Nic Sheff is a columnist forThe Fixand the author of two memoirs about his struggles with addiction, the New York Times-bestselling Tweak- Growing Up on Methamphetaminesand We All Fall Down. He also wrote for the hit TV series The Killing. Nic lives in Los Angeles, California. Follow @nic_sheff Meet Nic Sheff, the bestselling author ofTweak, an unforgettable memoir, who now delivers a gripping debut novel As a teenager and young adult I struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, as well as severe mental illness issues-bipolar disorder, depression, psychosis. My first two books were memoirs about my experience battling addiction. For my first novel, I wanted to continue my exploration of psychological issues within the framework of a thriller. When two of my family's friends, both high-schoolers, were diagnosed with schizophrenia, I began researching the illness. Apparently this disease, which often lies dormant in teens, has been surfacing earlier and earlier in those with a genetic predisposition to the illness after these kids try smoking pot-because our pot is so much stronger than it ever has been. I wanted to examine what happens to someone who experiences the symptoms of schizophrenia while still a teenager, someone trying to balance the hardships of mental illness at such a fragile time of life-the everyday struggles of high school and relationships. Much of the novel is borrowed from my own experience, but it is also a departure. I hope it shows that mental illness is not a death sentence.