Today's special guest is Linda
Vigen Phillips. Linda has always loved reading and writing poetry. As a retired
teacher she delights in having enough time to pursue these passions. CRAZY, her
debut book, is a
YA novel in verse. Drawn from her own experiences growing up in Oregon,
it tells the story of
a teenage girl coming to terms with her mother’s mental illness. Linda hopes
that the book will speak to teens or adults whose lives have been affected by a
loved one facing similar challenges. She and her husband live in Charlotte,
North Carolina where they ride vintage bicycles on greenways and make regular
play dates with the grandkids.
ABOUT THE BOOK
A
compelling novel in verse about mental illness.
Laura is a
typical fifteen-year-old growing up in the 1960s, navigating her way through
classes, friendships, and even a new romance. But she's carrying around a
secret: her mother is suffering from a mental illness. No one in
Laura's family will talk about her mother's past hospitalizations or
increasingly erratic behavior, and Laura is confused and frightened. She finds
some refuge in art, but when her mother, also an artist, suffers a breakdown,
Laura fears that she will follow in her mother’s footsteps.
Left without
a refuge, can she find the courage to face what scares her the
most?
Eloquent and
compelling, this powerful novel-in-verse tackles complex themes in a way that
will have readers rooting for Laura to find the courage to get the answers she
needs.
AN EXCERPT
I
stopped by the canal,
swarming
with hungry pelicans
and
screeching gulls,
and
I wondered
what
it would feel like
not
to sit and dangle my feet through the slats
but
instead to climb up on the railing
and
let myself just slip off and down
and
down
and
down.
SPECIAL LINKS
Twitter: @LVigenPhillips
FB: linda.v.phillips.1
You can buy her books at:
