DATE: SEPTEMBER 15, 2009
FROM: KRISTINE ASHTON-MAGNUSON/MITCH SCHNEIDER/ANGELA VILLANUEVA
‘FALL TO PIECES: A MEMOIR OF DRUGS, ROCK ‘N’ ROLL, AND MENTAL ILLNESS’
SET FOR RELEASE NOVEMBER 10
VIA WILLIAM MORROW/HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS
–Dave Navarro
MARY FORSBERG WEILAND–mother, model, bipolar disorder survivor and recovering drug addict–beautifully tells the story of her life and her longtime relationship with Stone Temple Pilots/former Velvet Revolver frontman Scott Weiland in her new book FALL TO PIECES: A Memoir of Drugs, Rock ‘n’ Roll, and Mental Illness–written with Larkin Warren–due out November 10 via William Morrow/HarperCollins Publishers.
In her memoir, Mary reveals the extreme highs and lows of her life with refreshing candor and unflinching detail. She offers a window into the world of modeling and rock ‘n’ roll, while at the same time providing deep insights into the drug and alcohol addictions that could have killed her, and her serious, recently diagnosed and misunderstood mental illness.
MARY explains her reason for writing this book and why she felt bipolar disorder was an important subject to address: “I reject the stigma that the words ‘mental illness’ carry and I'd love to be a part of the movement to eliminate it.” She continues: “After my bipolar diagnosis, I read countless books on the subject. I had a difficult time connecting to them because my story often lacked the intense mania that so many people struggle with. I'm hoping that someone who may be wrestling with similar demons to mine can find even an ounce of hope in Fall to Pieces.”
Inspired by books from public figures documenting their own struggles–including Brooke Shields' Down Came The Rain, about a journey through postpartum depression, and Carrie Fisher’s Wishful Drinking–MARY felt it was important to share her story, despite fears of how revealing her personal battles might affect her family. “Overall, I'm an honest and open person, so spilling my beans came quite easy, but memoirs and motherhood is a difficult marriage to broker,” she says. “Keeping authenticity while trying to protect my children felt a lot like walking a tightrope. In the end, though, I was able to write about that challenge too, so the whole process felt like an honest entry in the so-called diary that became this book.”
• A childhood filled with depression, instability, early addictive tendencies, an overdose and a stint in juvenile hall.
• The Fourth of July party at Leonardo DiCaprio’s house in Malibu, where the Weilands arrived in long-sleeved turtlenecks to hide needle tracks and scabs.
• Her frequent calls to Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro, who somehow always seemed to know where Scott was.
• Scott’s marriage proposal, which followed Mary’s 7th rehab stay–and the positive pregnancy test that came soon after.
• The “domestic battery charges” that weren’t true but that got Scott back into rehab–and the supportive phone call from Robert Downey, Jr. reassuring Mary that she’d done the right thing.
• The “Weiland Wardrobe Bonfire” 3-day headline-making breakdown in Burbank, CA in 2007 that led to Mary’s ultimate diagnosis of bipolar disorder, successful treatment, and a new life of health and hope for the future. Of the incident, she now says: “I unraveled. I don't know all the answers to what happened that day I just remember my true self watched helplessly as I fell into deep mania. Writing about it certainly helped me answer a few questions…but not all.”
Advance praise for Fall to Pieces:
"Mary Weiland's beautifully crafted memoir takes the reader through the journey that is so very common today, the slow drift into addiction and mental illness. Fall to Pieces is perhaps the most vivid rendition of this experience I have ever come across. Honest, clear, and accurate, Mary takes us into the reality of a world that is idealized in the tabloids. I have always loved Mary and Scott Weiland, but never more than now.”
–Terri Cheney, New York Times bestselling author of Manic
For more information on Fall To Pieces:
MSO (818) 380-0400
Kristine Ashton-Magnuson, kashton@msopr.com, ext. 233
Mitch Schneider, mschneider@msopr.com, ext. 235
Angela Villanueva, avillanueva@msopr.com, ext. 232
For more information on William Morrow/HarperCollins Publishers:
Jennifer Slattery, Jennifer.Slattery@HarperCollins.com, 212-207-7591
http://
MARY FORSBERG WEILAND’S ‘FALL TO PIECES: A MEMOIR OF DRUGS, ROCK ‘N’ ROLL, AND MENTAL ILLNESS’
SET FOR RELEASE NOVEMBER 10 VIA WILLIAM MORROW/HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS.