Story of Hope Publication

For the last few months, I’ve been working on a short story book which was slated to come out in December. Well, plans have changed. The other day I was looking at some of my past writing and i thought “What if something happens to me before i can get my story out. My story. The Story of Hope” So I reached out to my editor and The Story of Hope is getting published. I couldn’t be prouder. I couldn’t be happier. So this is the beginning of my publishing journey and extensive marketing journey. And it will be extensive because I am a relatively anonymous author. I hope Story of Hope will change that but even if it doesn’t I want to reach as many people as possible with my story. So they can know they are not alone. So they can have hope.

Here is  my query letter for Story of Hope which will likely come out sometime this fall:

Dear Agent, 

Hope isn’t just her name. It’s everything about her. It’s the way she prays the hospital will have stuffing for Thanksgiving dinner (they do. But no gravy). It’s the way she hopes that her best friend in the entire world might forgive her. It’s the way she believes she can fight her demons with a bathroom cup full of pills.

 In these days, where mental illness is on the lips of everyone’s  mouths, my memoir has the inside scoop of what it’s like to live with it. At a time where 2.6% of adults have been bipolar in the last year (https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/bipolar-disorder) and suicide is the second leading cause among 15-24 year olds (https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide), this memoir is touching and timely.

The Story of Hope: A Girl and How She Finds It is my 194 page memoir about a girl who doesn’t know if she belongs at a prestigious university or a locked psychiatric unit. It is about Hope’s college experience which starts out as deceivingly average (drinking, hookups) but as Hope’s head gets dark her problems (hallucinations, paranoia, promiscuity, suicidal ideation) become more dire. Can Hope conquer her demons and graduate? Or will she die trying?

Hope’s your resident party queen before a series of events topple her throne. Her focus is on getting better and returning to school after a stay in the mental institution, but suddenly she is losing everything: her reputation, her independence and her best friend. Hope’s recovery is a muddled mess, but she tries to keep a smile on her face as she learns what is important and what you can let go.

I’ve been a published writer since the age of twenty. My work (usually poetry and short stories) have appeared in about fifteen publications. I have also self-published six books: A Cocktail of My Own, The Girl that Flies and (under a pseudonym)  The Rosemary Collection, Monopoly, The Meg and Other Shark Stories and Fantasia. 

Please let me know if you would like to receive the rest of the proposal. I look forward to hearing from you.