Vrinda Pendred
Founding Director & Editor
Vrinda is a graduate of English with Creative Writing at Brunel University. She completed work experience with Random House and proofread for Mandala Publishing. She is married with two children and lives in Hertfordshire, England, where she does freelance editing and proofreading. She is also a writer, and you can learn more about her personal work here.
Vrinda has five neurological conditions: Tourette’s Syndrome, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, ADHD, High-Functioning Autism and bipolar disorder.
Of such conditions, she says: ‘There really aren’t enough books and websites out there preaching positivity regarding these types of conditions – nor is there enough that expresses how truly difficult it can be to live with one of them (let alone more than one, as many people do). Yet I have heard/read so many times that people with neurological disorders are usually highly creative people (indeed, many psychiatrists believe certain nervous disorders might even be a prerequisite to being so creative) – and that art/music/writing can be incredibly therapeutic.
‘This is why I wanted to start this imprint: to provide a creative outlet for people, and (hopefully) to change a few minds out there about what neurological disorders really are – including not just the limitations, pain or frustration, but also the more positive, beneficial “symptoms” of these strange conditions.’
Be sure to read her own contributions to Conditional Publications’ debut release Check Mates: A Collection of Fiction, Poetry and Artwork about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, by People with OCD – and to read her novel The Ladder (inspired by her personal struggle with bipolar disorder), as well as her short fiction, all available for purchase from Amazon.
Jennifer Scinto
Manuscript Reader & Communications Assistant
Jennifer has a passion for writing and mental health advocacy. She contributed a short story and poem to Check Mates: A Collection of Fiction, Poetry and Artwork about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, by People with OCD (under her maiden name, Jennifer Abrams) about her struggle with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, which she was diagnosed with at the age of 9. Her poem, ‘Indentations’, touched on her painful history of self-harm, a largely misunderstood concept that she has thankfully overcome. She also struggles with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Depression.
Of such conditions, she says: ‘It’s very exhausting and agonizing to suffer from lifelong mental illnesses, especially in silence, which is why I believe Conditional Publications is a blessing to those struggling or those who would like to gain more insight into such disorders. I hope something positive comes from our struggles in that it helps to break the negative stigma surrounding mental illness, by shining a light on real people living with difficult conditions!’
Jennifer lives in Southern California with her husband, Lenny, and their two dogs, whom they adore. She graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies, and now works full-time as a Marketing Communications Assistant. In her free time, Jennifer likes spending time with family and friends, cycling, writing, reading, and enjoying time in nature. She hopes one day to write a memoir about her struggle with mental illness. Meanwhile, she is a contributing writer for The Mighty, a website dedicated to mental illness, disabilities, and diseases. You can read more of her published work here.
Sharon Meyer
Promotions & Communications Assistant
Sharon has a long work history in Marketing and Sales, helping and supporting those who are selling the products. She is now putting her range of skills and experience into Conditional Publications. She lives in Surrey, England with her large family of birds!
She was diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder as a child, but it has really come to the fore in her adult years. Among many other symptoms, she is most affected by contamination obsessions and works to keep them contained, to stop them spreading.
Of her condition, she says: ‘I know I’m not crazy or wrong in the head. I want to try to get answers to questions like: how do I explain what I’m feeling and going through when even I don’t understand it all yet?’
She hopes that, through Conditional’s future publications, these answers will start to come through for all of us.
Read her poem ‘Something to Say’ in Conditional Publications’ debut release Check Mates: A Collection of Fiction, Poetry and Artwork about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, by People with OCD.
Lynn Serafinn
Marketing Director
Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1955, Lynn originally trained as a classical symphony violinist, before later composing electronic dance music with a number-one trance club hit in the ’90s. After many years teaching and managing in British Higher Education colleges, she now resides in Bedford, England and works as a Transformation Coach, book promotion coach, teacher, motivational speaker, talk radio show host and author of the bestselling book The Garden of the Soul: Lessons from Four Flowers that Unearth the Self.
Her company Create-a-Life Transformation Coaching won the Best of Bedford Business Awards in 2007, and was voted one of the “Top 10 Most Loved Businesses in Bedford” in 2010. In 2009, she received the Bedfordshire Businesswomen Award for her work as Chair of Transition Bedford, a volunteer grassroots initiative whose objective is to create a plan for a sustainable future.
Lynn is also a coach and promotion manager for mind-body-spirit authors, and created and managed the launch campaign for Number-1 selling book Blast Off! by Allison Maslan. In February 2010, she launched Spirit Authors Virtual Coaching and Learning Experience for mind-body-spirit authors, which offers training, business building and support for authors, both established and aspiring.
Lynn ’s late father had a severe case of OCD, as well as an unidentified mental health condition. Her early upbringing was greatly impacted by this, compounded by the denial and resistance within her family to confront and speak openly about mental, neurological or emotional wellbeing. Lynn ’s knowledge of such disorders greatly increased when her own daughter, Vrinda Pendred (founder of Conditional Publications), was diagnosed. Raising a child with Tourette’s and OCD (diagnosed in Vrinda’s teens) was challenging, especially when having to deal with teachers in the educational system who made demands upon her daughter that demonstrated their lack of understanding. She has since used her own understanding in her teaching and, now, to bring power to her work as a coach.
In mid-life Lynn realised she has had ADD her entire life. This has set Lynn on a new journey of discovery to understand this aspect of herself, and to create positive solutions by being who she is, rather than trying to “fix” or change her natural self.
Enter the one-stop portal to all Lynn’s work HERE, and visit Spirit Authors, for inspiration and advice on publishing and marketing your writing.