Please help me welcome Shari J. Ryan, who I have the honor of hosting today. Shari is the incredibly talented author of "Schasm", book one in the Schasm Series, a Young Adult/Contemporary Romance/Mental Health work.
I recently read this book and was completely encompassed in the chimerical world she creates as her main character Chloe Valcourt, tries to find a balance between whats real and whats fantasy. When I first started "Schasm", I didn't know what to expect but I knew from the blurb, it would be an emotional, romantic, fantastical journey. And it definitely was.
Chloe has a unique gift that allows her a modicum of escapism from the reclusive, spiteful world in which she lives. The best part about this book other than the phenomenal writing and thrilling characters, is you never quite know whats real and whats not.
So my question is, how did Shari come up with such a imaginative and affecting story? Here's what she had to say...
Guest Post
by Shari J. Ryan
Author of "Schasm"
I filled the dark hole in my mind with words, and I overcame my own hurdle of emotional turmoil.
Like so many new moms, I took a dive into the obscure world of postpartum depression after my first son was born. I went months before I came to the realization that I had fallen into a black pit. When I met with my doctor, he suggested exercise, meditation, yoga, or a hobby that would give my mind a break from parenthood. I tried exercise, mediation, and yoga. They made me physically feel better, but my mind was still in pain.
I had always enjoyed writing as a hobby, and while I was sure that wouldn’t fix me, I was desperate to try anything. I sat down on my couch, stared out into the snow and wondered what I would write about if I actually tried. I was suffering from a chemical imbalance, so why not write about someone with one? That one thought developed into a novel slowly over the next year of my life.
One idea led to another. One night of typing, led to the next. The first hundred pages, led to three hundred more. One night, when I felt my story coming to a close, I looked down at my word count and saw that I had almost ninety thousand words written. I had no clue I was capable of it. I had no clue I had it in me. And I had no clue that writing could actually cure me of postpartum depression. But it did. I was happy. I was proud of myself. The black hole I had fallen into had closed up beneath me and light filled my life again. I had given myself an outlet and a break from parenthood. I recognized that I still had myself to think about as well as a new baby. I could still have personal goals, and reach them.
While I may have bottled up my inner darkness, those thoughts suit my stories well and I enjoy redirecting my feelings into a fictional world.
Thank you so much Shari, for sharing your powerful story with us.
Check below for book and author information as well as the book blurb. Don't forget to add it to your Read list and purchase your copy today. You wont be disappointed!
Series: Schasm Series
Series Placement: #1
Author: Shari J. Ryan
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Suspense, Romance, Mental Health
Publication Date: January 20, 2014
Published by: Booktrope Publishing
Format: eBook and Paperback
Pages: Approx. 269
Copy Provided by:
Jennifer Gilbert w/ Booktrope Publishing
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View the Book Trailer
Book Blurb:
Chloe Valcourt drifts between two worlds: the dark reality of her domineering mother and feeble father and the vivid fantasy of her imagination. With her condition comes the harsh observation of doctors who intend to cure her of it. But a chance encounter with a handsome and vaguely familiar young man in her dream world hints at the possibility of hidden truths—and a life she can’t remember. As her drifts become a greater escape from the cruelty of the real world, Chloe finds herself lost between what is real and what is imagined, questioning her very existence. Can she remain in the lush new imagined landscape to find happiness in a realm of her own invention? Is she doomed to return to the harsh reality of the outside world forever? Or will she become trapped somewhere between the two…unable to return to either?
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About the Author...
Shari J. Ryan has always dreamt of becoming an author and finally decided it was time to pursue her lifelong aspiration by writing her debut young adult novel, Schasm, as well as working on the second and third book of the trilogy. She has long nurtured a passion for art, reading, and writing, and those hobbies have become a mental escape from her busy life. In the past couple of years, she has put her heart and soul into the creation of her novels, which has taught her that it is never too late and nothing is too hard. The author graduated with a bachelors of science degree from Johnson & Wales University and has written hundreds of articles for various online publications. She is married with two sons.
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