A conversation with Quinn Loftis, author of 'Call Me Crazy'

Please welcome author Quinn Loftis, who has given us some more insight into herself and her book 'Call Me Crazy.'

What was the inspiration behind this book?

I was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder when I was 21, it has been a long and sometimes very dark road and I felt the need to share a part of what I experienced in a fiction story with others.

Which character spoke to you the most during the writing process?

I identified with Tally simply because she is the one who is diagnosed with the mental illness. I knew the exact emotions she was feeling and it was at times very difficult to write.

Which scene is your favorite?

It is a scene close to the end where Trey tells Tally exactly what she means to him, and she sees that not only is she worth something, she is worth something to someone else.

What kind of research did you have to do for this book?

Not much simply because I’ve been through years of counseling, I’ve been to 5 different psychiatrist and I’m currently under the care of a psychiatrist and have read so many books on mental illness that most of it was already in my head ready to be put on paper.

What message are you hoping to send with this book?

That though a person may have a mental illness, they are not broken or defective. They struggle with the same things others do, just at times it is much more intense. I wanted people to see that when a person with Bipolar disorder is living in a depressed or manic state their perception of reality is skewed and they will need a support system to help them get through those times. I also wanted people who live with this disease to know that they’re lives aren’t meaningless or over. They can live a full, exciting life if they take care of themselves, take their meds and do the things they need to do to manage the illness instead of the illness managing them.

Bipolar disorder, among many other mental disorders, seem to be becoming more prevalent among teenagers today. Would you care to share your thoughts on this?

I think that parents need to be careful not to put that label on their child until they have them checked out by a psychiatrist or psychologist, because being a teenager is hard enough with hormones. It can be hard to diagnose at that age simply because their emotions are all over the place anyways. I think that it is important that we validate teens with mental illness and let them know that we hear them, we care and they will be okay, even if they feel like they will never be okay again.

Please tell us about your other published works.

I have two YA Paranormal Romance series. Both are award winning series, one of which has been on the USA TODAY Best Sellers list. The Grey Wolves Series and Elfin Series.

The Grey Wolves Series is about 3 best friends and their journey into the world of the Canis lupis, were wolves. It’s about them finding the guys who will become their mates and the evil they will battle together to save the super natural races.

The Elfin Series is about two girls who find themselves suddenly thrown into the world of Light and Dark Elves. There has been war raging between the two factions for millennia and now the human race is under threat by the dark elf king.

On what projects are you currently working?

I’m working on Book 7 of The Grey Wolves Series which is called Sacrifice of Love and is due out Sept 13, 2013.

What is something readers may be surprised to learn about you?

I love the smell of scotch tape because it reminds me of Christmas.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Just a big thank you to everyone who has given my books a chance! I’m truly blessed beyond measure and give glory to God for the blessings, and humbly say thank you to each of you for your support!

Thank you so much for your time!

Author Bio

Quinn is a 32 year old wife, mother, nurse, and writer, not necessarily in that order. She lives in beautiful West Arkansas with her husband, son, Nora their Doberman pinscher and Phoebe their cat (who thinks she is a ninja in disguise). She loves writing, reading, and crocheting. Her favourite holiday is Christmas, favourite book(s) is Pride and Prejudice, The Alpha and Omega Series by Patricia Briggs, and the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling. She loves to be silly and have fun, loves music and thinks there is no greater sound in the world than that of her little boy's laughter.

Connect with Quinn Loftis:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5014564.Quinn_Loftis
http://www.quinnloftisbooks.com
https://www.facebook.com/QuinnLoftisBooks
Twitter: @AuthQuinnLoftis

YA Contemporary Romance
Date Published: 5/31/2013

“I’m looking out from inside the chaos. It must be a one-way mirror because no one seems to be able to see back inside to where I am. The looks on their faces, the judgment in their eyes, tells me everything I need to know. The most frustrating part about the whole messed up situation is that even though I’m the one that they stare at in shock, I am just as shocked as they are. I know no more than they do of why I lose control. What they don’t know is that I am more scared of myself than they could ever be.” ~ Tally Baker

After a devastating turn of events, seventeen year old Tally Baker is admitted to Mercy Psychiatric Facility where she is diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. She has come to a place where she honestly believes that her life is over. Her mind tells her that she will never smile or laugh again, that she will never be normal again. It is in this unlikely place that she meets two people, different in every way, yet both critical to helping her realize that she has so much more living to do.

Candy, a cantankerous sixty year old Mercy Psychiatric patient, is hell bent on driving everyone as crazy as she is. Candy shows Tally that, regardless of her diagnosis, the ability to push on and live her life to the fullest is her choice and hers alone. In the midst of Tally’s oftentimes humorous, sometimes heart-wrenching, escapades with Candy, a new patient is admitted to Mercy—a native American woman named Lolotea. Along with this new patient comes a daily visitor, her son, Trey Swift. At first glance, it is obvious to Tally that he is incredibly handsome and unbelievably caring. But what she learns through her second glance, and many thereafter, is that there is much more to Trey than he ever lets on. It is during these daily visits that Trey and Tally build a friendship far deeper than either of them truly realize. With Trey, Tally feels for the first time since being admitted that someone is looking at her as a person and not as a disease. Trey begins to make it clear that he wants more than friendship, but she knows that she can never give him more. How can she, when she won’t even give him the truth? Tally doesn’t tell Trey that she is a patient at Mercy, and she doesn’t ever plan to. Her plans go up in flames when she finds out that Trey is a new student at her school, the school where her brokenness was found out in the floor of the girl’s bathroom in a pool of her own blood.

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