Graphic memoir captures story of boy who hid his “demonic possession” for years only to learn it was epilepsy

CINCINNATI, May 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- While growing up in a tight-knit Catholic community during the 1970s, Wordsworth Communications Creative Director Steve Kissing wrongly perceived his recurring hallucinations--brief spells actually caused by seizures--as a sign of demonic possession. Kissing went to great lengths to purify himself and fight back against Satan. He worked hard at school, took up long-distance running and became an altar boy in order to strengthen his mind, body and spirit. He even conducted his own exorcisms with holy water, votive candles and sandwich bread.

The poignant, yet humorous, tale--a blending of “The Exorcist” and “The Wonder Years”--is a testament to the power of a child’s imagination and to religion’s influence on an impressionable mind. It carries a T+ (Teen Plus) rating.

“I hope my quirky coming-of-age tale will be entertaining in its own right,” said Kissing. “But if it helps raise awareness for seizure disorders, that would be icing on the cake.”

This graphic memoir, published by Markosia, is based on Kissing’s narrative memoir of the same title published in 2003. That book was positively reviewed by Publishers Weekly, the Literary Guild, Ohio Magazine and others.

“The graphic format is particularly powerful for my story because it helps capture the kinds of weird things I encountered in my hallucinations,” said Kissing.

Hardcover ($27.99), paperback ($19.99) and Kindle ($9.99) versions of the book are now available on Amazon.com. For more information--including sample pages, creator bios and reviews of the original narrative memoir--visit RunningFromTheDevil.com.

CONTACT: Brianne Kistler, bkistler@wordsworthweb.com, (440) 371-2217