Tags
alcoholism, bipolarism, co-dependency, codepency, contemporary fiction, drama, Hayling Island, mental disorder, mental health, mental illness
Now that I have introduced all of the characters, let me tell you a little bit about the (real) story behind the Conditions Series. 
Ten years ago I went through a very rough time in my life:
A major relationship had broken down, leaving me very vulnerable and messed up. Many of my fairweather 
friends didn’t want to know. I moved out of a shared property and rented a flat on top of the continued mortgage payments because of the things that went on in that property. And my two best friends were losing their own plots due to recreational pleasures and gambling.
You could say I was a cross between Charles (depression/ mental health issues),
Simon 
and Martha 
(heart-broken, drinking a lot and focused too much on a relationship that wasn’t right or
worth it).
The people who pulled me out of that dump were unlikely candidates:
A Latino model who provided a sober outsider perspective on my life and helped me make sense of the situation I was in. He helped me move.
A distant wealthy friend who let me stay in his mansion on Hayling Island when he heard of my situation. 
a bi-polar man whom I’ve met on the Internet and a moody poet who both pulled me out of my isolation, 
and a bossy psychic who continued to steer me onto my healthier and happier future path.
Sound familiar to the cast of Conditions?
These friends from ten years ago all became inspirational parts for the Condition Series. Needless to say they bear no resemblence to the actual characters in the books. That wouldn’t have worked for the story I was going to tell.
While writing the basic plot outline for Conditions five years ago I had fun inserting certain hommages to my saviours and friends but I swapped and amalgated their characteristics and roles with invented parts and things that were needed for the story of Conditions and Conditioned.
I learned a lot from all of these wonderful people and their wisdom and quirks made writing the books such a great experience. The story I was telling about the funeral, the brothers, the legal disputes, the wedding etc etc had nothing to do with my personal story of ten years ago, nor with theirs.
My dramas had all since disappeared and I was in a much happier place, unwilling to re-visit the dark places of my past and instead keen to make a case for tolerance, understanding and integration.
When Charles and Tony’s mother dies the estranged brothers must struggle to pick up the pieces, particularly so given that one of them is mentally challenged and the other bitter about his place within the family.
The conflict is drawn out over materialistic issues, but there are other underlying problems which go to the heart of what it means to be part of a family which, in one way or another. has cast one aside.
Prejudice, misconceptions and the human condition in all forms feature in this contemporary drama revolving around a group of people who attend the subsequent funeral at the British South Coast.
Meet flamboyant gardener Charles, loner Simon, selfless psychic Elaine, narcissistic body-builder Edgar, Martha and her version of unconditional love and many others as they try to deal with the event and its aftermath.
Conditioned (Conditions Series 2)
CONDITIONED dives back into the world of gardener Charles, his friends and the state of his mental health – one year on. We meet loner Simon and his battle with the outside world, co-dependent Martha and her abusive husband Clive, neurotic poet Catherine on the verge of getting married, Tony, who finds his strange brother Charles a challenge, psychic Elaine looking for a new direction in life and quirky widow Sarah Roseberg who has a go at sorting out all of their problems.
CONDITIONS aimed to sensitise readers and make them think about tolerance and acceptance.
CONDITIONED wants readers to look beyond their attitude towards Conditions and examine what we all do and what we can do to overcome our challenges. The sequel is another snapshot of this circle of friends. Some will have improved their lives, others will not.
Find Conditions (Book1) on your Amazon site: http://smarturl.it/CONDITIONSCFF
Find Conditioned (Book 2) on your Amazon site: http://smarturl.it/Conditioned
CHRISTOPH FISCHER 
Short Biography:
Christoph Fischer was born in Germany, near the Austrian border, as the son of a Sudeten-German father and a Bavarian mother. Not a full local in the eyes and ears of his peers he developed an ambiguous sense of belonging and home in Bavaria. He moved to Hamburg in pursuit of his studies and to lead a life of literary indulgence. After a few years he moved on to the UK where he now lives in a small town in West Wales. He and his partner have three Labradoodles to complete their family.
Christoph worked for the British Film Institute, in Libraries, Museums and for an airline. ‘The Luck of The Weissensteiners’ was published in November 2012; ‘Sebastian’ in May 2013 and The Black Eagle Inn in October 2013. “Time to Let Go”, his first contemporary work was published in May 2014, and “Conditions” in October 2014. His medical thriller “The Healer” was released in January 2015, his latest historical novel “In Search of a Revolution” in March 2015 and his thriller “The Gamblers” in June 2015.
He has written several other novels which are in the later stages of editing and finalisation.
Website: http://www.christophfischerbooks.com/
Blog: https://writerchristophfischer.wordpress.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6590171.Christoph_Fischer
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