10/27/2022
On October 20, 2022, I celebrated the one year anniversary of the publishing of my book, Tony’s Superhero Story!
Tony’s Superhero Story began as a journaling exercise for me to help process and reduce my anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic while I was studying for the clinical exam to obtain licensure as a therapist. Journaling successfully reduced my anxiety and boosted my self-esteem. Along the way, I shared some of my journaling content with family and close friends who encouraged me to develop it into a book to self-publish. Despite my lack of experience in this type of endeavor and my many doubts, I listened to them and am now grateful that I did.
My first year as a published author included highlights such as speaking to adolescents about their mental health hardships and presenting my book to students of different ages. Additionally, multiple bookstores accepted my book to sell! I also experienced some lows: schools rejecting my book as a donation, bookstores not responding to me or declining to sell my book, and criticizing myself as both a new clinician and author. These experiences all eventually led to personal and professional growth.
I feel proud that I published my book because it addresses the unfortunate stigmatization of su***de, encourages self-healing and self-love, and candidly shares my vulnerability in an uplifting superhero story. This unexpected book has deepened my passion for mental health awareness and for the accessibility and normalization of su***de prevention. I’m happy that I sold 208 copies!
I am now inspired to continue writing more books. Please stay tuned as I strive to intertwine mental health awareness with more adventures in potential new stories.
I thank everyone who has supported me throughout this experience, particularly those who have read and/or purchased my book. Cheers to future endeavors! 💙🧜🏻♂️⚔️
📸: Dan Thompson ❤️
***deprevention
