Kerri has very recently released her debut novel, Finding You. Kerri is very passionate about raising awareness for anxiety and shares a lot of her personal experiences with her followers on Instagram. Her debut novel follows the characters Sofia and Troy as they experience life and love alongside anxiety. I was very excited to be able to talk to Kerri about her book release and her passion for anxiety awareness, and I’m sure you’ll be as excited as I am to read finding you.
1. You are in the final stages of finishing your new book, can you tell us a little bit about it?
It’s finally finished! I can hardly believe it. My debut novel is called Finding You and it is the story of Sofia and Troy. It is their love story, but importantly, it offers an insight into Sofia’s anxiety and how they they try to navigate life and love alongside anxiety.
2. How long was the idea process for you before you started to write?
I actually got the beginnings for the idea of Finding You over 5 years ago now. It all actually started with Sofia, my main protagonist. I love to read and it’s a great distraction when trying (and sometimes failing) to manage my anxiety. However, none of the characters were ever like me and sometimes reading their experiences made me feel like even more of an outsider. So I started writing about Sofia, who suffers with anxiety. It started as a therapeutic process for me and my own anxiety: little notes in my phone or in my notebook by my bedside. It grew and developed from there. So I started writing in the form of notes, almost immediately.
3. Have any of the ideas you had changed as you’ve started to write the story? Have any of the storylines developed into something you were not expecting?
Yes and yes. There have been many evening chats with my husband where I have to tell him about the unexpected direction my character’s have taken me in!
4.Do you have an ideal set up or routines for when your writing?
I wish I had an ideal setup or routine for writing but I don’t. As a busy mum of two who home educates, finding time is always rather tricky. Instead, many evenings, and sometimes, the entire night, are spent writing. Sleep is important to me and my anxiety, but I have always struggled with it! I have found, on the nights when I can’t sleep because of my overthinking brain, or anxious thoughts, having the option to write Finding You has been an incredible source of comfort. Often, I have found myself needing to write. Not just for my anxiety but for the character’s too. Any spare minute I have is spent madly typing and not wanting to stop. Other times, I haven’t felt like I can pick up a pen or open the laptop. It’s all been an incredibly therapeutic process for me and I have very mixed emotions about it being complete!
5. You talk very openly about anxiety and you’re passionate about raising
awareness of anxiety. Can you tell us a little bit about why this is important for you?
I have always suffered with anxiety, for as long as I can remember. For many years, I felt very alone and misunderstood. The feeling that I might be the only one. I never really understood what was making me feel the way I did and if I’m honest, it took me a long time to realise I had anxiety. However, I am very lucky to have married my best friend. We first formed our friendship when we were 17 and, for the first time ever, I felt safe enough to share some of my thoughts and feelings relating to my anxiety. My husband is one of the most chilled, relaxed, confident and sociable people I have ever met - the opposite to me in many ways! So, when sharing some of my struggles with him and knowing he had experienced some of them too, it was a really powerful moment for me. In fact, it may have been the first time I started to feel willing to understand, accept and deal with some of my struggles. While this story is not my own, it is Sofia’s, there are certainly parts of myself and my anxiety in there. Specifically, a moment relating to what I mentioned above, because this was such a powerful moment for me. That feeling that it was not ‘just me’ and that I was not the only one. That is why raising awareness and understanding is so important to me. If I can help just one person who reads what I’ve written, to not feel alone then I will feel incredibly proud.
6. Do you have any tips or advice for people looking after their own mental health?
As we all know, eating right and sleeping enough are very important for our mental health. However, we all know that this is not always possible and rarely enough. Mental health is important for everybody and anybody can be affected at anytime. My tips and advice would be to not suffer in silence and never suffer alone. If you can, talk to someone. Find somebody you can trust and be as open as you can be. In addition to this, or if you feel you don’t have the option to talk to somebody, reach out in another way. Follow people on social media who are like you and are advocates for mental health. Read books relating or linked to mental health - anything to help you know you are not alone. Matt Haig and Fearne Cotton are two of my absolute favourites for this. Similarly, reading self help books and researching anxiety and the way it affects the body has been incredibly powerful for understanding and managing my own anxiety. Importantly, mental health is just as important as physical health. If you were poorly you would see a doctor and this is also the case for your mental health. You can visit your doctor and discuss options which might include medication or therapy. There are also many fantastic charities out there who can offer free counselling and support. Don’t ever be embarrassed or ashamed to get help. If you were sick or had broken your arm, you would seek help from a doctor or specialist, our mental health should be seen and prioritised in the same way.
7. What can others do to raise awareness of anxiety?
To help raise awareness for anxiety, I think it’s important to be as open as you can be. This doesn’t mean you have to share your own struggles or experiences, but simply letting people know that you are there for them if they need you. Checking in on friends and family and also, if you don’t suffer yourself, developing an understanding so you can better support those who do. Do what you can and do what you’re comfortable with, be a part of the conversation.
8. Lastly, I know a lot of people are excited about reading your new book. Do you have any ideas of when it will be available and how we will be able to purchase it?
Thank you - I have absolutely everything crossed that it will be available this month! It will be available on Amazon as an ebook and in paperback.
A huge congratulations to Kerri on her debut novel, Finding You. you can find it here on November 25th, or now on preorder. Her Instagram can also be found here. We wish you the best of luck!
Bec
Interviewer.
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