A Voice Heard From the Wilderness

What a day it was on Tuesday! Only just recovering now. Wanted to post before but no energy so have waited until tonight. Quietly at home with a beer and Mozart. Nothing interesting on the food front-will attend to that tomorrow.

So to the great launch. I first became ill very suddenly on 16th June 1990. Whilst I have had my illness more or less under control since September 2001 there has always been a burning desire to wrote a brutally honest account of my illness, or more specific the appalling treatment I received under the System. I actually completed "A Pillar of Impotence" in 2005. Thinking it was most unlikely ever to be publish I decided to have a party to celebrate whatever the outcome may be. That took place on 1st April 2005 in Bar Vasa, Sandgate, Kent. That was one hell of a party that is still fondly remembered.

I then spent the next 6 years having my silence kept by wave after wave of rejection. There were false dawns but nothing ever panned out. That was until I switched to plan B, Chipmunkapublishing. This  is a social enterprise which specialises in helping people like me tell their stories. As you may have seen earlier in the blog that it came out at the end of January.

But the real launch was on Tuesday 12th April. And on that day I finally arrived, 6 years and 11 days after the finish party.

If you know me, you will know that I relish public speaking. In fact it is extremely hard to shut me up, especially when I talk about mental health. But Tuesday was very different. I rarely speak with notes and pretty much had all I was going to say etched in my mind.

Then my manager spoke so eloquently of the book that she read over one weekend. After that, for the first time in years I was lost for words. They tell me what I did say was both moving and eloquent. In reality I forgot most of it. But I did get through.

Nearly 70 people came and I was utterly overwhelmed not only by the numbers but the extraordinary generosity of people's comments. I retired to the pub after utterly shattered! Hence having only recovered today.

All the books I had are now sold or promised. Amazon only has one left so if you are interested go to the link below:

http://chipmunkapublishing.co.uk/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=1801

There is also an amazing review on that site:

http://chipmunkapublishing.co.uk/shop/index.php?main_page=product_reviews_info&products_id=1517&reviews_id=1005 .

And so back to reality. But at least it is the weekend tomorrow. More soon.

I Heard a Voice.