Nora Shalaway Carpenter: Hi, my name is Nora Shalaway Carpenter and I'm the co-contributing editor of Ab(solutely) Normal: Short Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes.

Rocky Callen: Hi, I'm Rocky Callen and I am the co-contributing editor of Ab(solutely) Normal: Short Stories that Smash Mental Health Stereotypes.

Nora Shalaway Carpenter: This is Nora. I am the editor of Rural Voices, the anthology, and once I completed that anthology, I learned a lot about putting anthologies together and I just ... because of some things that were happening in my life and in my kids' lives and the world around me thought, "You know what would be a great anthology? Is stories about mental health from people that have experienced these conditions themselves." And my first book, The Edge Of Anything, deals with mental health and Rocky's first book also deals with mental health.

And so, I reached out to her and I was just like, "Hey, would you be interested in doing an anthology? Should we do this together? Because we're both so passionate, we're both mental health advocates, what do you say?"

Rocky Callen: And it was an immediate, yes, there was such collective excitement around it, that it just over the last couple of years, came together in such a beautiful and perfect way. I feel so excited and honored that we were able to witness these stories come to life from these phenomenal authors.

Nora and I really wanted a collection that was filled with hope and that was about protagonists who are living with mental health conditions but aren't defined by them. Each story isn't focused on the condition itself. It's about a person, a whole person, who is living with a mental health condition, who is living a full, bright life and is navigating their way forward.

And so, the message that I hope readers get, is that no matter where they are, whether they are on a mountaintop, or in a very dark place, that they know that tomorrow's worth fighting for. And no matter where they are, they aren't alone. And so, I really feel like this is a book about not only our own journeys, but the community we're creating forward.

Nora Shalaway Carpenter: That was so beautifully said, Rocky, but I would love for readers to take away after they finished the collection, to just think, "You know, after reading this, how will I show up in the world now?" So, I think this collection is important for people that aren't struggling with mental health just as much as it is for readers who are struggling.

This is Nora and I am going to read the first few paragraphs of my contribution to the anthology, which is called Spidey Sense. Content note, this story references obsessive compulsive disorder:

Sometimes in the mountains, the rain snuck up on the world and sliced through the bright piercing sunlight. It lasted only a breath. Everything was surprised. The trees and the grass, even the sky, which couldn't decide if it should stay light or give in to darkness. Flora pushed up from her spot on the cliff side, not wanting to miss the brief shimmer of the world. It was the best thing about the rain, how the light changed just after. How, for a split second, everything gleamed brighter.

Rocky Callen: This is Rocky and I am reading my short story, They Call Me Hurricane from Ab(solutely) Normal. And the content note is this story references suicidal ideation, but that is not present in these lines that I'm about to read:

I was born during a hurricane, in the back of my parents' faded blue 1997 Camry on the shoulder of the road. Poppy had taken the wrong exit and I feel like I've been taking wrong turns ever since. I was born in the midst of floods and endless gray, and winds that howled past the car that held my mama howling inside. Mama once told me that the rain was the sky's tears of sorrow, regret, and pain. And when I was little, I often sat by the window and watched as the clouds turned dark and wondered why the sky was sad that day.