Author Spotlight: The Great Cataclysm by Malcolm Mohr

At rock bottom with bipolar disorder and substance abuse, Malcolm Mohr made himself a vow: if he found his way out, he would give back.

Three years later, that promise became a 394-page collection of ballad-style poetry charting the turbulent seas of mental illness and addiction, and the hard-won triumph of turning struggle itself into a one-of-a-kind form of artistic expression. It is a gritty, hopeful book written for the millions who have felt the same darkness, and a testament to the beauty that can be forged from it.

The Great Cataclysm is a promise kept.

Content note: this collection explores severe mental illness, bipolar disorder, substance abuse, overdose, and suicide, framed within a story of recovery and hope.

Q&A with Malcolm Mohr

Q: What is The Great Cataclysm about, and what is the story behind it?

A: My book is about overcoming turbulent moments in life by turning your vulnerability into a matchless catalyst through your own unique artistic expression while battling mental illness and substance abuse.

The story behind the story came down to a promise that I made to myself when I was struggling with bipolar disorder and substance abuse at rock bottom. I promised that if I could find my way back out of that nightmare, I would be so grateful and take on a project as a means to try to give back to the mental health community, if I came across the opportunity to do so. By chance, roughly three years later, that project and opportunity came by and ultimately became The Great Cataclysm: Ballads of Agony and Triumph.

Finding my creative side as a means to cope and overcome completely changed my life, so I saw it as an opportunity to encourage other people in my exact position. I found life-changing transcendence by finding my unique expression.

I believed if creative expression could change my life, then it certainly had the potential to change the lives of others suffering from severe mental illness and substance abuse issues. I felt an obligation to make good on my promise and see it through. It took three years to write, but was worth every minute spent putting it together once it was finished.

Q: What made you decide to turn that promise into a published book?

A: It all came down to the promise I made to myself. I knew that if I could find some good through finding my creative side, then other patients can as well once they find theirs. Whether it is writing, painting, drawing, or music, there is something special for mental health patients to find buried in the deepest depths from within. To use their trauma and conditions to rise above any obstacle in their way. A real way of conquering any form of adversity that stands in front of them.

Q: This is deeply personal material. What was the most challenging part to write?

A: The Great Cataclysm involves many hardships of mental turmoil. It involves overdoses, death, suicide, and suicidal ideation. Some poems involve characters like me, trapped in the same nightmare I too was in. Many involve me personally, so pretty much every bit was challenging to write and also eerie to revisit.

Q: What do you most hope readers take away from the collection?

A: That there is a way out, and it is buried deep inside every sick addict struggling day to day. And at the end of the tunnel, they will encounter a level of self-discovery they never saw coming, by finding the true beauty of struggle and how that struggle is what ultimately defines us all in the end.

Q: How much of the book is rooted in real experience?

A: Pretty much all of it. Even the fictional stories of a cautionary nature were influenced by personal experience and the experiences of others.

Q: Is there a question about the book you wish readers would ask?

A: None. I do not want to spoil the surprises and all of the twists throughout the book after saying so much already.

Q: Do you have a favorite moment in the collection?

A: I honestly love it as a whole, finished promise. It is 394 pages, so there is a lot of content to choose from. I am more interested in how each reader interprets the work itself. What parts move them, or what themes hit hard and they really relate to.

Q: What was the biggest challenge in writing or publishing it?

A: For me personally, it is a debut collection on some of the darkest moments in life, again, many involving mine. So in the beginning, my biggest anxiety was knowing that I am about to give the entire world an uncomfortable glimpse into my mind.

But after seeing the initial feedback, I could see that some of the readers were resonating and interpreting the project as I intended. After three years of writing, the anxiety eased to a sense of relief once the first handful had read it. The hardest part is waiting on those first initial reviews coming in after those three years of writing, and wondering how some would receive it.

Q: What is next for you as a writer?

A: Well, unfortunately I am dealing with significant health problems right now, so this is it for now.

But I have ideas for additional poems to be shared down the line, so there is a level of excitement about that. Also a potential story that led me to writing The Great Cataclysm, but for now, I have to prioritize my health.

Buy the book here: Available now on Apple Books and Smashwords (currently $0.99).