A lot of you know my memoir, From Turmoil to Triumph, is coming out later this month. I’m super excited. I can’t wait to hold it in my hands, and to share it with you.
The process of writing the book helped me to see my life in a new light. A lot happened towards the end of the process – like receiving the official Autism diagnosis – that really changed how I saw things. I’ve blogged about how the process of writing it changed me.
Today, I want to share how the process of producing the book itself changed me – in some unexpected ways.
Of course, I knew putting a book together meant choosing a title, images, working with a designer, promoting it, things like that. But one thing I didn’t know about are what they call “blurbs.” These are endorsements from experts about the book. They usually appear on the front or back cover. A murder mystery will have blurbs from other mystery writers. A book like mine, which is about a lot of things – cars, business, motorcycles, mental health, addiction, Autism – could have blurbs from a lot of different people. The first two to come in have really affected how I see the story and how it could help others.
This is from Ross Hemmer, a Board Certified Psychiatric Pharmacist and director of pharmacy at PrairieCare. Ross read the book and said:
"A poignant reminder of the double edge sword of drugs' role in the human condition - from the tragic effects of substance abuse to their redeeming and life changing medical uses. Anton’s story is more relevant than ever for today's society."
Tara Phillips, a speech and language pathologist specializing in Autism, and founder of Autism Little Learners Educational Center, interviewed me for her podcast. She read the book, too, and said:
"Prepare to embark on a journey of emotions. This must-read memoir explores the resilience of the human spirit. I literally could not stop reading From Turmoil to Triumph. In this gripping real-life story, Anton seamlessly weaves his memories about his unstable childhood and adolescence, full of unimaginable challenges, with his self-determination and self-discovery that eventually changes his life for the better. Anton’s honesty, introspection, and openness about his past and about his mental health journey create a story that will stay with you long after you've turned the final page.”
These two mental health experts saw things in the story that could be valuable to somebody else, and that makes a huge difference to me – it’s validating the whole reason I wrote this book.
It was a major risk and a leap of faith for me to share my story. I shared a lot of stuff from my past that I’m really not proud of. I haven’t always treated people in the most respectful way. But I decided to be honest, hoping it could help somebody else. Maybe there’s somebody who struggles with chronic anxiety and feels trapped. Or somebody like the 20-year-old kid I was who wants to get off the wrong path and doesn’t know how. Or somebody who has never quite fit in, but doesn’t know why or what to do about it - somebody with undiagnosed Autism, like I was until the age of 53. I really want them to know they’re not alone, and if this book can do that – it was worth every resource I have to put it out there.