New York City, NY -- (SBWire) -- 04/03/2013 --Like six million other Americans, John M. Spagnoli has battled with manic depression his entire life. However, rather than suffer in silence, Spagnoli has taken matters into his own hands by writing a book to bring the issue to the forefront of society.
However, it isn’t a simple memoir or journal, ‘Shadowed Soul’ is bold psychological thriller that melds fact and fiction into a compelling read.
Synopsis:
Shadowed Soul is a fiction novel about bi-polar Thomas Mitchell, as he struggles to rebuild his life with the aid of his blind wife’s seeing-eye dog. The compelling drama follows Thomas and his wife, Beth, as they embrace and endure the birth of their firstborn through the holiday season in New York City. Fears and anxieties that plague Thomas are personified in the form of the Shadowed Soul a demonic spectra who stalks Thomas’s every move. As his manic-depression escalates, his expectation for more problems is answered in abundance. His life goes from great to bad to worse. With the unconditional love of his dog, Thomas grapples with challenges as he chooses to rebuild his shattered life.
With the exception of the protagonist’s online pornography addiction and the demise of certain relatives, much of the journey through manic-depression is autobiographical. Set in the present, author John M. Spagnoli’s intention is to depict clinical depression in a way that provides a clear road map to leading a full life.
As the author explains, he used his rock-bottom experiences to give his narrative real-world pertinence.
“With a suicide attempt behind me, my dog was my only friend. I was separated from my beloved wife for the umpteenth time, clinically depressed, unemployed, paranoid, self-destructive and in need of a shave,” says Spagnoli.
Continuing, “Much of the journey through manic-depression is autobiographical, with the exception of the main character’s online pornography addiction and the demise of certain relatives. Set in the present, my intention is to depict clinical depression in a way that provides a clear road map to leading a full life.”
Since its release, the book has garnered a consistent string of rave reviews.
“John M. Spagnoli has found a means to open a window into the way in which a mind confused with bipolar or manic depressive syndrome in a way few authors have been successful. Perhaps part of the success of this novel is the fact that Spagnoli presents a near autobiographical story with his main character Thomas Milton reflecting in many ways Spagnoli's own treacherous journey through the complexities of adjusting a mind bruised by bi-polar personality,” says Grady Harp.
Another reader, GiGi, was equally as impressed – “John Spagnoli's own experience with manic-depression has given this story a disturbing sense of reality. This is an intricate mixture of the author's personal foundation and brilliant imagination.”
‘Shadowed Soul’ is available now: http://amzn.to/104zIMF
For more information, visit the book’s official website: http://theshadowedsoul.com/
About the Author: John M. Spagnoli
John M. Spagnoli is the author of Shadowed Soul and How to Grow Worsleya Seeds. Avid gardener, poet, husband and father, he hales from Metropolitan New York and is currently working on a Masters from Mercy College and holds a B.A. in Anthropology from State University of New York, New Paltz. As a successful, self-managing, bi-polar gentleman the author found solutions that have enabled him to form strategies toward leading a joyful life which he has chosen to share in Shadowed Soul. Dedicated to raising awareness about depression, Shadowed Soul is the first in a fictionalized series that includes researched cases of manic-depressives who beat it, as well as some of the author’s personal experiences.
