As for my target audience, the protagonists are twelve, so it’s really not YA. It’s definitely not middle grade. I see it like To Kill a Mockingbird—dealing with mental illness, not race. I see the audience as adult women who grew up in the ’50s—women who have someone in their family who is mentally ill, or has committed suicide, or struggles with alcoholism. Most people have a loved one, or know someone, who has emotional issues or has committed suicide. Everyone seems to have a connection and is “unfortunately, in the club.”
Since Stillwater is a “coming of age” novel, I think it’s easier for readers to connect with the topic. They’re older, but they can easily identify with Grace and see, as well as feel, what she’s going through. The book gives the readers hope, Grace gets over her anger at her father for choosing to leave her and realizes that he was in so much pain he was only thinking of a way out. It wasn’t his fault. Big step forward.
Today we have better help, suicide prevention programs, better medications, and therapies. There is a lot of help and support—even in our workplaces and schools. People don’t have to be alone.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide or struggling with mental health, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or the National Alliance on Mental Illness at 1-800-950-6264.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, please contact the Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mary Jo Hazard, M.A., M.F.T., is a licensed psychotherapist, the author of three children’s books, and a contributor to Palos Verdes Peninsula News. She loves living on the Palos Verdes Peninsula—a place with crashing waves, rolling hills, and colorful peacocks in the trees. Mary Jo and her husband love traveling and spending time with their ten grandchildren. Her mission is to remove the stigma of mental illness and help others live their lives to the fullest.
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