Book signing at Bestsellers

A SIGNING by local author Monica Janssens of her debut novel, Castle in the Clouds, was held at Bestsellers Bookshop, St Leonards Road on Saturday.

Multi-talented Monica, who lives in Winchelsea, has not only written the book but also published, marketed and dealt with all the administration; without which she believes Castle in the Clouds would probably never have reached the bookshelves.

She said: "Unfortunately if you want a book published nowadays - unless you are a celebrity - you really have to do everything yourself."

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An actress, writer and previously a lawyer living in London, Monica was admitted to the Priory clinic in 2005 suffering from severe depression and panic attacks, and it was there, whilst undergoing treatment, that she got the idea for her novel.

What she experienced there made her decide that she wanted to write something which she said would, "break down the stigma attached to mental illness - an illness which now affects one in four people." And describes Castle in the Clouds, as, "the first book to lift the lid on celebrity rehab."

The book follows the lives of five characters who, through a variety of life pressures, find themselves at the worlds most famous psychiatric hospital, the 'Cloisters'.

Monica explained that as the story unfolds, "the lives of the five patients interweave, the darkest recesses of human misery and despair - and the efficacy of anti-depressants and other therapies - are fearlessly explored with a healthy dose of black humour."

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Writing and publishing her first novel is a dream come true for Monica and she already has two other books in the pipeline.

She said: "I always loved reading and always wanted to write so it was only a matter of time."

Castle in the Clouds has already received critical acclaim and Oliver James - a clinical psychologist, writer, journalist and TV presenter - describes it as: "A forensic examination of the myth of madness...truthful,simple,vivid...a superb evocation of what is wrong with us and our society."

Castle in the Clouds costs 7.99 and is available now at Bestsellers Bookshop, or for further information visit Monica's website at: www.monicajanssens.co.uk

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