Mental Health
With a love of fantasy books going back decades, it is by pure chance Peter Browning came to write his own fantasy books.
“I’d never considered writing anything beyond the odd Christmas and Birthday cards, let alone a full-sized novel.”
In the early noughties, he began feeling unwell, especially when travelling for work. As his job as a Software Consultant required a lot of this, he sought medical help for the condition.
“For about four years, I was subjected to just about every test you can imagine, but every time the results came back negative.”
It wasn’t until one day, on a train bound for London, he became so sick he had to exit the train.
“I left the train and station as quickly as I could. But, my head was spinning and, I was sure I was going to be sick. In the end, I had to sit on the ground outside the station entrance for fear of falling over.”
He called for a friend to come to collect him and take him to see the doctor, where his condition was finally diagnosed as a panic disorder.
“To discover it was social anxiety/panic attacks was both a relief and a concern. Relief because I finally knew what was wrong with me and worry because I had no idea why this was happening to me.”
With CBT treatment, he managed his condition until several years ago when, after some ill-advised therapy sessions, the condition got worse, that he was barely able to leave the house without experiencing a panic attack for two years.
“That was a difficult time for me. To be confined to your own home for so long. Even having visitors would increase my anxiety levels to such that they could only stay for a few minutes at a time. I desperately needed something to occupy my brain whilst so isolated.”
He called for a friend to come to collect him and take him to see the doctor, where his condition was finally diagnosed as a panic disorder.
“To discover it was social anxiety/panic attacks was both a relief and a concern. Relief because I finally knew what was wrong with me and worry because I had no idea why this was happening to me.”
With CBT treatment, he managed his condition until several years ago when, after some ill-advised therapy sessions, the condition got worse, that he was barely able to leave the house without experiencing a panic attack for two years.
“That was a difficult time for me. To be confined to your own home for so long. Even having visitors would increase my anxiety levels to such that they could only stay for a few minutes at a time. I desperately needed something to occupy my brain whilst so isolated.”
This was when the idea of writing a book came up.
“I had no idea what I was doing. I just started typing words onto a page and let my imagination run free. I finished the first book in about five weeks and sent it to friends and family to read and give feedback. Overall, the response was good, although my grammar needed some work.”
In the winter of 2019, he decided to begin a new story with a new world and new characters. In February 2020, he published Talented Found – Book One of the Talented Series. Since then I published book 2 – Talented Taught.
However, with little knowledge of self-publishing and marketing, neither book sold well. So, in 2025, I removed all traces of Book One – Talented Taught and Book Two – Talented Taught. I then rewrote the first book and commissioned a new cover to match its new title: A Spell at Sea. This new edition is set for release on 20 May 2025!
