Tonya) What was the inspiration behind your book? Was it purely self-motivated OR did family have some influence?

It was purely self-motivated. After my self-diagnosis, I threw myself into learning everything I could about the disorder. There didn’t seem to be a lot of material out there for the newly diagnosed, so I took it upon myself to create something that would satisfy my curiosity and at the same time help others in the same situation.

Tonya) What was the most difficult aspect of writing this type of non-fic? And what did you find the easiest?

The most difficult part was obtaining the stories. I put a posting up on several newsgroups and Web sites explaining the project and asking anyone who was willing to share his or her story to contribute to the book. The response was overwhelming: I received over 40 responses. Over time, as e-mail addresses changed and people decided to drop out of the project, I ended up with 22 stories, including my own. The next daunting task was editing the stories. Many were well-written, so they required little work, but a few needed more editing. I also offered to keep everyone’s identity confidential. Most didn’t mind and asked me to use their real names. A couple asked me to publish their story anonymously, which I did.

The easiest part was assembling the stories. I divided stories with similar feels into groups, which you can see in the book. There were a couple of teachers with TS, so I paired them together. Others were just extraordinary parents who went above and beyond to help their children; these I grouped together.

Tonya)  Who were you trying to reach, exactly with your story? T.S. survivors as a whole or the general public as well?

Yes. I wanted to reach those with TS as well as the public. My reason for targeting fellow Touretters was to let them know they were not alone; that there were others who have gone through what they are experiencing and can offer help, be it in the form of their story in the book, or a way to contact the storytellers personally. (Many of the contributors allowed me to print their e-mail addresses at the end of their stories.)

Tonya) What message are you trying to convey through your story?

I want people to understand that no matter what obstacles you face in life, you can be successful. Granted, there are many people with TS whose symptoms are unbearable. These individuals may not be able to hold a job, manage a relationship, or perform a simple task like driving a car. For these folks, I wanted to give them a view into the lives of others in the hopes that they might come forward and tell their stories as well. I believe the lessons that people with severe TS can teach the rest of us would be invaluable.

Tonya) Would you recommend others to strike out on their own and write about similar experiences, say for autism, cerebral palsy, and other clearly misunderstood illnesses?

Where would you suggest they begin? How can they compile a memoir that doesn't read like a "pitch"?

Absolutely! I think that everyone has a story to tell, especially those with such disorders or family members who can describe what it is like to live with it on a daily basis. In fact, I had thought about putting together a series of “Getting Personal” books. I had looked at topics like Autism, Asperger’s, Trichotillomania (hair-pulling), and others. But I soon realized that what made my book work was the fact that I have TS. I didn’t feel that I would be in a position to release a book about Autism, for instance, without having experienced it either personally, or via a family member.

I would encourage anyone who would want to write or compile a book on a particular disorder to start where I did: with the Web. In the ten years since I put together Getting Personal, the Web has become even more valuable as a tool for reaching others: there are more groups online, as well as other social networking sites where you can approach others for inclusion in a book project. As for one’s writing not resembling a “pitch,” the best way to go about that is to write what you know and write from the heart. If you do these two things, the rest should follow easily.

Tonya) And, finally, what was your ultimate gain, besides the obvious, from seeing your book in print?  How successful do see it becoming?

My ultimate gain of seeing my book in print was that anyone can do what I did. Sure, it took a lot of research (TS, self-publishing, and the like), but when all was said and done, I felt that I have left behind something that will persevere long after I am gone.

I judge the success of the book on one thing: have I reached someone? If I have helped someone understand his or her disorder better, or given someone hope when they were down, then I have succeeded. As importantly, if I have educated one person to the complexities of TS and have drawn them away from believing that everyone with TS is a cursing monster, then I have succeeded. That said, I knew I had achieved my definition of success when I received my first e-mail message explaining how the book helped a mother with a newly-diagnosed son cope with the realities of TS.

Tonya) Thank you again, Michael. I look forward to talking to you next time.