TEN WORDS OR FEWER INTERVIEW: Karl Lorenz Willett, author of A Good Life: The Perception of Perfection

Karl Lorenz Willett, author of A Good Life: The Perception of Perfection, has been invited to take part in TriumphOfTheNow.com‘s “Ten Words or Fewer” interview format! (The word count is not strict.)

Read on below!

Q: What is the title of your book?
A: A Good Life: The Perception of Perfection (Revised Edition).

Q: Why did you choose this title?
A:  I wanted a title that signifies a deep philosophical exploration of living a virtuous, Godly life with ethical practices and being a good steward of the world and its animals. It’s a book that invites you to ponder the nature of love, perfection, and the purpose of our existence in a world of entropy. As things change, I expect total goodness, purity, and perfection, but they say this is out of step with reality. Hence, the title.

Q: What’s the book about?
A: The book is a powerful recount of my life’s trials, tribulations, and self-discovery. It’s my testament to the human spirit to try to dismantle stigma and challenge mental health bias. It defines a meaningful life amid profound personal challenges with having schizophrenia, inspiring us all to live our lives to the fullest, no matter the challenges we face. 

Q: Why did you write this book?
A:  It continues following the thread of my ongoing journey with schizophrenia. A mental health condition that has profoundly shaped my life and perspective. This journey, coupled with my belief in a God in the universe rather than the cosmos without one, forms the core of the book’s narrative. I hope it may help others without purpose or meaning and have philosophical inquiries and spirituality to accept God in everything. Writing my own story was therapeutic for me.

Q: And why now?
A: In a period when discussions on mental health are becoming commonplace in the West, there is global concern for the mental health of nations. It’s a book that will uplift and encourage people, no matter what they are going through. My journey with Schizophrenia will stimulate the intellect and inspire people to think deeply about life’s big questions. This book calls to engage in philosophical inquiries and spiritual reflections, offering a beacon of hope and a guide to a meaningful life.

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Bio:

Karl Lorenz Willett was born in St. Kitts and raised in England. He studied mechanical engineering at Tresham College (formerly Wellingborough Technical College).

When he was disgruntled at becoming unemployed, a teacher in the primary English class he attended to further his ability in English saw he could become an author and suggested he write a novel.

He began writing his autobiography for himself and his family to leave a legacy after obsessing over his inability to make up original fictional characters for a novel. He decided that the story he could tell best would be his own authentic, genuine, accurately written, non-fictional experiences. He says, “It may help other people, but I could foresee it will be a teaching tool for me to learn life lessons and how to live well with a chronic illness was challenging because of the hard way in which I understand well, by trials and errors, and it has been a lovely feeling to be able to hold my words on paper in a book.

Since 1982, Karl has continued to journal his life’s pivotal stories, which he likens to a collection of memoirs, and has published two revised and professionally edited books. The most acclaimed outstanding book was The Memoir of a Schizophrenic, first published in 2016 and revised in 2021. It was listed in the Readers Favourite Book and Award Contest and was an award finalist in 2019. He was nominated for the BBC Radio 4 All in The Mind Awards 2016.

The second book was also first self-edited. It was first published in 2020 as Good Life to Perfection Perception, an Autobiography. In 2021, it was retitled A Good Life: The Perception of Perfection, an Autobiography, and the Revised Edition was launched in March 2025.

His writing has become therapeutic for him. It is part of his creative process to tackle stigma by being descriptive without using outdated, inaccurate, derogatory language to describe the illness or symptom. Karl Lorenz Willett’s primary credentials are his approach to his lived experience of schizophrenia and psychosis and his open-minded philosophy on mental health. He researches, puts himself forward for clinical trials, and self-educates by reading academic papers and attending conferences.

The basic concept is that his mental illness is only one aspect of his life, not the defining characteristic. The varied stories show his deeply driven, ethical, God-centred belief with a caring nature. He has an attitude to helping others and caring for all creatures and the planet. He exhibits kindness and compassion and is an empathetic, sensitive soul.

For more information, visit Karl’s website: http://karllorenzwillett.co.uk/

Karl also recommends the Overcoming Schizophrenia site as a great resource:

https://overcomingschizophrenia.blogspot.com/

ADDENDUM: An audiobook of A Good Life: The Perception of Perfection is currently in the works and expected to be available later in the second half of 2025.

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“Ten Words or Fewer” gives writers (novelists, poets, essayists, playwrights, screenwriters, anyone writing anything else) the opportunity to introduce themselves and their work. If interested in taking part, email triumphofthenow@gmail.com for more details.

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