Julia Tannenbaum, a 2019 graduate of West Hartford’s Hall High School has published her third young adult novel, “Choosing Life.”

By Ronni Newton

In the span of just over two years – a timeframe that also included her graduation from Hall High School and the start of college – West Hartford resident Julia Tannenbaum has written and published three books.

“Choosing Life,” the third installment of fictional character Grace Edwards’ journey and struggles with mental illness, is the final book in what has turned into a trilogy.

And although Grace is a fictional character, many of the elements in the story were based on Tannenbaum’s own years-long battle and experiences with anxiety and an eating disorder.

“Choosing Life” picks up a couple of months after “Breaking Free,” the 2019 sequel to Tannenbaum’s debut novel, “Changing Ways,” which she wrote while still a student at Hall.

In “Choosing Life,” Grace is now a senior in high school, still navigating the challenges of being back in school after in-patient treatment for restricting and other destructive behavior, looking forward to graduation and getting into college.

“Once again it’s based on my personal experience with mental illness and recovery,” Tannenbaum said.

When she wrote her first book, she knew there would be a sequel. As she told the story, the need for the third installment became clear.

“The third is the most hopeful,” she said. The first was so much about the mental illness itself, and the saga as a whole is “really a metamorphosis.”

And while you can read the newly-published “Choosing Life” without having read the other two books, Tannenbaum said reading them in order is ideal.

Tannenbaum remains open to talking about her own experiences, not just infusing them into her characters. When she published “Breaking Free” in the summer of 2019 she was about to begin her freshman year at Emerson in Boston, but it wasn’t the right situation for her.

She’s now living back in her West Hartford home and is a student at Southern New Hampshire University, studying English and creative writing. She began taking online classes there in January 2020, before most other colleges switched to online learning.

“I feel lucky that I was already enrolled in online classes,” she said. Her brother is now also taking college classes online.

“The pandemic has been difficult for everyone, and it’s taken a toll on my mental health,” she said. “But I had a good support system and am able to turn to my coping skills without turning to destructive behavior.”

She said she tries not to be so hard on herself if she’s having a tough day, and knows how to access resources she needs.

“I still struggle … but I feel like I’m in a good place in my recovery. I’m looking forward to continuing to move forward without falling back,” she said.

“I say that writing saved my life. It really has,” Tannenbaum said.

And while she’s self-published, she said that’s neither a stigma nor a barrier if you put in the time and effort. Her book sales are in the thousands, and “Choosing Life” has five stars on Amazon.

Because of the pandemic, she’s had to rely on social media and virtual events, but she hopes to eventually get back to in-person promotion. During 2019 she ppeared at a lot of craft fairs, which was worked out well until COVID-19 intervened.

“I really just wanted to tie up the series and complete Grace’s story in the best way I knew how … complete it in a way I feel good about, realistic but in a hopeful way,” Tannenbaum said of publishing the third book.

Her current project is an online blog and cookbook in collaboration with her mom, as well as focusing on her school work and completing her degree at an expedited pace.

Tannenbaum doesn’t have a novel or other major writing project in the works, but she knows that she will always continue to write.

She’s hoping to get involved with screenwriting. “I like dramas – rooted in reality, human experience,” she said.

“Most important is creating characters that feel like real people, that people can relate to.”

For more information about Tannenbaum, or to purchase a copy of “Choosing Life” on Amazon, click here.

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