 In the underground tunnels below Northville Psychiatric Hospital, the mood swings of the mentally ill are manipulated by a roque psychiatrist, transforming them into manic, savage beasts who seek justice by the light of the full moon. Incredibly excited to announce that my new novel, The Hobgoblins of Little Minds is now available for presale in both kindle and paperback. Publication date is less than 90 days from now. Thunderstorm Books will also be issuing a limited edition hardcover, coming soon. Cover art by Vincent Chong. Vincent has done covers for Stephen King, Joe Hill, and Josh Malerman, among others. The cover is being revealed this week for the first time. Much in the way my previous work tackles addiction, this novel feature mental illness, particularly bipolar disorder, in a stark and stunning manner. It tells a story in a way that only horror can. What is it like to live with bipolar disorder? The racing thoughts. The mood swings. The flurry of energy and euphoria that comes with mania, and the often-ensuing crash into a cold debilitating depression. And what is it like to be their loved one, where at times you have to gauge the temperature of their mood before you know how you are supposed to feel. And why is there not more effective ways of treating this condition? The best way to tell dark truths is through a work of horror, where external monsters often match internal battles. Hobgoblin of Little Minds uses the Werewolf trope as a metaphor for mood swings. My hope here is to give empathy, depth, and a richness to mental illness by using metaphors that aren’t that far from the truth, just truth greatly exaggerated. In the novel, those who suffer from bipolar are both blessed and cursed with their symptoms and are failed by those who are supposed to help them. Beyond my Master’s degree, twenty years working in behavioral health, and my own experience with hypomania, I read and consulted with multiple beta readers who live with bipolar to gauge the verity and tone of the work. I am eager to see how readers receive this novel. The story follows Kori Persephone Driscoe, who grows up living with her dad's bipolar disorder. She adores his infectious enthusiasm at times, but more than once, found his unconscious body after a suicide attempt. Kori trespasses into the abandoned Northville Psychiatric Hospital, the last place her dad was treated before he disappeared. She is seeking solace and traces of his memory, what she finds instead is something no longer human living deep in the underground tunnels. During the last days of the hospital, a rogue psychiatrist, driven by her own wounds, had been manipulating the mood swings of mental illness, thinking she can cure the bipolar condition. According to the doctor, bipolar mania was a blessing that allowed primitive humans to hunt with extra-sensory powers, strength, and energy when the moonlight shined down upon their prey. The doctor experiments on patients, then breeds them for genetic loading, and the result is a savage mania when the moon is full. Mania is both a devastating but extraordinary condition. In the powerful memoir, An Unquiet Mind, Kay Redfield Jamison explains: “My manias, at least in their early and milder forms, were absolutely intoxicating states that gave rise to great personal pleasures, an incomparable flow of thoughts, and a ceaseless energy that allowed the translation of new ideas into paper and projects. Medications not only cut into these fast-flowing, high-flying times, they also brought with them seemingly intolerable side effects.” Worth noting that the Jamison does go on to espouse the life-saving value of medications, and I also believe the same. I have witnessed and experienced the life-improvement that can come from finely tuned medications and mental health counseling. Doctors and social workers and therapists do care. While all of the above is true, it is not always true, and not true enough of the time. Too often we minimize the side effects of medications. Those who take psychotropic meds often feel they are losing themselves even as the devastating symptoms are alleviated. Rather than seen as an act of self-care—which I feel it is— to take medications can cause feelings of inferiority. Even when medications are at their most effective, it can feel dehumanizing, and to cease medications can feel an act of bravery. As much as that’s a false belief, we need to understand that rather than demonize it. The title is based on the Ralph Waldo Emerson quote, “Foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds” and the tendency to perpetually repeat things for lack of ability to think critically and evolve, which is fitting for mental health treatment. The implications are very real, and effect all of us. When one person is fighting through their symptoms, everybody hurts, and this novel takes some risks to show that. ‘Fiction should be dangerous or nothing at all,’ I’ve always felt, and I’ve added the perhaps lofty tagline to the novel of: You’ll never think of Werewolves the same way again. Check it out here: The Hobgoblin of Little Minds presale   Mark Matthews is a graduate of the University of Michigan and a licensed professional counselor who has worked in behavioural health for over 20 years. He is the author of On the Lips of Children, All Smoke Rises, and Milk-Blood, as well as the editor of Lullabies for Suffering and Garden of Fiends. His newest work, The Hobgoblin of Little Minds, is expected February, 2021. Reach him at WickedRunPress@gmail.com  Kori Persephone Driscoe suffered through her dad's mental illness. All she wanted was for him to get better, but instead he disappeared. Kori trespasses into the abandoned Northville Psychiatric Hospital, the last place her dad was treated, seeking solace and traces of his memory. What she finds instead is something no longer human living deep in the underground tunnels. During the last days of the hospital, a rogue psychiatrist had been manipulating the mood swings of the mentally ill, transforming patients into savage, manic creatures who seek justice by the light of the full moon. When the creatures hunt for prey, only an escaped patient and her beloved child can help Kori survive. But they better act fast, because the creatures want blood, Kori wants to save her dad, and the whole hospital is about to be blown to pieces and bury Kori alive.   Comments are closed.
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