About Memoir of a Mangled Mind

At age sixteen, blackouts take over Steve Simmons’s life. He loses hours, days, and weeks at a time. Afraid he’ll be institutionalized or disbelieved, Steve tells no one.

He soon discovers that he has multiple personalities, a mental disorder that developed years earlier when sexual predators targeted him. Originally meant to protect him, these “alters” hijack his consciousness to live their own lives—one is a thief, the other a gay prostitute.

By refusing to tell anyone or seek proper mental health treatment, Steve grants his doppelgangers free rein to drag him down the paths of crime and debauchery.

To maintain his freedom and reputation, Steve discards his ethical compass by concealing his alters’ criminal activities—even after becoming an attorney at one of the world’s premier litigation firms.

This memoir lays bare Steve’s childhood sexual assaults and the poor judgment he exercises to hide his mental disorder caused by the trauma.

How will he navigate the road to redemption?

About Steven Simmons Shelton

Steve is a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and has had dissociative identity disorder (DID) since childhood. He has a BA degree from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD (1983); an MA degree from Wayne State University in Detroit (completed 1990); and a JD from Wayne State University Law School (summa cum laude, 1993).

Memoir of a Mangled Mind is Steve’s debut. He also hosts The Mangled Mind Podcast where he discusses topics related to DID. Monday through Saturday, he moderates a free memoir writing and critique group on Zoom. Professional memberships include Alliance of Independent Authors, The Author’s Guild, Florida Writers Association, Florida Authors and Publishers Association, Space Coast Writer’s Guild, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

Born in Arkansas, Steve lives in Florida with his husband, Grant, and their clowder of cats.