Self Published Authors would like to introduce you to Trish Dainton, whose passion for helping others is simply amazing. Her book Curse in Verse and Much More Worse is for a charity and awareness project. Please help support her book! She’s a real inspiration to us all.
Author: Trish Dainton
Book Title: Curse in Verse and Much More Worse
Book Price: RRP £6.95
Where will your book be available for purchase? It is already on sites like Amazon and Waterstones but The Huntington's Disease Association (HDA) Bookshop are also going to feature it which is an amazing compliment.
Book Description: The sub-title of the book is 'Huntington's disease in poetry & prose. From frustration of a bearer, to the soul of a carer.' In essence it's a series of over 70 poems and several personal stories about coping with Huntington's disease (HD).
Each poem has an introduction giving the background to the thoughts behind the poems and they serve as a snapshot of that particular issue. When I tell you that HD is an inherited neurological degenerative condition that typically strikes people in their forties; it affects cognitive thinking; being able to walk, talk, eat, drink and the risk of inheritance is 50/50. There is no cure for it and little by way of treatment. You are likely to have witnessed a parent with HD and know that you too may have it and may have passed it on to your children...
Curse in Verse and Much More Worse doesn't sound like your average book. What drove you to write it?
In 1988 I married a wonderful man called Steve. I knew he had a 50% chance of developing HD where his father was in mid to late stage of the illness. In 2005 my husband was formally diagnosed although he had been presenting symptoms of HD for some time. I became Steve's full time carer after giving up work in 2006.
I found writing was my own form of therapy and wrote various blogs and articles to help offload my feelings but also help others in similar positions; not just where HD comes into it but carers in general. The book covers HD from the perspective of hundreds of people where I sourced ideas and inspiration from the HDA Message Board alongside my own experiences
In among the poems and articles I also wanted to highlight how my husband might want to communicate to others if he still could. For example, I wrote a poem called 'The OCD Plea.' In it I basically hear him telling me off for getting frustrated with him where Obsessive Compulsion Disorder was something he couldn't help, and I myself needed to think more about how he was using it as a coping mechanism. You'll notice the use of past tense there... Sadly Steve died in January of this year. He was only 49.
I was halfway through writing the book before Steve died and I felt an urgency of need to get it finished and published in his memory and to help others. It's been part of my own grieving process. It's not perfect, I keep coming across things I'd like to change at some point where I was rushing it out and physically and emotionally tired but, in a way, that makes it all the more real.
What one thing would you like your readers to know about your new book?
Please don't think this book is only about one disease which you may never have heard of or come across. You may recognise the same problems and traits by many other names in your daily lives and in those you love.
Why do you think Curse in Verse and Much More Worse stands out among other novels of the same genre? I'm not sure there is a same genre for this book. It's poetry and prose Jim, but not as we know it!
What's one fun fact that your readers might want to know about you?
I gave myself a 40th Birthday present by getting the word "Bitch" tattooed on my bottom!
Have you had a good experience so far with self-publishing?
Yes and no. The staff at Grosvenor House Publishing have been great but, had I given myself a better budget and more time where I wanted to get it out for Carers Week/HDA Awareness Week in June so had to have it ready by mid March, I would have waited for professional proof reading before committing to press. Also, as soon as I have recouped publishing costs I am aiming to give all rights and profits to the HDA. Where I only get a royalty cheque every 6 months it's frustrating not knowing up-to-date sales figures etc.
Do you have any advice that you'd like to pass on to new authors?
When choosing your title, think about how it will fit on the book spine. My book is about Huntington's disease but the spine didn't allow for the sub-title which mentions it. When standing on a shop book shelf there is nothing to say it covers the subject matter. Luckily, anyone who is looking for stuff about Huntington
Author Bio: After leaving school in 1978, I worked in a number of roles in the Civil Service. After a while I opted to specialize in Procurement becoming a Member of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply in 2004. In 2006 I left the conventional workplace to take on the role of full time carer to my husband who was suffering from Huntington's disease. A role that was to be my most challenging and yet rewarding role at the same time. We chose not to have children where we were scared they might inherit HD if my husband turned out to have it.
I live in London and am currently working on various projects to help raise awareness and funds towards helping those with Huntington
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