Mental health books – PaperBound Magazine

We are excited to bring you an interview with author Michael Thomas Ford who tells us about his new novel, Every Star That Falls, a sequel to cult favourite and social media sensation Suicide Notes.

Your book Suicide Notes is about Jeff, a teen who wakes up in a psychiatric ward and doesn’t believe he belongs there. The sequel, Every Star That Falls, is a follow up to his journey. Can you tell us a little more about it?

Every Star That Falls begins the day after Suicide Notes ends. Jeff returns home and goes back to his old life, but he’s no longer the old Jeff. He has to figure out what that means in terms of his relationships with his family, his friends, and his larger community. He also wants to explore what it means being an out member of the LGBTQ community, which involves finding a support group. The people he meets there change his life even more, in ways he could never have imagined a couple of months ago.

Suicide Notes was published over ten years ago now, yet it’s still making a huge impact on readers today. Are you surprised by how much Jeff’s story is able to speak to readers spanning this length of time?

It’s definitely surprising to me how Suicide Notes continues to find new readers. It’s also a testament to the power of social media, which wasn’t really a thing when the book first came out. Now, readers are sharing their experiences of the book on places like TikTok and Instagram, and that’s allowing it to connect with even more readers. One of the things I love most about the world right now is that the voices of readers are so strong and so powerful. They’re not waiting for anyone to tell them what to read and what they should like, they’re deciding for themselves and then spreading the word. It’s fantastic to watch this happen.

Recent movements in some parts of the world have arguably made a safer and more open place for the LGBTQ community compared to in the past, but there is still a long way to go. Do you think there are any things in particular that could be improved/changed in the future?

The most powerful tool for creating change is empathy. When we learn to really listen to people – particularly to people with whom we might not think we have anything in common – and hear about their experiences and what they feel, we learn to see the world in a different way. That’s how change happens. When we create barriers between us, we only see things from one perspective and it’s easier for other points of view to feel threatening. There’s much more that connects us than divides us, and learning to focus on those things while allowing for differing perspectives is what creates forward movement.

Although these books tackle difficult subjects, Jeff’s voice throughout both novels is very funny. Did you make this decision before writing, or did Jeff steer the novel in this way?

Jeff is essentially me, and I have always approached difficult situations by looking for the humour in them. I think that if you can find a way to laugh, even in the darkest moments, it creates a spark of light that grows brighter and shows you the way through. I realize not everyone appreciates this approach, because we’re all different, but for me the most effective way to deal with life when it gets hard or seems hopeless is to find the moments of joy that remind me that the darker times don’t last forever.

… the most effective way to deal with life when it gets hard or seems hopeless is to find the moments of joy that remind me that the darker times don’t last forever.

**You always previously said that you wouldn’t write a sequel to Suicide Notes. Can we ask what changed your mind?**

In general, I don’t enjoy sequels because no matter what happens, someone is disappointed. Once someone falls in love with a character, they developed expectations of what they want for them. With Suicide Notes I wanted readers to imagine what happens to Jeff when he leaves the hospital he’s in for the whole book. But as time went on, I thought of more things I wanted to say about certain topics, and continuing Jeff’s story was the best way to do that. Also, there were some characters and events from Suicide Notes that I found readers asking about over and over again, and writing a sequel gave me the opportunity to answer those questions.

Your books speak to readers in a very powerful way and stay with them for a long time. Can you tell us about anything else you are working on right now, or if any new books might be on the way?

I write for a number of different audiences, including adults and younger readers, so there’s always something happening. I’m currently finishing up a ghost-themed novel for middle grade readers, which is a lot of creepy fun. That will be out next year. And there just might be another part to the story about Jeff and his new friends coming. Readers can always find the latest news on my website: www.michaelthomasford.com.

Michael Thomas Ford

Michael Thomas Ford is the author of numerous works for both adults and young readers, including Suicide Notes as well as some of the earliest books about the HIV/AIDS crisis and several books about the LGBTQ community. A five-time winner of the Lambda Literary Award, he has also been a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award, the Bram Stoker Award, the Firecracker Alternative Book Award, and the Ignyte Award. He lives in rural Appalachia with his husband and dogs.

Every Star That Falls is out now from HarperCollins.

PaperBound Magazine is an online magazine for the young, and the young at heart. We are dedicated to showcasing authors and illustrators for children’s and young adult fiction and we strive to deliver inspiring content, uplifting stories, and top tips for young and aspiring writers yet to burst on to the literary scene.

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YA author Helena Close has released a new book that we just couldn’t put down! We chatted with her about recent release Things I Know and why she wanted to tell this story. Read on below to discover more …

Can you tell us a little about your new YA novel Things I Know?

I always find this question so difficult to answer. It’s the story of eighteen year old Saoirse and her struggle through trauma, toxic friendship and loss. It deals with mental health, teenage suicide and spiralling anxiety and sadness but it is also a story about hope and recovery.

Your main character, Saoirse, is grieving the loss of her mother throughout this book, then unexpectedly must grieve the loss of an ex boyfriend too. What inspired you to write about these difficult topics?

Things I Know follows Saoirse and her journey through the difficulties and traumas of mental illness, suicide, bereavement and eventual recovery. My youngest daughter was diagnosed with cancer, aged just sixteen, and suffered mental health issues post chemotherapy. She accessed the public mental health system and it was an eye-opener. In some ways, even a shocker. I didn’t want to write about mental health – but I had to.

I suppose I was lucky (or unlucky) that I had witnessed my daughter’s journey and had a body of research already available. I also consulted professionals, teenagers, anyone who would talk to me about their own struggles and experiences. People wanted to talk. I think that surprised me. They wanted to talk about counsellors, good and bad, about medication, about the ongoing day to day struggle, about panic attacks, crippling anxiety, unresolved trauma.

This book is set in a small town in Ireland, where Saoirse feels isolated and trapped compared to where she lived before. It also features Irish phrases and dialect which roots the reader very firmly to the setting. Was this town inspired by somewhere you are familiar with yourself?

We moved to a small town in West Clare when my youngest daughters were thirteen and nine and spent six years there before returning to Limerick. It was a stunningly beautiful location but the daughters were city children at heart! I was immersed in a rural community so dialect, vernacular etc. came easily to me. I think it’s important to anchor stories in language that young people are familiar with and use themselves. Language that comes from the setting. There is a tendency sometimes in writing to sweep dialect and the vernacular away and I think stories lose a sense of place and personality as a result. Language is organic to story, it’s not something that should be imposed on it.

What do you hope this book might offer to a young person struggling with their own mental health?

I’m not an expert on mental health but I researched extensively to get the balance right. I wanted young people to see themselves in the story, to be able to relate to Saoirse, in all her mess and sadness and hope. We shouldn’t shy away from difficult themes, especially where young people are concerned. Things I Know is not Five Go Down To The Sea for Mental Health. It’s an honest and challenging read about mental health and the taboos surrounding it, about grief and how we deal or don’t deal with it, counselling, medication and professional help. If the voice and story ring true, young people will get it. They will understand and empathise. They will see themselves in the story, be comforted and consoled.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers who want to write young adult fiction?

Respect young people. Familiarise yourself with their world, their challenges. Listen to them. To the way they speak, act, respond. Give your work to a teenage reader – that’s how you will know if your story works or not. They are extremely insightful critics. (And terrifyingly honest!)

You have been writing full time for over 20 years. Can you tell us what might come next for your writing?

I am currently working on a new YA novel. I’m also working on a collection of short stories and have co-written a play for theatre that’s about to be produced.

From Limerick City in the west of Ireland, Helena Close has been writing full-time for twenty years. She has written or co-written seven novels, published by Hodder Headline (under the pseudonym Sarah O’Brien), Hachette Ireland and Blackstaff Press. Things I Know is her second young adult novel and out now in Ireland, UK and America.

You can keep up to date with Helena on Twitter and Instagram.

Don’t forget you can catch up with the latest issues of PaperBound Magazine here. All our issues are completely free and run by volunteers, however if you would like to support PaperBound and help keep us running you can buy us a virtual book.

Tag: Mental health books

Interview: Michael Thomas Ford chats about his new novel ‘Every Star That Falls’