Blog Tour

Free copies of Stress Fracture: A Memoir of Psychosis are being given away now through Oct. 16. 

I am visiting various blogs in the coming weeks sharing information about living with bipolar and the writing life.  

Some bloggers are writing reviews as well. Thank you WOW- Women on Writing for putting this line up together. Thank you also to these talented bloggers.

Monday, September 29 (today!) @ The Muffin
Stop by for an interview and book giveaway!
http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/

Tuesday, September 30 @ The Lit Ladies
Join Tara Meissner as she guest blogs about "What Makes Someone a Writer" as she visits the lovely Lit Ladies today! Tara has also provided a giveaway copy of Stress Fracture: A Memoir of Psychosis for one lucky winner today! 
http://www.thelitladies.com/

Wednesday, October 1 @ Choices
Join Tara Meissner as she talks about "BiPolar and the Creativity Link Myth" and shares information about her memoir Stress Fracture: A Memoir of Psychosis.
http://madeline40.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, October 1 @ Lisa Haselton
Join Lisa Haselton as she interviews the courageous writer Tara Meissner about Tara's memoir Stress Fracture: A Memoir of Psychosis. Tara has graciously provided an ebook copy for one lucky giveaway winner. This is a blog stop you won't want to miss! 
http://lisahaseltonsreviewsandinterviews.blogspot.com/

Thursday, October 2 @ All Things Audry
Tara Meissner visits with Audry Fryer of All Things Audry and Tara gives her thoughts on the recent death of Robin Williams. Tara has also offered an ebook copy of her Stress Fracture: A Memoir of Psychosis for one lucky winner of the giveaway! Good luck! 
http://allthingsaudry.blogspot.com/

Friday, October 3 @ Sherrey Meyer
"Being a Mom with BiPolar" is today's subject as author and memoir writer Tara Meissner visits with Sherrey Meyer. Tara has also graciously offered a copy of her recently released Stress Fracture: A Memoir of Psychosis to one lucky winner of today's giveaway. Good luck and enjoy!
http://sherreymeyer.com/author/sherreya/

Monday, October 6 @ Franciscan Mom
Join Tara Meissner as she stops by Franciscan mom with a guest post titled "Accepting Bipolar and Finding Grace" and offers a giveaway of her honest and touching memoir Stress Fracture: A Memoir of Psychosis.
http://franciscanmom.com/

Tuesday, October 7 @ Create Write Now
Join Tara Meissner at Mary McCarthy's Create Write Now as Tara discusses "I Knew I Was a Writer When..." and learn more about Tara's memoir Stress Fracture: A Memoir of Psychosis.
http://www.createwritenow.com/

Wednesday, October 8 @ Jerry Waxler
Read what fellow author and memoir writer Jerry Waxler has to say after reading Tara Meisner's recently released Stress Fracture: A Memoir of Psychosis.
http://www.jerrywaxler.com/

Thursday, October 9 @ Lauren Scharhag
Join Tara Meissner as a guest author on Lauren Scharhag's blog talking about "The Stigma of BiPolar" and get in on the giveaway for Tara's memoir Stress Fracture: A Memoir of Psychosis.
http://laurenscharhag.blogspot.com/

Friday, October 10 @ Romance Junkies
Join Tara Meissner as she stops at Romance Junkies for an insightful interview about herself and her Stress Fracture: A Memoir of Psychosis.
http://www.romancejunkies.com/rjblog/

Tuesday, October 14 @ Bring on Lemons
Tara Meissner stops by to chat with WOW!'s own Crystal Otto as she shares her thoughts on "Bipolar and Living Well" and offers readers an opportunity to win a copy of her memoir through a giveaway. Don't miss your chance to hear from Tara and take home a copy of Stress Fracture: A Memoir of Psychosis. 
http://bringonlemons.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, October 15 @ CMash Reads
Join author Tara Meisner as she discusses "Creating Time to Create" with a visit to CMash Reads. Read Tara's thoughts and find out more about her recently released memoir Stress Fracture: a Memoir of Psychosis.
http://cmashlovestoread.com/

Thursday, October 16 @ One Sister's Journey (Lisa M. Buske)
Today we hear from Lisa M Buske as she reviews the mental health memoir of Tara Meissner. Lisa will also be offering a giveaway of Tara's book, Stress Fracture: A Memoir of Psychosis.
http://lisambuske.com/blog.html

Keep up with blog stops and giveaways in real time by following us on Twitter @WOWBlogTour.

Was it brave to publish a memoir about mental illness?

People have remarked how brave I am for having published Stress Fracture: A Memoir of Psychosis.

I don't consider brave quite the right word. The adjective means having or showing courage, especially when facing danger, difficulty, or pain. Courage is the ability to face danger, difficulty, uncertainty, or pain without being overcome by fear or being deflected from a chosen course of action. 

I don't think I am in any real danger having put out a rarely told story of mental injury. In my mind, the worst thing that could happen is people don't like it, believe it, or respect it. The only pain that can come is embarrassment and infringement of privacy.

I have told a story of a facet of my life. When I shared my experience of surviving psychosis, I revealed only symptoms of the disease and the portions of my life connected to it. I have many secrets and private joys and sorrows outside of the pages of the memoir. Deciding to openly share the raw details of psychosis and bipolar reveals physical and behavioral symptoms of a disease. I am not defined by bipolar disorder. I have the diagnosis; it is just a part of my whole. 

Stories about mental illness are not common, however, and for this reason, it was important for me to publish it as a memoir rather than to fictionalize a character surviving psychosis. This story needed to be in the memoir genre, because it is true. It happens to people and affects them and their families. And when it happened to me, I found no one who could talk to me about it or understand what I was enduring throughout recovery.

Currently, having bipolar disorder is about as interesting to me as having brown hair. These are facts about me. I wouldn't be humiliated to have Type 1 Diabetes or blond hair, so why should I be embarrassed about another disease and hair color?

The memoir is not a confessional of family secrets; it is not dirty laundry aired for the sake of attention seeking. It is a literary work offered for public consumption. My deepest hope for the work is to inspire people with mental illness to believe health is possible and to commit to treatment. It is also intended to reduce stigma associated with mental illness and have it respected as a legitimate disease, something mental health professionals have already accepted.

Perhaps it is courageous to subject myself to the judgment of others. My bold audacity to try to change the attitude regarding mental health requires vulnerability. I do not agree that I am brave, but having released a personal narrative about a taboo subject does leave me exposed.