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Above The Fold - August 20, 2010
SHERRY BACH
Inspired Author, Poet, & Songwriter
The daughter of musicians, SHERRY BACH was marketing for the band by age eleven, writing poetry at eight, and songs to guitar at fourteen. She has been published in Montana Magazine, The 2nd Annual Northwoods Anthology, and had her first fiction novel published in 2007, entitled Pathos In My Pocket. Her second novel, Jekyll & Hide Me Not - which is based on a true story - was released on Dec. 5th, 2009. Her first children's book, Abundant Christmas, was released on Dec. 8th, 2009 and won the Pinnacle Award in the Children's Category for Spring 2010.
Sherry's books can be ordered online at Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, or publishamerica.com. She currently enjoys co-writing with other songwriters and thanks her mom for the rich heritage of music.
To learn more about Sherry, visit:
www.sherrybach.comBOOK VIDEO TRAILER:
Jekyll And Hide Me Not
(Sherry Bach)
Jekyll And Hide Me Not
(Sherry Bach)
Official Apex Reviews Interview: Sherry Bach (Jekyll And Hide Me Not)
Apex Reviews: Thanks for joining us for this interview, Sherry. We're looking forward to sharing more about your book with our readers.
What inspired you to craft this quite heartrending tale of the trials and tribulations of mental illness?
Sherry Bach: Narcissistic Personality Disorder is supposed to be at epidemic levels according to Sam Vaknin, author of Malignant Self Love, and I felt that if I held 5 years of research inside without sharing that information with others who might be able to avoid a potentially dangerous relationship, that I would be doing a dis-service to my fellow man. I didn't plan to do 5 years of research on this subject and write a book about it, it was just something that happened.
AR: Are any parts of the book based on real life experiences that you've had?
SB: Let's just say that if you had told Alexis years ago that she would be a single mom for 7 years, not date during those 7 years, and then meet a guy in church who quickly became the perfect guy and quickly moved the relationship to marriage, and that that relationship would turn into a 4.5 year nightmare and she would write a book about the whole thing afterward, she would have told you, you were crazy! However, that is exactly what happened. I think I just evaded your question...lol.
AR: For those who may not know, please explain precisely what Narcissistic Personality Disorder is.
SB: NPD is a mental illness. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) defines NPD as "an all-pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behaviour), need for admiration or adulation and lack of empathy, usually beginning by early adulthood and present in various contexts." Some confuse NPD with being egotistical; they are totally different. We all have a certain amount of narcissism, if we didn't, we could not like ourselves enough to function on a daily basis. What determines the disordered narcissist from the normal person who is comfortable with who they are and lives a fairly normal life, with normal reciprocal relationships, is the level to which a person possesses certain traits. There are 9 criteria to diagnose the disordered narcissist according to the DSM, and most people who are not disordered, find the criteria so bizarre they cannot even relate to it, and so there is a definite delineation that is very easy for a psychiatrist to diagnose.
AR: How is it that Alexis fails to see the signs that Kurt is mentally ill until it's too late?
SB: Lack of education can put any person in a position of accidental ignorance. Alexis noticed a couple things that seemed strange to her, but did not have the knowledge she needed to see that that behavior was a sign of mental illness. Jekyll And Hide Me Not will give a person the knowledge they need to recognize NPD in another person.
AR: Despite all that Kurt puts her through, Alexis still manages to harbor forgiveness in her heart in the end. How is this possible?
SB: The road to forgiveness includes understanding. Because Alexis had researched NPD for 5 years for the sake of survival, she understood why Kurt was who he was. She knew that harboring hate about something she could not change would negatively affect her life.
AR: What kinds of reactions have readers had to the book thus far?
SB: Several people have said that they wished they had read Jekyll And Hide Me Not years ago, and that if they had, they could have avoided some very dysfunctional relationships.
AR: Is there a sequel in the works?
SB: [Laugh] The only way I would write a sequel is if it was a commissioned work. Usually I write because I feel compelled to do so, whether it is a poem, short story, song to guitar, a novel, or a children's book, and I don't feel compelled to write a sequel to Jekyll at this point.
AR: How has your publishing experience been thus far with PublishAmerica?
SB: I would not recommend them, and I will not use them in the future. Let's just keep it at that and you can read between the lines.
AR: What are your future writing/publishing aspirations?
SB: I would like to do a series of children's books following my first children's book: Abundant Christmas, which explores finding a child's natural talent. All of us have been given at least one natural talent and it is usually recognizable when we are children. I would like to help people recognize and guide their children or children they care for, in their natural talents.
AR: How can our readers learn more about you and your continued efforts?
SB: They can go to my website www.sherrybach.com and follow me on Facebook.
AR: How can they contact you directly?
SB: My email is romans4_20_25@yahoo.com, or they can send me a message on Facebook.
AR: Any final thoughts you'd like to share?
SB: I feel very privileged to have had Dr. Pierre Samaan, Ph.D. write the introduction to Jekyll And Hide Me Not. Also, I would love to see Jekyll made into a movie.
Also, thank you for this wonderful interview.
AR: Thanks again, Sherry, and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors!
Apex Reviews: Thanks for joining us for this interview, Sherry. We're looking forward to sharing more about your book with our readers.
What inspired you to craft this quite heartrending tale of the trials and tribulations of mental illness?
Sherry Bach: Narcissistic Personality Disorder is supposed to be at epidemic levels according to Sam Vaknin, author of Malignant Self Love, and I felt that if I held 5 years of research inside without sharing that information with others who might be able to avoid a potentially dangerous relationship, that I would be doing a dis-service to my fellow man. I didn't plan to do 5 years of research on this subject and write a book about it, it was just something that happened.
AR: Are any parts of the book based on real life experiences that you've had?
SB: Let's just say that if you had told Alexis years ago that she would be a single mom for 7 years, not date during those 7 years, and then meet a guy in church who quickly became the perfect guy and quickly moved the relationship to marriage, and that that relationship would turn into a 4.5 year nightmare and she would write a book about the whole thing afterward, she would have told you, you were crazy! However, that is exactly what happened. I think I just evaded your question...lol.
AR: For those who may not know, please explain precisely what Narcissistic Personality Disorder is.
SB: NPD is a mental illness. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) defines NPD as "an all-pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behaviour), need for admiration or adulation and lack of empathy, usually beginning by early adulthood and present in various contexts." Some confuse NPD with being egotistical; they are totally different. We all have a certain amount of narcissism, if we didn't, we could not like ourselves enough to function on a daily basis. What determines the disordered narcissist from the normal person who is comfortable with who they are and lives a fairly normal life, with normal reciprocal relationships, is the level to which a person possesses certain traits. There are 9 criteria to diagnose the disordered narcissist according to the DSM, and most people who are not disordered, find the criteria so bizarre they cannot even relate to it, and so there is a definite delineation that is very easy for a psychiatrist to diagnose.
AR: How is it that Alexis fails to see the signs that Kurt is mentally ill until it's too late?
SB: Lack of education can put any person in a position of accidental ignorance. Alexis noticed a couple things that seemed strange to her, but did not have the knowledge she needed to see that that behavior was a sign of mental illness. Jekyll And Hide Me Not will give a person the knowledge they need to recognize NPD in another person.
AR: Despite all that Kurt puts her through, Alexis still manages to harbor forgiveness in her heart in the end. How is this possible?
SB: The road to forgiveness includes understanding. Because Alexis had researched NPD for 5 years for the sake of survival, she understood why Kurt was who he was. She knew that harboring hate about something she could not change would negatively affect her life.
AR: What kinds of reactions have readers had to the book thus far?
SB: Several people have said that they wished they had read Jekyll And Hide Me Not years ago, and that if they had, they could have avoided some very dysfunctional relationships.
AR: Is there a sequel in the works?
SB: [Laugh] The only way I would write a sequel is if it was a commissioned work. Usually I write because I feel compelled to do so, whether it is a poem, short story, song to guitar, a novel, or a children's book, and I don't feel compelled to write a sequel to Jekyll at this point.
AR: How has your publishing experience been thus far with PublishAmerica?
SB: I would not recommend them, and I will not use them in the future. Let's just keep it at that and you can read between the lines.
AR: What are your future writing/publishing aspirations?
SB: I would like to do a series of children's books following my first children's book: Abundant Christmas, which explores finding a child's natural talent. All of us have been given at least one natural talent and it is usually recognizable when we are children. I would like to help people recognize and guide their children or children they care for, in their natural talents.
AR: How can our readers learn more about you and your continued efforts?
SB: They can go to my website www.sherrybach.com and follow me on Facebook.
AR: How can they contact you directly?
SB: My email is romans4_20_25@yahoo.com, or they can send me a message on Facebook.
AR: Any final thoughts you'd like to share?
SB: I feel very privileged to have had Dr. Pierre Samaan, Ph.D. write the introduction to Jekyll And Hide Me Not. Also, I would love to see Jekyll made into a movie.
Also, thank you for this wonderful interview.
AR: Thanks again, Sherry, and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors!