NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Greetings Reader, My first love has always been Story. The first story I ever loved was Peter Pan. I dreamt of Neverland and having great adventures with Tinkerbell and Peter. The first book I ever loved was "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." I discovered Harry Potter in the third grade after my best friend told me about this awesome story about a wizard who didn't know he was a wizard but goes to a wizarding school. The excitement we felt over that book was thrilling, and I knew, from that point forward, I was going to be a writer. The problem is I shouldn't be a writer. The same year I began to dream of being a writer, I was diagnosed with dyslexia. The next few years were spent with my mother as she painstakingly helped me to develop techniques to compensate for my dyslexia to be able to read, comprehend, and hopefully write. It took years before there was any real progress. But through all that time, I wrote, even if it wasn't spelt write. (See what I did there?) So, my first thank you will always be to my mother. Without her, I don't know if I'd be writing you this letter today. The idea for Yesterday, I Was Fine grew out of personal experiences with my family. We have suffered the loss of a loved one to suicide, and we had to learn and educate ourselves about mental health after a family member was diagnosed with clinical depression. Since then, I have striven to fight against the stigma of depression while trying to understand depression from an outside point of view. It's hard to watch someone you love broken and wounded. It's difficult when you do not know how to manage it or fix it. It's challenging to watch out for similar signs of mental health in yourself, no matter how well-educated you are about the subject. I wanted to bring to life those struggles and dilemmas in my story. I hope I did. While it was important to use my writing as a tool to fight for a better understanding of mental health, I'm always primed for a love story. There's quite a bit of heaviness and angst in this story, so I wanted to bring something light and hopeful. I could think of no better way to lighten the mood and distract a person from troubles than a new romance. It took years to finish my story and just as long to edit it. Then I called upon people to critique it, which meant more editing. The first draft of chapter one is very different from the final form because I needed to separate this book from my personal life story. Just when I thought I was finished, I discovered more about publishing and quickly realized that my story was far too long. I ached and agonized over cutting scenes from my book. It was excruciating. The gutting was hard, but it was worth it to arrive where the story is now - finally. I'm fortunate for the amazing support I've received from friends, family, and the friends of friends who gave me advice or helped critique my book. I want to especially thank my mother, who taught me to read and write, and my father ("the most important man in my life," his words, not mine), who taught me to listen with an open heart and mind. My extended family for the laughs and good jokes I've stolen for my stories, my friends, who never stop asking when I'm going to publish my book; and my teachers, who showed me the ins and outs of writing. And I'm thankful to you, dear reader, for giving my story a chance. I hope it gives you all the wonderful feelings it gives me. I would love to hear what you think and feel about my story.
Over and out, Hope Johnson