Dismantling Evan (44 page)

The dismantlement of a community, a family, band of friends, and Evan is only one account of what is playing out in our society every day. Budding mental illness in youth, bullying on multiple levels, alienation, ostracization, school violence, and crippling social grenades meant to rip and tear at the fabric of teen existence is an element in our society that will not disappear on its own.

Dismantling Evan’s sequence of events is a societal epidemic that is playing out too often in Western society; in our neighborhoods, in our communities, and in our families. The power of one may sound trite or cliche, but that might be the only constant in an individual’s life that could make a difference; prevent a trigger from being released among the masses. It may not be the only solution, but it is a start. It is worth all of then energy and every life we can save.

Crisis Call Center

800-273-8255 or text ANSWER to 839863

Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week

http://crisiscallcenter.org/crisisservices.html

National Hopeline Network

800-SUICIDE (784-2433)

800-442-HOPE (4673)

Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week

http://www.hopeline.com

National Institute of Mental Health Information Center

866-615-6464

8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST, Monday to Friday

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/site-info/contact-nimh.shtml

National Mental Health Association Hotline

800-273-TALK (8255)

Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week

http://www.nmha.org

Depression and Bipolar Support

800-273-TALK (8255)

Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week

http://www.dbsalliance.org

Bullying UK (UK only)

0808-800-2222

Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week

http://www.bullying.co.uk

CyberTipline

800-843-5678

Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week

http://www.cybertipline.com

Kids Helpline (Australia only)

1800-55-1800

Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week

http://www.kidshelp.com.au

Kids Help Phone (Canada only)

800-668-6868

Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week

http://www.kidshelpphone.caAcknowledgements

National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST, Monday to Friday

http://www.promoteprevent.org

SPEAK UP

866-SPEAK-UP (773-2587)

Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week

http://www.cpyv.org

National Mental Health Association Hotline

800-273-TALK (8255)

Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week

http://www.nmha.org

National Suicide Hotline

800-SUICIDE (784-2433)

800-442-HOPE (4673)

Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week

http://www.hopeline.com

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

800-273-TALK (8255)

Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week

http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org

*Contact information and sites provided byhttp://www.teenhealthandwellness.com/*

I have said this a million times, and I will say it a million more; it takes a village to produce a novel. The village I have been blessed with has helped bring this novel from imagination to realization. It could not have been accomplished with the energy of so many behind the scenes.

Kimberly Castillo; thank you for you initial motivation and inspiration in regard to the topic of teen mental illness. Your growing knowledge into the psyche and all the development that is being researched gave me an initial jump start to the lengthy research I had in my future with this project. I knew that it would be a journey and I’m so thankful you had my back.

Officer Melissa Gallardo and Officer Matthew Blackstone Quintanilla of the San Antonio Police Department; thank you for your read-throughs on scenes that required your investigative input. It makes all the difference to get things right and you made sure I did.

Kelly Bauch, I turned to you because of your passion of your craft; photography. Thank you for making sure I represented the craft properly and with a passion one with a camera can hold in their heart and mind.

Dawn Miller; thank you for being an extraordinary friend first and a meticulous writing partner second (It is a good thing, really). Your critiques, opinions, and nudges to push the characters made Evan’s story more compelling than I originally imagined it being.

Thank you to Sir William Shakespeare, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow for lending your words to Gavin Ferguson. Your quotes and prose longevity and social reach span generations, both in times of peace and chaos.

My troupe of beta readers; Dahlings, your eyes were the first to see the raw and unedited version of Dismantling Evan and that initial read through from you was priceless. Thank you for your candid feedback and dedication to the spirit of the written word.

The Venessa Kimball Fan Club; thank you for embracing and spreading the word about Dismantling Evan .I am truly blessed to have fans a great as you are!

Austin Digital Darling gals; Love you and thank you for the inspiration and motivation you infuse into the atmosphere every month at our gatherings. I owe you a cheese tray.

To the bloggers and community of readers that have put energy and time into posting and spreading the word about Dismantling Evan. You have been the life line for this novel as it makes its way into the sea of novels. I have the utmost respect and appreciation for all that you do to spread the word for authors worldwide.

Finally, and most importantly, thank you to all that serve teens above and beyond the call of duty. Above and beyond the chaos and flaws that obstruct your fight for our youth daily. You are the constant we need. Please keep up the good fight.

Having always been passionate about the written word, Venessa Kimball embarked on writing what would become her debut novel, Piercing the Fold: Book 1; a young adult paranormal/sci-fi series. July 2, 2012, Venessa Kimball independently published the first book in the Piercing the Fold series. Book 2, Surfacing the Rim, released March 14, 2013.

In August of 2013, Venessa joined the publishing house, Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly. The Piercing the Fold series has been re-published with CHBB beginning with Piercing the Fold: Book 1 on September 3, 2013. Surfacing the Rim: Book 2 re-published on September 24, 2013 and Ascending the Veil: Book 3 released November 2013. The fourth book in the series, Transcending the Legacy: Book 4 released May 13, 2014. Kimball’s compelling teen contemporary fiction novel, Dismantling Evan, released January 13, 2015.

As for the future, Venessa is already filling her Work-In-Progress folder. When Venessa is not writing, she is keeping active with her husband and three children; chauffeuring said children to extracurricular activities, catching a movie with her hubby, and staying up way too late reading.

You can find Venessa Kimball socially at the following:

www.VenessaKimball.net

http://www.facebook.com/venessakimballauthor

http://www.twitter.com/venessakimball