Today, I am happy to host Vrinda Pendred, Founding Director/Editor of Conditional Publications, a new independent publisher dedicated solely to publishing the works of authors with neurological conditions.
Their first book ‘Check Mates’ comes out on May 11,2010.
Yesterday Vrinda stopped by Lynn Serafinn blogs and if you missed it you can go here – http://lynnserafinn.com ; http://spiritauthors.com.
Today, however, I am blessed to have Vrinda making a stop at my blog to chat about and promote the launch of this ground-breaking new book.
This is the seventh stop on Vrinda’s 14-day Virtual Blog Tour to promote “Check Mates.” What makes this book groundbreaking is that ‘Check Mates’ is a collection of short fiction and poetry either about, or inspired by, the struggle with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, all written by people with OCD.
It is arranged into two categories, Realism and Beyond. Whether solidly real, allegorical, or completely fictionalised, all the compelling work contained in this collection portrays the true story of this greatly misunderstood condition. It is also the first ever book of fiction written entirely by OCD authors.
I hope you will feel inspired by the interview you are about to read. If you do, be sure to sign up for the book launch reminder so you can buy ‘Check Mates’ and receive over 30 free personal development gifts on May 11,2010. To register, go to: http://conditionalpublications.com/pages/check-mates-launch.html (if you are reading this article after that date, you may buy the book directly from that page). 
“To answer the first part, I have ready so many studies demonstrating that neurological disorders such as OCD usually come with heightened creative and / or intellectual abilities. So, for me, it’s been a case of tapping into that natural artistic talent and trying to live through that.
It then becomes a situation where I’m making something positive from what can otherwise be quite debilitating. I know so many others – including all those who contributed to ‘Check Mates’ – who have taken this attitude and felt it has been healing and cathartic.
Spiritually, what I would say, is that OCD forces you to contemplate and analyse subjects other people might not think about so much, such as metaphysics and religion. My single worst obsession happens to be a preoccupation with death and ruminations over what sort of afterlife there might be. It has, at times, crippled me emotionally. But then again, it has also sent me on a path of inner searching.
Equally, the kinds of obsessive insecurities people with OCD often have can result in a strong sense of self-awareness due to the constant analysis of one’s own actions and thoughts. Some people might then fall into a trap of self-hate. But others might use this knowledge as a way of working on their weaknesses and playing on their strengths. I think it all depends on what you do with this self-awareness. OCD may try to attack us, but we hold the power to stand up to it and channel our own inner beauty.”
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Be sure to follow Vrinda to her next Virtual Blog Tour stop on Monday May 3rd, hosted by Miriam Scholzberg – http://liberatethetorturedsoul.blogspot.com
AND… don’t forget to sign up for the book launch reminder so you can buy ‘Check Mates’ and over 30 free personal development gifts on May 11,2010.
Just go to http://conditionalpublications.com/pages/check-mates-launch.html.
Doing so not only supports Vrinda’s pioneering effort in establishing Conditional Publications as part of her own expression of her passions, but also the incredible gift she’s providing for authors and poets who may have thought their neurological condition doomed them in some way to a marginalized life.
Please pass the word on about this book, and this inspiring publisher and author.
