DIVA talks to the author about her new book Amie And The Diseased Mind
BY DIVA STAFF, IMAGES PROVIDED
Author, actor, filmmaker and award-winning screenwriter Shalina Casey is back with another book which delves into all corners of the human experience. Titled Amie And The Diseased Mind, the novel explores how a young woman who experiences trauma fights to reclaim her life and identity.
DIVA chatted with Shalina to find out more.
Shalina, congratulations on your new psychological thriller. For readers who haven’t yet heard about it, what is Amie And The Diseased Mind about?
Thank you so much. The story follows Amie, a young woman whose life spirals after a single traumatic night with a man named Gary, whose manipulative behaviour manifests like a psychological infection.
As her world begins to twist, Amie starts to question what is real, who she can trust, and whether the danger is coming from Gary, from the people around her, or from her own mind.
It’s a fast-paced thriller about trauma, coercion, and the invisible wounds people carry, especially those who’ve learned to mask their pain.
One of the most talked-about parts of the book is Amie’s relationship with Louise. Can you tell us more about their connection?
Absolutely, Louise is one of the emotional anchors of the book. Where Gary represents contamination and psychological decay, Louise represents clarity. She’s the person who sees Amie, truly sees her, without distortion.
Their relationship isn’t just romantic tension or queer subtext, it’s a bond built on recognition. They understand each other in a way that doesn’t need explanation. Louise is gentle where Gary is invasive, grounding where Amie is chaotic, and honest where he is deceitful.
Where Gary chips away at Amie’s identity, Louise helps her rebuild it, not by rescuing her, but by reminding her who she was before she was consumed by fear.
Their connection explores something very real in queer relationships too: the way women can form an unspoken, deeply emotional intimacy long before they name it.
In many ways, Louise feels like the heart of the novel.
She is. Louise is the counter-infection. She represents safety, trust, the possibility of healing, and the quiet bravery it takes to love someone who’s hurting.
Their scenes together are some of my favourites, because they’re tender, even when the world around Amie is collapsing. Louise doesn’t ask Amie to be perfect. She doesn’t ask her to pretend. She just shows up, consistently, and that becomes a lifeline.
I think for many queer women, that kind of connection is instantly recognisable, the friend-who-is-more-than-a-friend, the person who makes you feel safe in your own skin.
The title is striking. What does “the diseased mind” represent?
It represents the kind of mental contamination that controlling or abusive people spread. Gary’s mind is diseased not medically, but morally and emotionally. His behaviour infects the people around him.
But it also speaks to how trauma distorts perception. When someone chips away at your sense of reality, it’s like your mind becomes fogged, infected with doubt and fear.
For Amie, the story isn’t just about escaping Gary, it’s about reclaiming the parts of herself that she handed over without realising.
Your writing often explores psychological tension. What makes this story different from your other work?
This book is raw. It’s unfiltered. I didn’t hold back on the uncomfortable emotions, the gaslighting, the paranoia, the adrenaline. I wanted readers to feel what Amie feels; the tightening of the chest, the second-guessing, the sense that something isn’t right even when everything looks normal.
It’s also incredibly character-driven. The danger isn’t from supernatural forces, it’s from a very real type of man many women have met in their lives.
But it’s also a story about the power of supportive relationships, like the one she has with Louise, to pull someone back from the brink.
Is Amie based on anyone real?
She’s not based on one person, but she’s made from real experiences, mine and the stories of women I’ve known. Every woman has met a “Gary”. Every woman has doubted herself when she shouldn’t have.
And every woman has, at some point, found strength in another woman; a Louise, who reminds her she’s more than what she’s been made to feel.
Amie represents the strength people don’t realise they have until they’re forced to use it.
The book blends thriller, psychological suspense, and character drama. What was the hardest part to write?
The scenes where Amie doubts her own reality were the most difficult. Writing them required me to sit in that emotional space, the fog, the fear, the confusion.
And then there’s Gary. Villains easily become caricatures, but I needed him to be unsettling because he is believable. The horrors Gary commits are subtle ones, belittling, gaslighting, twisting truths. That’s harder to write because it’s harder to escape.
Balancing that with the softness of Amie’s bond with Louise was essential. Their tenderness needed to feel real. Their moments together needed to feel like light breaking through.
What do you want readers, especially queer women, to feel when they finish the book?
Empowered. Not broken by the darkness, but energised by Amie’s determination to reclaim herself.
I want queer readers to see the emotional truth of Amie and Louise’s connection: that love, whether romantic, queer-platonic, or somewhere beautifully in between, can be a catalyst for survival.
And I want them to recognise the warning signs in their own lives, to trust their instincts, and to know that psychological harm is real, and it matters.
But above all? I want them to finish the book and say: “Wow.”
There’s already interest from readers and even the film industry. What’s next for you?
I’m continuing to build a multi-platform portfolio, books, screenplays, feature film and a documentary work for Channel 4.
Amie And The Diseased Mind is releasing in February 2026, and we’re exploring adaptation possibilities because the story is incredibly visual and emotionally charged.
Louise and Amie’s dynamic on screen would be powerful. Their chemistry is subtle but electric, the kind audiences connect with instantly.
I’m also working on Blood Bound (horror) and my YA magical-realism novel The Loud Kind Of Quiet, which features Joanna Macey and her very opinionated dachshund, Flinto.
And finally, why should people read this book?
Because it’s chilling, emotional, fast-paced, and painfully real. Because it speaks to anyone who has ever questioned themselves because of someone else.
Because we all know a Gary.
And because Amie’s fight to reclaim her mind, supported by the quiet strength of women like Louise – is the kind of journey you won’t forget.
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