Overcoming Depression - Interview with Debut Author Rebecca Nightsong

 

Debut Author Rebecca Nightsong

Rebecca, welcome to Overcoming With God.  We appreciate your willingness to share your testimony of overcoming with our readers. Congratulations on your debut!!! 

Rebecca is a member of Tidewater Area Christian Writers and I've had the privilege of meeting with her in person and I've gotten to hear about her debut book! We're glad to introduce Rebecca to our OWG readers!

Would you tell us about the one of the most difficult things in your life you have had to overcome, with God’s help?

Depression has been one of the most difficult things I’ve had to overcome.  I have struggled with infertility issues for a decade.  I describe infertility as an on-going loss. It’s very difficult to resolve loss that keeps happening. And that unresolved grief can quickly mushroom into depression.

What passages in the Bible have been most helpful to you in those times?

Colossians 3:2 “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

Psalm 42:8 “By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me-- a prayer to the God of my life.”

Is 65:24 “It shall also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.” 

What helped you get through or helped you cope with this difficulty?

When I pray and read God’s Word every day, He gives me new promises and a new purpose that is fresh for that day.

One of my favorite things to do is write in my prayer journal the worries and sadness I feel in that moment.  Then I ask God:  “What is your heart in this right now?” I write down the verses He brings to mind, and then I ask Him:  “What do you mean by that?”

He is always faithful to speak words of specific direction and comfort to my heart.  That is consistently the fastest way to peace for me, and it lasts all day. 

One of my favorite sermons is by Charles H. Spurgeon, titled “Small Things Not To Be Despised.” He points out that God’s works start small, and we should never ignore them.

I’ve discovered that for me, depression is most potent when I am not nurturing the small quiet ways God works in my heart. Focusing on even the very small ways that I can see God moving and working in my life has given me so much hope—it keeps me connected to Him.

Daily time with Jesus reveals the ways He is working in my life—both small and large.  His voice in scripture always re-sets my hope in Him.  This is why I chose ‘Nightsong’ as my pen-name; because even in the darkest night, Jesus has always given me a song.  

Disability friendliness: Is this latest release available in audio format or do you have any other works available on audio?  Do your e-books have audio capability? Do you have any in large print? 

Not currently, but I plan to have every book available in audio format very soon.

In this latest work, do you have any topics useful for bibliotherapy, or therapeutic influence through reading about a disorder or situation?  

In “Love on the Range,” Marlee has a tight grip on her pride. It blinds her to some of the blessings God wants to bring into her life, because she can only see that her own plans are failing. When our plans or our bodies fail us, we come face to face with pride and our own limitations. But those things can be a doorway to God’s work in our hearts and lives, if we will let Him. It would be therapeutic write about your own limits as a place to meet with God. When we come to the end of our own strength, that is when we get to see Him in action.

Question you’d like to ask readers:

What are the many “small things” you see God working in your life?  Have you been blind to any of them because of your own plans or limitations?

Spurgeon sermon link:  http://www.spurgeongems.org/vols43-45/chs2601.pdf

Bio: RebeccaNightsong grew up under the wide-open skies of Idaho, where she spent long days in fluffy petticoats and lace, chasing geese and riding goats (since sadly, she had no horses).

As a bossy sister in a large family of all boys, she may or may not be guilty of making her 3 year old brother lie down on a hard strip of lumber in the middle of the pasture to take a pretend nap when playing “pioneer families.”

Today, Rebecca lives with her husband, who is a constant source of inspiration. 

She spends her time in her quirky fictional world of Looking Glass Lake, bossing around characters who frequently boss back.   

You can find her at:  www.rebeccanightsong.com

Giveaway: Rebecca is looking for new readers as a debut author!!! She has a site that can put a FREE download right into our OWG readers’ hands!!! Go to  http://dl.bookfunnel.com/raxn4ii9m2 and follow the directions for the download!

Interview with Nancy Rue – Overcoming Depression

Nancy Rue

Nancy  Rue is the co-author of The Merciful Scar, written with Rebecca St. James.

Nancy, welcome to Overcoming With God.  We appreciate your willingness to share your testimony of overcoming with our readers. 

It’s an honor to be asked.

Would you tell us about the most difficult thing in your life you have had to overcome, with God’s help? 

I would have to say my struggle with clinical depression. I’ve been through a lot of loss of loved ones and have had some physical issues myself, but the mental challenge has been the most difficult to deal with and heal from. It’s largely under control now, but daily I, first of all, thank God for both medication and deep spiritual healing, and secondly, stay conscious of my thoughts and how they can lead me into trouble! The loss of perspective that comes with depression can be frightening and I have to say that having lived through a number of episodes, I am closer to God and get my perspective from him. 

(CFP: PTL that you are doing well, Nancy. Thank you for sharing. This is a relatively common disorder but few people talk about it. Somewhere near 10% of the general population suffers from it at any given time.)

Disability friendliness: Is this latest release available in audio format or do you have any other works available on audio?  Do your e-books have audio capability? Do you have any in large print?  

All of my adult novels before The Merciful Scar are available as audio books: the three Sullivan Crisp novels (Healing Stones, Healing Waters, and Healing Sands) and the three Reluctant Prophet novels (The Reluctant Prophet, Unexpected Dismounts, and Too Far To Say Far Enough). Since Thomas Nelson, the publisher of this most recent book, traditionally produces an audio version, it’s safe to assume they will for The Merciful Scar as well. My father was blind for several years before he died, and in those days (the 60’s) he had what were known as “Talking Books” – read on vinyl records. I would sit with him for hours listening; in fact, that was my first “reading” of Pride and Prejudice.  All that to say, I am a great supporter of audio books.    

(CFP: My daughter and I LOVED all of Nancy Rue's books for young people. We'd read and re-read them.  I've also read the books on history with my son, who is a history buff.)

In this latest work, do you have any topics useful for bibliotherapy, or therapeutic influence through reading about a disorder or situation?

Absolutely. The presenting problem for the protagonist, Kirsten, is self-injury, also known as “cutting.” The story is actually about her healing, not simply to stop hurting herself, but to understand why she feels the need to cut into her flesh, and what the healing power of God is truly about. Another character in the book suffers from Post Traumatic Stress after serving two tours in Afghanistan (a young woman). A third, a young man, is becoming present to repressed memories. All three of them are under the care of a spiritual mentor who asks them the right questions and presents them with the opportunities to find God and thus their healing. A great deal of research went into this book, and Rebecca and I feel that it is not only relevant but accurate. Actually, all of my books are what I would call therapeutic. The Bible is always there. The mentor is always there. And God is always there. 

Thank you, Nancy, for agreeing to answer these questions.  Have a blessed day and keep on writing!!

That’s my plan! And thank YOU.

GIVEAWAY:  This week we will be giving away readers choice of ANY of Nancy's many books, choice of format. International winners ebook only unless the book is available on the Book Depository.

Interview with Jocelyn Green by Carrie Fancett Pagels

Jocelyn Green

Jocelyn Green is the author of Wedded to War and of four nonfiction books, including Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives, and Stories of Faith and Courage from the Home Front.

Jocelyn, welcome to Overcoming With God.  We appreciate your willingness to share your testimony of overcoming with our readers. 

Would you tell us about the most difficult thing in your life you have had to overcome, with God’s help?

In a nutshell: depression, and the fear of depression.

Now, if you want the story: Once upon a time, I was twenty-two, in love with a man who didn’t love me back, and determined to prove to him, and to myself, that I could live without him very well, thank you very much. So I hastily took a job as a private English tutor in Vienna, Austria. Yep, I moved to the other side of the world, and nope, I didn’t know German. I did not go through an organization when I accepted the position, so when the boundaries and expectations kept shifting, I had no recourse or protection against what the Viennese family I lived with was asking me to do. 

I had unwittingly placed myself in the care of a woman who was 

extremely manipulative, and her promise to let me take German classes was completely reneged. Not knowing the language made me illiterate, dumb, mute, and more isolated than I could have imagined possible. As many of you probably know, isolation breeds depression, and that’s exactly what happened to me. I remember vividly the moment when I snapped—my knuckles white on the staircase railing—and I just started crying and couldn’t stop. For days. For weeks. Until a neighbor, who happened to be a missionary from Minnesota, told me that I needed to take care of myself and go home. I want to make it clear that I was reading the Bible and praying throughout this time. I did not feel that God had abandoned me, and I still trusted him. It was not a matter of will-power, or of just “being more spiritual” to turn off my tears. My system was just overwhelmed and shutting down. My hair was turning grey. I lost weight until my clothes hung on my shoulders as if from a hanger.

So I went home, in defeat, after never really failing at anything in my life before. Back in America, I was diagnosed with severe depression, and put on medication. I moved to Washington, DC, got a great job as an editor for a nonprofit on Capitol Hill, and found a church. Four months later, I decided to stop taking my medication cold-turkey, because I no longer lived in isolation, and the triggers for my depression no longer existed. Then I worried about my decision, and consulted a Christian psychiatrist, to basically confess what I did. He didn’t tell me I had been wrong to just stop taking the medicine, but he did say to watch myself, because people who go off their medication before they’d been on it for six months are more susceptible to slip into depression again.

Fast forward two years. On July 5, 2003, I married my husband, an officer in the Coast Guard. Two days later, we moved from Washington, DC, to a small town called Homer, Alaska. On our one-month anniversary, he kissed me goodbye, and left for a month. I was alone, with a house, but without our furniture which had yet to arrive. It was me and the walls. “But,” I told myself, “at least I know the language here!”

It was a shock on many levels. I went from having a career to being unemployed. From big city to small town. From single to married, and from civilian to military. Rob was gone seven months of our first year of marriage, though not all at once. It was challenging. My worst month was November. The weather was cold, it was dark, and when our driveway was covered in ice, I was all but stranded at home. I had to put chains on my boots to walk to the grocery store. I really had a mental battle going on. I was terrified I would slip back into depression. I had to tell myself it was just one day, just one bad day. Everyone gets them. It doesn’t mean you fall into a tailspin. It’s OK to have a bad day, or two, or three.

I felt like I could have gone either way that year. Even if I hadn’t gone into a clinical depression, I could have become bitter and resentful about the sacrifices I made to tag along with Rob’s career. But, with God’s help, I made a decision. I would not allow myself to isolate. I joined two book clubs, two Bible studies, volunteered at the nursing home, and drove a cancer patient to her medical appointments in Anchorage, five hours north of us. God taught me things through his Word, in light of my new status as a military wife that left me in awe of Him.

God used that year to breed in me a passion for supporting the spiritual lives of other military wives. A few years later, my first book was born: Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives. Fourteen other military wives from all branches of service helped me write that devotional book—and in 2011, a sequel was released: Faith Deployed . . . .Again.

What is your favorite bible verse and why?

Isaiah 26:3: “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” This verse speaks so well to my struggle in Alaska. I had to keep my mind steadfast on God, not on my circumstances, and in return, he kept me in perfect peace. I love sharing this with other military wives, but it is relevant to each one of us.

Wedded to War

Disability friendliness: Is this latest release available in audio format or do you have any other works available on audio?  Do your e-books have audio capability? Do you have any in large print? 

Wedded to War, along with all my nonfiction books, are available for ereaders, which can enlarge the size of the print on the screen. But so far, no large-print hard copy books or audio books are available.

What has been the most important thing you hope your readers will get from your books and why?

From my nonfiction books, it would be the concept of Isaiah 26:3. From my novel Wedded to War, I want readers to glean a few different insights. First, that we should be more concerned with what God thinks than with what society thinks. The privileged women who gave up their lives of ease in order to nurse faced ridicule and open hostility, but many of them believed God called them to the work. So I hope readers will really examine what they feel God is calling them to do, and then do it with confidence.

Second, from the character of Ruby, I hope readers will learn that even if we make mistakes in our lives, or if we harbor guilt or shame, that does not need to direct the rest of our lives. We’re all sinners, aren’t we? We make mistakes. We do wrong. Satan wants us to believe we are irreparably damaged by those sins, and that those sins absolutely define us. But here’s where we take that thought captive and obedient to Christ—what does God say about our sin? 1 John 1:9 says: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” So there you have it. We need to choose to believe God’s opinion of us rather than anyone else’s. And we can learn God’s perspective only from being rooted in the Bible and by prayer.

As you researched your books, did you learn anything that particularly touched your heart?

Oh, gobs of things.

My research for both nonfiction and fiction brings me to tears at some point or another. I will just share with you the most recent story that tugged on my heartstrings. 

A young soldier in the Civil War had to have both his legs amputated. His nurse wrote a letter to his sweetheart to let her know he survived the operations, and this girl wrote the soldier a Dear John letter. The soldier read it, said to his nurse, “Tell her I forgive her,” and then died.

In this latest work, do you have any topics useful for bibliotherapy, or therapeutic influence through reading about a disorder or situation?

Yes! Topics in Wedded to War would be: misplaced sources of identity, dealing with one’s past, guilt, shame, prejudice, discrimination, loss of a parent, sibling relationships, parental disapproval, and reconciling a loving God with the realities of war.

Thank you Jocelyn for agreeing to answer these questions.  Have a blessed day and keep on writing!!

BIO:

Jocelyn Green is an award-winning author and freelance writer. A former military wife, she authored, along with contributing writers, Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives and Faith Deployed . . . Again: More Daily Encouragement for Military Wives. Jocelyn also co-authored Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq & Afghanistan, which won the Gold Medal from the Military Writers Society of America in 2010, and Stories of Faith and Courage from the Home Front, which inspired her first novel: Wedded to War. Her next novel, Widow of Gettysburg, releases in May.

Find her at:

www.jocelyngreen.com
www.heroinesbehindthelines.com
www.faithdeployed.com
www.facebook.com/jocelyngreenauthor

Purchase her books:

Wedded to War http://amzn.to/VFVPbN
Widow of Gettysburg http://amzn.to/UZiv4z
Stories of Faith and Courage from the Home Front http://amzn.to/ULe37N
Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives http://amzn.to/TVG0fZ
Faith Deployed . . . Again: More Daily Encouragement for Military Wives http://amzn.to/W3SDTP
Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq & Afghanistan http://amzn.to/13vN4DH

Giveaway:  Carrie has a copy of Wedded to War to give away and Jocelyn is offering a copy of her new release, Widow of Gettysburg!  
Answer this question and leave your email to enter: What is your favorite Civil War-era story and why?

Carrie Fancett Pagels Interviews Carla Stewart

Carla Stewart is the author of Chasing Lilacs, Broken Wings, and Stardust, just released in May, 2012.  

I met Carla through some online groups, including My Book Therapy, ACFW, and our mutual friend, Marian Baay.  

Carla, welcome to Overcoming Through Time – With God’s Help.  Would you share either the most difficult thing in your life you have had to overcome, with God’s help, or the most tragic situation or circumstance one of your character’s has had to get past?

I'm not sure I've had a single life experience to overcome, but I have always struggled with trying to fix others - I'm a first-born, choleric with a soft spot for hurting people. I became a nurse. What I've had to learn in my personal life is surrendering control in tough situations - my oldest son's depression/drug and alcohol use/dropping out of school at age 16 (a six-year saga - thankfully with a happy outcome). My mother's battle with cancer and attending her the last two months of her life. My mother-in-law's Alzheimer's. My writing career. All are areas where I've had to surrender myself and those I love to God and his plans. And I've drawn from my life experiences in my writing as I've strived to bring messages of hope to those who are hurting or dealt a tough hand.

What is your favorite bible verse and why?

Micah 6:8.

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
   And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
   and to walk humbly with your God.

I love that God has given us all of scripture, but this verse sums it up for me. What a blueprint for life!  I stand in awe every day at God’s mercy bestowed on me.

Disability friendliness:

Is this latest release available in audio format or do you have any other works available on audio?

 All of my books are (or will be) available in e-formats – Kindle and others. Both Chasing Lilacs and Broken Wings are available in large print with a hardback library binding. Broken Wings is available as an unabridged audio book both as a download or on CDs.

What has been the most important thing you hope your readers will get from your books and why?

The first thing I hope readers will find is a cast of characters they will come to care about. I love the nostalgic eras and try to recapture those days for readers. This is especially true in Chasing Lilacs and my next book, Stardust, but Broken Wings has a historical thread, also, that parallels the story. In all of my books, I deliver hope for the future. My hope is that readers will sigh in satisfaction when the last page is read. Although I tie up most threads, I also like to leave enough mystery so that readers will wonder how the characters are doing. Sort of the same way we do with good friends.

As you researched your books, did you learn anything that particularly touched your heart?

I already had a folder of material on Alzheimer’s so I reviewed it, researched current articles, and relied on my past experience as a nurse to bring the character to life. The Alzheimer’s research became very personal when my mother-in-law was diagnosed with mid-stage Alzheimer’s less than a month after Broken Wings was contracted. She’s a beautiful lady, and it’s been sad to see her spiral deeper into the tangles of this dreadful disease.

But the most challenging part of the research was learning about abuse which, thankfully, didn’t come from such a personal connection. I studied the personality types of victims and abusers and read a lot of personal stories and case studies.

I came to the writing knowing it would be a struggle, but I also knew that, for me, abuse is intolerable. What I didn’t expect, though, was learning that abuse is much more common than I ever imagined. Often there are warning signs that begin before actual abuse takes center stage—irrational behavior, disdain for authorities, getting hot tempered over trivial things, blaming others for their behavior, wanting to be in control of the relationship. The most alarming statistic that I read was that 40% of teens age 14-17 had either been abused or knew someone who had while in a dating relationship. If anything, I hope Broken Wings gives courage to women who are in abusive relationships, that they will realize that it’s not their fault nor their responsibility to stay with an abuser because he “needs” her. Victims, too, have a choice. Help is available.  

Readers, we are posting a Saturday recap.  Carla includes resources at the end of the book, which is wonderful!  As outlined above, she has a great many topics useful for bibliotherapy, or therapeutic influence through reading her books.

Thank you, Carla, for agreeing to answer these questions.  Have a blessed day and keep on writing!!

Thank you. It’s been a pleasure. Blessings to you and your readers here! 


Carla Stewart's books can be purchased through CBD, Amazon, and other book stores.

GIVEAWAY:  A copy of one of Carla's books!

Carrie Fancett Pagels Interviews Elizabeth Camden

Elizabeth Camden is the author of The Rose of Winslow Street and The Lady of Bolton Hill both published by Bethany House.  I met Elizabeth through Facebook, the place which seems to be spreading out to fill half of cyberspace!

Elizabeth, welcome to Overcoming Through Time.  Would you share either the most difficult thing in your life you have had to overcome, with God’s help, or the most tragic situation or circumstance one of your character’s has had to get past?

Thanks for asking me aboard!  Overall, I have been incredibly blessed, but something I’ve wrestled with for a good deal of my adulthood was simple loneliness.  I was a single woman until 35.  For a number of reasons, my career kept me moving every few years.  As a natural introvert, it gets hard to put down roots as I kept moving from one city to another.  I found that as you get older, if you don’t have children or a spouse, it can be hard to find in-roads into a new neighborhood community.  This can be true even in a church!  So I spent more holidays than I care to remember curled up at home.   This wasn’t a huge tragedy, but there is a sort of low-grade pain that comes from living year after year, decade after decade alone.
 

So this is where the Lord comes in.  Having faith means that even if you feel like the odd man out, you are confident that you have a role in this world and an important part to play.  Why hadn’t I found the man of my dreams at age 22 and commenced to produce beautiful children and become a wife and mother, which is what I had always assumed I should be?  My life didn’t unfold as I expected, but I trusted that God had a plan for me….I just needed to find it! 


(CFP: I didn't marry until almost thirty and that after two broken engagements. I feel the same way - God's plan is best!)

What is your favorite bible verse and why?

In the beginning there was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  John 1:1

This may be an odd quote for favorite, but it resonates with me like a mantra.  When I get stressed out over the minutia of daily life, that verse has a timeless quality that soothes me.  God and Jesus have always been there, they always will be.  My worries are a tiny blip in that long, unending relationship that is longer, deeper, and more profound than I can get my mind around.  The verse helps me keep things in perspective. 

Disability friendliness:

Is this latest release available in audio format or do you have any other works available on audio?

 I am thrilled to say that an audio version of The Rose of Winslow Street is on the way!  There is not a release date yet, but I expect it to hit the library shelves by mid-2012.  My first book, The Lady of Bolton Hill, is available in large text, and I am hoping The Rose of Winslow Street will be as well. 


Purchase Elizabeth Camden's books through Amazon. 
Buy Elizabeth Camden's books on CBD.

What has been the most important thing you hope your readers will get from your books and why?

My knee-jerk reaction is to say that I want my readers to have a wonderful, exhilarating time as they watch a great, heroic man fall desperately in love, uncover a long-buried mystery, and undertake an adventure that will open doors for his entire family.   I hope my novels are hard to put down and sweep the reader away to another time and place.   They always feature a love story that is front and center, which is my favorite thing to write.

However….you asked what “the most important” thing is.  I have found great comfort in reading novels.  They give me examples of persevering through tragedy, overcoming the odds, learning to trust your instincts, and to never give up.  The Rose of Winslow Street has several characters who struggle to overcome lifetime challenges.  They do so through faith, perseverance, and common sense.  I believe these qualities can help inspire people as they wrestle with their own problems. 

As you researched your books, did you learn anything that particularly touched your heart?

The hero and his family come from Romania, so I needed to learn about Romanian culture and customs.  I wanted them to be as starkly different from the American heroine as possible, so I had them come from a rural village, but with aristocratic roots….then I transplanted them into small town America of 1879.  It was huge fun to learn about the customs of a different country and then set them into play here in America.
 

The hero and his family are starkly different from the New England villagers…..different dress, comportment, and manner of doing business, but at heart they are the same.  When the hero’s children are bullied because of their strange clothes and rural ways, it is a pain shared by the entire family.  So even though I had fun with all the differences between the Romanian family and the American heroine, at heart, we are all part of the same human family.  How we treat people who are different from us is a theme that arises over and over in the book.

In this latest work, do you have any topics useful for bibliotherapy, or therapeutic influence through reading about a disorder or situation?

One of the characters, Lady Mirela, is wrestling with a debilitating series of setbacks which completely derails her life.  As the novel opens,  she is suffering from profound depression to the point that she cannot function in daily life.  Through the course of the book she undergoes a remarkable transformation by coming to accept that the catastrophes that robbed her of the life she hoped lead could be turned toward something positive.  She learns that God never abandoned her, and that the tragedies actually set her on a life course far more profound and interesting than anything she could have ever envisioned.   I hope that others may be able to learn from that attitude of adapting to life’s curve-balls.  Lady Mirela is a secondary character, but by the end of the novel she emerges as one of the strongest, most courageous characters I’ve ever written.  I love that woman!

Thank you Elizabeth, for agreeing to answer these questions.  Have a blessed day and keep on writing!!

GIVEAWAY:  Leave a comment and your email to be entered in this week’s contest.  Drawing will be late Saturday.  Your choice of this author’s books, choice of format.