I love making new author friends! Louis emailed me a couple weeks ago for a couple reasons: to ask me to review his book, and to tell me how much he’s enjoyed The Picky Bookworm.
One of those things I was thrilled to hear, and the other, unfortunately, I had to say no to. Welcome to the Madhouse sounded way too scary for me, but of course I offered to send to a couple of my reviewer friends who I thought would enjoy the book. I did enjoy the marketing video he created for the book, though, so I’ve put it below.
Now, onto the point of this post. Louis and I have emailed back and forth for a while now. He’s recommended other authors for the podcast, and basically done exactly what The Picky Bookworm is all about: Joined the community and made himself at home. I love that! One thing he did ask to do, in lieu of my reviewing Welcome to the Madhouse, is write a guest post about the story behind why he wrote the book, and a little of the history behind it. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity for that, so here it is! A glimpse inside the mind of an author. Welcome to the Madhouse.
My Journey Outta Hell
Louis Falcinelli
IF HELL IS A STATE OF MIND, then I’ve certainly been there.
My brain brazenly decides to work counter to the societal definition of sane, which is ironic, because that definition changes with the times. When civilized behavior of the moment deviates to any degree, for any reason, as long as society approves the deviation, in some cases what was once deemed insane becomes the new norm, presto change-o!
In any event, before the hell inside my head happened, my mind was aligned with society’s shaky standards for sanity (for the most part) until it decided to take a detour outside my self-sanctioning. First was the feeling of mind mashing; that’s when the brain smashes down inside your skull; when the smashing begins, the mental does truly inform the physical. As I was saddled with muscle aches, pains, tiredness, fatigue, upset, anger, agitation, sadness, and… [insert any emotion opposite of happy]. From the way I felt to how I processed people, places, things… it was all fleeting, furious, and no fun, even for ones with a penchant for torment. And when I wore myself out mentally and physically, I was left, basically dormant and drained. That’s when it became out-of-body, where I would view my withering form from within while above, floating over my battered being—wondering, watching, waiting.
There was a lot of waiting that went into my suffering, as seconds turned into minutes, minutes morphed into hours, and hours, well… they laid waste into days. After days, delirium would set in and I’d reset back to the seconds that made up the minutes.All work and no play made Louis a dull boy. What was I to do? As a natural scribe, one thing I could, which is what I did, was put pen to paper, literally.
My insides feel out, my outsides in. This was the first line that my broken brain created in such a state of sickness… and from there… the words kept unfolding while I was unraveling: endless trips to doctors, specialists, psychiatrists, where I was promptly put on an antidepressant that turned out not to work, only to then have that dosage raised as some sordid form of solution, to then move onto another antidepressant that didn’t work, to then have that one increased or something of a nonsensical nature. I underwent a body exam! a bone exam! a brain exam! Maybe. Possibly… and wait, was it one doctor I saw, maybe it was 2, perhaps 3… Or a whole host? and that one specialist, actually multiple specialists, maybe it was a whole host? And was that therapist actually there or just me voicing my own issues to a wall in despair? Who knows? Looking back, it’s all a daze, especially the cornucopia of healthcare that I fell intoorwas thrown at me (you diagnose).
However, I used those bizarre scene settings and cast of peculiar characters I met during my deranged days to form the narrative of a story. And whatever I wasn’t personally experiencing from whatever resemblance of reality I had left, I filled in the blanks with my menacing creativity. While the story (my best distraction) began to segue into a book, I was, bit by bit, getting better, and then… I was cured, presto change-o!Well… as cured as I could be, while functioning in a society which seems to change its definition of sanity nearly every second. At least I no longer have towonder when it will all end as I loom over my living demise,watching the wreckage,waiting for my own deliverance.
In the aftermath, I finished documenting the account formed from madness, appropriately titling itWelcome to the Madhouse, and realized my story of madness got me out of my own because it became my lifeline, my raft against whopping waves. Ultimately, my magical elixir that remedied what seemed to be an incurable condition.
Over a decade later, with many other lives behind me, I dusted off the manuscript and began to edit for publication—a process that would prove (at times) to be more mentally taxing than my excruciating experience, but that’s for a whole other story. In the meantime, I hope it helps those struggling with mental meltdowns and provides light for others dealing with dark days. As for the well-adjusted ones, regardless of how in control you may be, we can all attest to the fact that… everyone goes a little mad… sometimes. LF
Louis Falcinelli’s Welcome to the Madhouse was released in November 2023 to critical acclaim. He is currently in the midst of publishing his second book about his generation of millennials, called Bottlerot.
When he’s not writing, he’s anticipating his Netflix deal, channel surfing for the next big show, and actively taking part in the world’s experiences, no longer watching it go by.
You can hang out with Louis online at the following links:
Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into the mind of an author. It may have been a smidge disturbing, but our experiences shape who we are, and shape our creativity. I hope you’ll watch the video above, and if you’re interested, I hope you check out Welcome to The Madhouse on Amazon. I have included my affiliate link, so I’ll get a commission through your purchase. You will not only help support a debut author, but also The Picky Bookworm, and we are both immensely grateful!
I have some amazing new content coming, as always, so I hope you stick around! If you haven’t already subscribed, please do! You’ll get an email every time I publish a new post, which is super handy! And if you know anyone who enjoys weird, friendly and encouraging places to talk about books, life, and everything in between, send them my way! The more, the merrier!
Until Next Time, Friends!
