocktails, I’m Manic Now: An Experiment in Writing, and Self-Therapies for Bipolar patients, there is not only a story there, but help as well.  I hope that someone can take away a better understanding of the illness, and give their loved one the support they need. 

Writers and Their Next Big Thing:

Just click on their name to see!
Mindy Kyriakides
Tricia Coburn
Robin Leigh Morgan
Jonathan Cronin
Julie Anne Wight