Ask the Author: Susie Stead
Answered Questions (3)
Susie Stead
Hi Alfred, thank you for this and also thank you for your thoughtful and warm review. With autism and adhd, I understand that the brain is actually wired differently. With schizophrenia I don't think its so clear - maybe because schizophrenia is not easy to diagnose. I'm not at all sure that Stephen had schizophrenia but then I'm not a mental health professional. anyway what is more important and what I'm really glad about is that Stephen was able to express himself and that you could feel him there as your friend. Thank you
Susie Stead
It was life experience. I met Stephen 20 years ago when he was still under section on a psychiatric ward (I was not a staff member or a professional, I was a vicar's wife!) and after 12 years of getting to know him, he said to me 'my life has a been a complete and total waste of time' and that really shook me. I had also had a similar thoughts about my life and it made me think, what does that mean? I decided to write about his life and show him he was wrong :)
Susie Stead
What happened to my grandmother. She killed herself aged 56 in the early 1960s and I was told various stories - a) she had cancer b) she didn't want to be a problem for her partner's career! (he left someone else for her) and finally many years later I heard something that made more sense... still there are a lot of questions which are left unanswered.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more