Anya Michaels is having the time of her life. She has the man of her dreams by her

side. She has graduated at the top of her class. She has the job others were lining up for. Between late night drinks at her favourite bar and fancy dinners at the most expensive restaurants, she has a string of adoring friends. Everything changes when she hears the dreaded words, "You are sick."

Being diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder, her world starts to fall apart, one piece at a time. Now dumped, her four year relationship is nothing but a memory filled with pictures, thoughts and a very broken heart. Her job becomes an even further challenge as she tries to hide her condition. Her friends suddenly have more important things to do, what is a party without a party girl? Perfect could not crumble any faster.

Soon, caught between situations, people and pieces of life that she never dreamed of planning for herself, Anya begins to wonder if her brain condition is all that bad. As she absorbs the changes in her life and realization sets in, she begins to wonder if she is the only one saying: Excuse Me, My Brains Have Stepped Out.

(20% of royalties will be donated to the National Organisation of Rare Disorders)

Interview:

Where did you get the idea for the novel? To be honest, I wasn't really expecting it to be a novel. I was about to have brain surgery (to be fitted with my VP shunt) and I needed to put my final thoughts on paper. My blog and Excuse Me, My Brains Have Stepped Out was the end result.

Your title. Who came up with it? Did you ever change your title? I did and no, I didn't change the title. I wrote the first bit about 3 months before my surgery and when it was picked up by a publisher, they maintained the same title.

Why did you pick this genre? What do you like about it? The book falls under Biographies & Memoirs and Women's Fiction. I wanted it to be labeled as fiction because although they were my thoughts and experiences, names and places were changed.

Since becoming a writer, what’s the most exciting thing to ever happen to you? To hear from readers about how much the book means to them.

What book are you currently reading or what was the last book you read? I am reading The Sins of the Father by Jeffrey Archer. The last book I read was The Gauguin Connection by Estelle Ryan.

What is your writing process? I have to write pen to paper. I do not edit at this point. Once I have finished writing, then I start to edit and send it to my proofreader.

At a book signing, do you just sign your name or do you write a note? How do you come up with stuff to say? I sign my name with a note to thank the reader. Without readers, I would be nowhere so it isn't too difficult to express the gratitude I have for them.

What is something people would be surprised to know about you? The right side of my head still does not have hair. Most people think my profile picture is about mystery and looking good. It isn't. My hair just never grew back on the right side since my brain surgery and I don't think I'm ready for the world to see me that way.

How do you react to a bad review? There's nothing I can do about it because everyone is entitled to their opinion.

How did you celebrate the sale of your first book? I cried. I wasn't able to read or write as well as I would have liked after the surgery, so to be able to finish a book, have it published and sell it, was a miracle to me.

Pandora Poikilos:

International best-selling author, Pandora Poikilos has been writing for more than 10 years for various media which include newspapers, radio, television and various websites.

Diagnosed in 2003 with a rare neurological disorder, Benign Intracrannial Hypertension, she has since undergone brain surgery to have a VP Shunt fitted in her brain. Her debut novel - Excuse Me, My Brains Have Stepped Out was written when recovering from this surgery.

She is also the founder of Orangeberry Book Tours, a marketing and public relations site for authors which reaches out to readers of all genres. A social media enthusiast who is passionate about blogging and finding her way around the virtual world, she wills away time in the real world by reading, writing and people watching.

Twitter: @PandoraPoikilos

Website: moonstarluxury.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4715901.Pandora_Poikilos

BUY LINKS

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006FOTWUO