Dede Ranahan

Sooner Than Tomorrow has received 5 literary awards including a 2019 Nautilus Gold. Please watch my Nautilus Author Spotlight video. Click on the video image on the right.

"I've read Sooner Than Tomorrow twice. Thank you. I'm enlightened and now know that I don't need to accept blame or blame at all anymore. Mental illness just is. It's not my son's fault or mine or his doctors or anything. It just is. I pray that God hears me when I sometimes cry out helplessly overwhelmed. That's when I remember you and your son and your words of wisdom through experiences so similar to mine. I'm thankful for the many ways your book has changed me and the way I think and manage my life. Dede, I can't begin to thank you enough."

Francie VanZandt

Dede Ranahan is a mother, grandmother, and long-time mental health advocate who's worn many career hats. In 1982 she authored a book for young girls that won a national award for nonfiction. In 2001 she established the Institute for Mental Illness Education on the Cal State Hayward campus. In 2004 she served as the Walk Director for the first NAMIWALK in San Francisco. From 2007 to 2010, she worked in the NAMI California office as the Policy Director for the Mental Health Services Act (Prop 63). Today, in her over-55 community, Dede runs a support group for families who have members coping with serious mental illness. She says, "In trying to help our loved ones, we need help ourselves. We need to know we're not alone."

Dede's blog is www.soonerthantomorrow.com A Safe Place to Talk About Mental Illness in Our Families. She invites family members and individuals to share their stories.