One of my main priorities for my book was ensuring that it was available to as many libraries as possible. My book is about the struggle of living with the disability of Borderline Personality Disorder. I wanted it accessible to those who struggle with mental health. As someone who is a constant job flipper from having Borderline Personality Disorder, I understand how having mental health struggles impacts finances. This is why it is so important to have this book in as many libraries as possible. I am grateful to those fans that have requested my book in their local library. It is a small, yet simple, way to help those that struggle with mental health.
Born Under the Gaslight has been accepted into NetGalley. It was distributed through this program to over 440K libraries, including my home town library. But now, oh now…the book has been accepted for the Ohioana! For those that don’t know….
The Ohioana Library Association was founded in 1929 by Ohio First Lady Martha Kinney Cooper to collect, preserve, and promote the works of Ohio authors, artists, and musicians. By the early 1930s the Library had outgrown its space in the Governor’s Mansion and moved into the new State Office Building at 65 S. Front Street, where it remained until 2001. Ohioana and the State Library of Ohio then moved to the renovated Jeffrey Mining Corporate Center near downtown Columbus. Today the Library’s holdings include more than 45,000 books by or about Ohioans; 10,000 pieces of sheet music; biographical files on notable Ohioans; personal papers of Ohio authors and artists; and numerous scrapbooks created by Ohio civic and cultural organizations. The collection does not circulate, but is available for in-library use.
-Ohioana.org
This year’s book festival cover was created by Tom Batiuk. He is an American comic strip writer, best known for the comics Funky Winkerbean and John Darling. It was during the cover reveal that they also listed Ohio authors to be featured at this year’s Ohioana. Seeing my name on the list was surreal. My book is now included in the library for the state of Ohio!
This book will be a part of Ohio’s history. There is something moving about this idea. Long after I’m gone, people will be able to access this book and know:
You can have happiness after a life of abuse. You can achieve great things despite having a disability. Although you feel alone in your sorrow and struggles, there are others who share in your pain. There are others that are available for help and can offer hope.
Keep the faith my BPD warriors. I’m glad for each and every single day that you wake up and are willing to face the world. You have more strength than most will ever know. This personal win is a win for all BPD people everywhere. It’s one more publication out in the world, working on ending our stigma.
I hope you all can join me for this amazing event from April 23-25th. You can also follow my twitter feed for event detail updates.
Cindy Collins 