About the Book

The Blueberry Patch is a family saga novel that tells the story of a mother and daughter battling mental illness in very different ways.

Janet Robbins and her mother, Helen Kendricks, are both diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder. Janet tries to do everything she is told by her doctors and follow the rules, but still encounters obstacles in her battle to come to terms with her diagnosis. Helen is defiant, and stubbornly doesn’t think she needs medication, which causes her to plummet to highs and lows so severe that her family worries for her safety.

The Blueberry Patch will open eyes to the struggles bipolar affective patients face in today’s society. The story also gives many bipolar affective patients hope, with the knowledge that it is possible to overcome this diagnosis and lead a normal life.

About the Author

First-time author Laura Lee Royale hails from the Black Hills of South Dakota, where she was a newspaper reporter. Royale also started a community newspaper in Colorado and worked as a freelance writer. “There hasn’t been a readable book out on mental illness since “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, she says. “So many people are ashamed of being diagnosed as bipolar. I want people to know that this is a manageable diagnosis. The best way to educate the masses about mental illness is by telling a story that everyone can read and understand.” She is writing a sequel.