Welcome to #TheQuickSixInterview with Suzi Faed!
We are grateful to welcome Suzi Faed to the blog to raise awareness to her important picture book, My Daddy is Different. This book draws upon the topical subject of mental illness, a very real and more commonly occurring situation for families to manage. Thanks for sharing your story, Suzi! 🙂
About the Author
The written word is how Suzi likes to be heard. She aspires to inspire those who read her work. Suzi has independently published her late father’s biography, Fighting Spirit, and is awaiting the release of her debut picture book, My Daddy is Different.
She lives in Bunbury, Western Australia, with her husband, daughter, and two little dogs with big attitudes.
For more information, go to:
suzifaedauthor@gmail.com
WHO
Who wrote, illustrated and published this book?
I wrote the book (Suzi Faed), Lisa Coutts illustrated it (and did an amazing job) and Empowering Resources published it.
WHAT
What is it called and what is it about?
My Daddy is Different is a gentle book about a difficult subject – mental illness. The story is told through the eyes of a young boy who is struggling to understand and accept his father’s mental illness.Â
WHEN
When is its release / launch date?
My Daddy is Different will be released in November 2019. I plan to celebrate its launch into the world sometime in the following few months. Stay posted!
WHERE
Where did the inspiration for this book come from?
This book was inspired by personal experience. My Dad suffered from Schizophrenia and when I was about eight years old he had a massive relapse and the world as I knew it changed dramatically. His illness had a huge impact on not only him but also our whole family. That experience has stayed with me and I thought it was time I used our tumultuous journey to help others.
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WHY
Why is this book meaningful to you and why would its message resonate with readers?
The book is meaningful to me because I am the protagonist in the story (even though the main character is a boy – that’s irrelevant, all those emotions the boy is struggling with, they were my rollercoaster emotions when I was a kid and trying to come to terms with my Dad’s mental illness).
This book will resonate with children who have a loved one suffering from a mental illness. A side effect from this debilitating disease is that those affected can feel incredibly alone. Yet, the feelings the young boy goes through; they are universal. Readers will see themselves in the young boy and perhaps give them permission to feel that way without guilt or shame, by recognising that it’s a normal response but also gaining an understanding of their loved one’s condition and learning to re-connect with them again.
And for children who are fortunate enough not to be affected by mental illness, this book still has the potential to resonate with them, in terms of navigating differences in their own family life and discovering that being ‘different’ does not always equate to being bad.
HOW
How have you promoted this book and how can we find it?
This book has been in the pipeline for a number of years, so up until now I’ve mainly promoted it on my Facebook author page. As publication day approaches, I’ve reached out to reviewers and some relevant local organisations. I plan to approach local bookstores/libraries/schools and have a newspaper article written, as well as organise a book celebration to welcome it into the world. There’s a lot still to do, but it’s a fun process.
You can find out more details on my website:
http://www.suzifaed.com/my-daddy-is-different/
And the Empowering Resources website, where it is available for pre-sale at a discounted rate:
http://www.empoweringresources.com.au/purchase-1/my-daddy-is-different
#mydaddyisdifferent #picturebook #suzifaed #thequicksixinterview
