The Battles Behind the Book:
Mental Health Awareness Month 2026
Stories can help us feel seen, understood, and a little less alone.
For Mental Health Awareness Month, I invited authors from Salient Books to share the mental health experiences represented in their books, what inspired them to write these stories, and what they hope readers take away from them.
The Battles Behind the Book is a special interview series that explores the emotional journeys woven into these stories. Through these conversations, authors discuss the experiences their characters face, the care they took in portraying them, and the messages of hope, resilience, and connection they hope readers will carry with them.
Mental health looks different for everyone, and healing is rarely linear. These interviews serve as a reminder that struggles do not define us, support matters, and stories can open the door to understanding, compassion, and meaningful conversations.
Whether you are looking for representation, insight, or reassurance that you are not alone, I hope these interviews help you connect more deeply with both the books and the storytellers behind them.
Because stories are better when you know the storyteller. 💚
Featured Interviews
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Elm Jed
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C.A. Chaplin
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Ryan Null
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Kendall Concini-Moore
Elm Jed
Featured Book(s):
The My Dear Watson Series: My Dear Watson, My Forgotten Demons, My Emerald Fire, and My Dear Leo
Shop the Book(s):
Elm Jed – Salient Books
“You're not alone. You are meant to be here and meant to find happiness.”
— Elm Jed
What kind of mental health experiences are represented in your book?
Depression, Anxiety/Panic Attack, on page therapy, PTSD due to SA, death, gun/knife violence, hospital trauma.
What made you want to include this representation in your story?
This series was always going to center around mental health and a more realistic and positive approach. I wanted to show that those who struggle can still find have their HEA without needing to be fully "healed" and that they're not broken.
How did you approach writing these experiences with care?
Combination of lived experience and research which included reading academic journals, talking to people who live with it, and reading some more.
What do you hope readers feel or recognize when they see this on the page?
I hope those who need it, to see themselves on page and feel less alone. The inner battles we have don't need to be as isolated as we believe we must be. There are those who'll help us and listen when we're at our lowest. And just because we do struggle, doesn't mean we're weak.
What is something you wish more people understood about these experiences?
Mental health is not a one size fits all or can be forced into a box. How one person may live with PTSD or depression may not be the same as another who lives with it. Most of all; patience and kindness goes a long way.
Is there a moment in your book that offers comfort, even in the hard parts?
There are many moments in all four books. Although I'd say some of my favorites are in the first book when the love interest shows up twice when the FMC is having a panic attack/PTSD flashback.
Which character reflects this experience the most, and how does it shape them?
The Main Character, Autumn Watson. Apart from being a romance and many other things, the series focuses on how her mental health evolves and is reshaped through events, environments, and people.
If a reader is struggling, what would you want them to take with them after reading your book?
You're not alone. You are meant to be here and meant to find happiness.
C.A. Chaplin
Featured Book(s):
Silver Star, Red Dragon and The Dagon's Maw
Shop the Book(s):
C.A. Chaplin – Salient Books
“You aren’t alone. You’re worthy of love no matter how dark it gets, and you deserve to love yourself.”
— C.A. Chaplin
What kind of mental health experiences are represented in your book?
My characters are all some flavor of neurodivergent, but one of the main mental health focuses is on Rafael - a dragon shifter with severe C-PTSD with psychotic features due to CSA. In the sequel, each of the three MCs experiences major depression.
What made you want to include this representation in your story?
I am AuDHD and have struggled with depression and C-PTSD all my life. While I am not a CSA survivor, I have worked with them and have a close friend who is. The stigma around mental illness is tremendous, and the more we talk about it, the more understanding we all share.
How did you approach writing these experiences with care?
A lot of it is lived experience. I also have a degree in psychology and extensive training in crisis intervention. I interview friends with similar conditions, and employ sensitivity readers to provide a rounded view.
What do you hope readers feel or recognize when they see this on the page?
I wanted those who feel othered by their mental health to have a sense of belonging. That by depicting various expressions of depression, they might feel seen.
What is something you wish more people understood about these experiences?
That no two people with depression are alike. It is not a monolith. That you can be strong and still be suffering - strength means so much more than physicality.
Is there a moment in your book that offers comfort, even in the hard parts?
Frequently! My FMC is a healer, and she’s the only one who can help guide the dragon shifter through some his scarier episodes. Sexual healing in particular is a major theme; how intimacy can also be character development and ease the effects of trauma.
Which character reflects this experience the most, and how does it shape them?
Rafael, the dragon shifter MMC. I wanted to show that even the strongest character can suffer a lot from unhealed trauma - not just in a broody, mysterious way, but in a real way that affects every part of his life. He goes from being incredibly hostile and a danger to everyone, to learning how to trust.
If a reader is struggling, what would you want them to take with them after reading your book?
You aren’t alone. You’re worthy of love no matter how dark it gets, and you deserve to love yourself.
Ryan Null
Featured Book(s):
The Flare Chronicles: Into the Blaze & The Flare Chronicles: Into the Shadows
Shop the Book(s):
Ryan Null – Salient Books
“Life is not meant to be alone, nor is it meant to be keeping your problems or struggles inside.”
— Ryan Null
What kind of mental health experiences are represented in your book?
Loss, grief, hopelessness, uncertainty, anxiety, self-doubt.
What made you want to include this representation in your story?
For me, it was a personal journey, especially in book two, where the themes and book are darker. It was an uncertain time in my life, and I didn't have all the answers or figured it out, but I had to keep going, hoping I would find my way. It was also a time of change and everything I knew was flipped upside down. This is shown in the trials the companions face but also the decisions Daniel must make and choose.
How did you approach writing these experiences with care?
I wanted the themes to be relatable but approachable for anyone going through them at any stage. It had to be a balance and welcome. The companions do go through trials but have moments where hope still shines, and the light is made known.
What do you hope readers feel or recognize when they see this on the page?
They are not alone in all walks of life and there is someone there to support them and root them on. Circumstances may prove challenging and the path may seem uncertain, but they are never alone.
What is something you wish more people understood about these experiences?
Everyone handles trauma differently and each path is unique. Be kind and build each other up because life is too short.
Is there a moment in your book that offers comfort, even in the hard parts?
Through these two books and even in the third one, you see the companions go through trial after trial. Not only do they lose a home, friends, family, but also answers to what to do next. It is a journey that takes them out of their comfort zone and evolves into something they have no clue how to navigate, only to keep going. I believe that resonates with how life is for most people and how life can lead to home, wherever you call home. Hope is often found in the darkest and most unexpected places. That is something that each of us can cling to and find comfort in this crazy life. The light will always be at the end of the tunnel.
Which character reflects this experience the most, and how does it shape them?
Daniel is the perfect character for this because he goes through flames, literally, and back. Not only for others, but for his true love, Trisha. His scars are more than burnt marks and a disfigured body. He bears the weight of responsibility for every companion, new and old. It is up to him to lead them through the unknown and bear the sacrifices a leader must make. The needs above all others, including their emotional needs, weigh on his heart and he carries them on his sleeve.
If a reader is struggling, what would you want them to take with them after reading your book?
Very similar to my answer above and that is you are not alone. Seek help and know that this journey is meant to be carried together. Life is not meant to be alone, nor is it meant to be keeping your problems or struggles inside.
Favorite quotes from the book:
The Flare Chronicles: Into the Blaze "One action can change the future." The Flare Chronicles: Into the Shadows "When the flames fade, only the fearless survive the shadows."
Kendall Concini-Moore
Featured Book:
Mom’s Cloud and the Beach Adventure
Shop the Book(s):
Kendall Concini – Salient Books
““Clouds don’t last forever.””
— Kendall Concini-Moore
What kind of mental health experiences are represented in your book?
The cloud represents Mom’s depression, without saying it. The book introduces the concept of big feelings to children, in an understandable, whimsical metaphor, to spark conversations about ‘sadness’ and how to hold space for each other. The entire story is based on my own mental health journey and teaching my daughter about the struggles. It was written with them, including one liner responses they would tell me in support.
What made you want to include this representation in your story?
When I knew I had to have the conversation with my daughter, about why Mom was ‘feeling different’ during certain periods of time, I searched for children’s book to represent- and I only found cause & effect children’s books- I dropped my ice cream, I’m sad- nothing to capture mental health awareness, so I wrote it.
How did you approach writing these experiences with care?
This story, is very much my own- I had beta and developmental feedback, but the live experience written is our truth- whether there are flawed points or not- that’s my life.
What do you hope readers feel or recognize when they see this on the page?
You are not alone & it’s okay to not be okay.
What is something you wish more people understood about these experiences?
They look different. My cloud is high functioning depression, I go to the beach, I try, and I show up differently- it can still represent depression even if I did ‘get out of bed’ mental health is a unique experience, we need to work on understanding & learning how to care for people individually.
Is there a moment in your book that offers comfort, even in the hard parts?
Dad & Mom’s solo page- no spoilers, but that’s it represents the comforting moment in which my husband reminded me of my strengths aside from my mental health, and how I was able to become a parent.
Which character reflects this experience the most, and how does it shape them?
Alma. Alma sings, hugs me, and is there for me under the cloud understanding it was okay to talk about these things. She is an amazing child who reminds us kids aren’t too young, we can have these conversations, they are strength & amazing.
If a reader is struggling, what would you want them to take with them after reading your book?
Please look at the resources at the back of the book- and visit my website to find more.
Favorite quote from the book:
“Clouds don’t last forever.”
Closing Thoughts
Mental health looks different for everyone, but one message echoed throughout these interviews: no one should have to face their struggles alone.
Thank you to the authors who shared their words, their stories, and the heart behind their books. Thank you also to the readers who continue to seek stories that foster connection, understanding, and hope.
If one of these interviews speaks to you, I hope you take a moment to explore the books and authors featured in this series.
Stories are better when you know the storyteller. 💚
Browse the featured books:
Elm Jed – Salient Books
Kendall Concini – Salient Books
Follow Salient Books:
@salientbooks
SalientBooks.shop