Olive Tostevin Reveals Life, Love, and Mental Struggles in “Everything is Already Hell”
Tomah, Wisconsin Dec 1, 2025 (Issuewire.com) - Australian poet Olive Tostevin releases her first poetic memoir, Everything is Already Hell, a deeply personal exploration of mental health, love, and self-discovery. In this compelling work, Tostevin invites readers to immerse themselves in her experiences with depression, psychosis, and the challenges of navigating life and relationships.
About the Book
Everything is Already Hell combines vivid poetry and memoir-style storytelling, offering readers a raw and honest view of Tostevins world. From moments of falling in and out of love with life and herself, to the struggles with mental illness, the book captures the intensity of human emotion and resilience. While it confronts dark themes, the work provides an opportunity for reflection, empathy, and connection, allowing readers to relate to the universal struggle of finding oneself amid turmoil.
About the Author
Olive Tostevin is a published poet and emerging podcaster from Melbourne, Australia. Passionate about mental health advocacy, she uses her writing and podcast, Olives Garden, to explore lifes challenges and inspire conversations around mental well-being. Everything is Already Hell follows her debut book, continuing her mission to give voice to personal experiences that resonate with readers.
Inspiration Behind the Book
Tostevin wrote this memoir from personal experience with depression and psychosis, hoping her story could offer comfort to those facing similar struggles. By sharing her journey, she aims to normalize discussions around mental health, reduce stigma, and create connection through shared human experiences.
Message to Readers
Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I hope my experiences bring comfort or insight to anyone navigating mental health challenges. Remember to be kind to yourself and otherslife is often a difficult journey, but we are never truly alone, says Tostevin.
Previous Promotional Activities Tostevin has participated in the Manila International Book Fair and has been interviewed on Logan Crawford TV, extending the discussion on mental health and poetry to wider audiences.
Acclaimed horror novelist and U.S. Army veteran Vanessa M. Chattman returns with a chilling new supernatural tale that promises to haunt readers long after the final page. Her latest novel, BENEATH THE OAK, delivers a gripping blend of psychological terror, hidden family secrets, and ghostly suspensecementing Vanessa M. Chattmans reputation as one of the most compelling voices in modern horror.
Set in the quiet isolation of rural America, BENEATH THE OAK follows Alyssa Ward, a grieving woman forced to confront the shadows of her past when she returns to her childhood home after her mothers sudden death. What she expects to be a simple homecoming becomes a descent into a generational nightmare. The massive oak tree looming behind the houseonce a symbol of comfortnow pulses with an eerie, oppressive presence. At night, whispers seep from its roots, and ghostly silhouettes gather beneath its branches, watching, waiting.
As Alyssa sorts through her mothers belongings, she discovers a series of journals revealing a dark family curse tied to the ancient tree. For generations, the Ward family has been tormented by a spirit bound to the oakone that selects a single family member to keep beneath its roots. When Alyssa begins experiencing visions of a young girl calling her name, begging for release, she realizes the curse is awakening once more.
The deeper Alyssa digs into her familys past, the more the veil between the living and the dead unravels. The spirit beneath the oak soon reveals its true identitysomeone Alyssa once knew, someone she unknowingly abandoned. To break the curse, Alyssa must confront buried memories, longforgotten guilt, and a supernatural force determined to claim her as its next offering. The battle becomes not only for her life, but for her soul.
Vanessa M. Chattmans signature styleatmospheric, emotionally charged, and rooted in psychological horrorshines throughout BENEATH THE OAK. Known for her ability to blend haunting imagery with human vulnerability, Chattman crafts a narrative that is both terrifying and profoundly intimate. Her exploration of grief, memory, and generational trauma elevates the novel beyond traditional horror, offering readers a story that is as thoughtprovoking as it is chilling.
With a growing body of acclaimed work spanning supernatural fiction, psychological thrillers, and cinematic screenplays, Vanessa M. Chattman continues to push the boundaries of the genre. BENEATH THE OAK stands as one of her most powerful works to datea haunting reminder that the past never truly stays buried, and some spirits refuse to be forgotten.
BENEATH THE OAK is now available through major retailers and online platforms. Readers seeking a gripping, atmospheric, and emotionally resonant supernatural horror experience will find themselves captivatedand hauntedby Vanessa M. Chattmans latest masterpiece.
