I’m so thankful for God’s mercy upon me. Many things could have turned tragic but He delivered me from them all. He pulled me out of situations where my faith would suffer or my values would be compromised. And He allowed my personal mistakes to turn out for the greater good.
There is hope for recovery and healing no matter what mental health issues you find yourself in. But it may require you to seek out professional help. To tell someone who is trained to help you understand your personal struggles and put your past into perspective.
Healing will likely require proper medication prescribed by a doctor. And adhering to the restrictions that come with the prescription. To stay on it and talk to your doctor about side effects or ongoing struggles so they can adjust the doses.
Support from family and friends is also vital for recovery. If you don’t have that or have burned those bridges then a support group in a professional setting can be helpful.
And also finding a church that allows you to be honest about your mental health issues is essential. There are churches and people who believe faith and prayer are all you need for healing. I tried that and ended up in worse condition.
I have found that my faith in God has been strengthened throughput my many years of struggles. I have learned to lean into Him during especially trying times, to trust my health care professionals and to be honest with my support system and ask for help.
I’m here to tell that you that you can manage your mental health condition and live a normal life. You will struggle however. Likely in times of personal loss, unexpected changes and fractures in relationships.
It’s important to learn to read your emotions and test your responses. To seek counseling to get you through those difficult times. And just as importantly, not to turn to unhealthy ways of escape including substances.
I’ve struggled with my mental health most of my life. I had a complete breakdown in 2003 and was hospitalized. But God and all of the above have helped me keep on the path to a good life.
Good morning. Today I’m interviewing author Katy Eeten.
I became acquainted with Katy a few years ago. She is one of my favorite Christian authors.
Katy, thank you for joining me on my blog. I’m really excited to talk about your new release, A Stalker to Die For.
But first, tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’ve lived in southeast Wisconsin most of my life, which is where I currently reside with my husband and our two teenage sons. I work full time as a Senior Office Administrator at a large corporation, but I do my best to squeeze in writing off hours. A Stalker to Die For is my sixth published book and my first attempt at suspense. My other books are all contemporary Christian romances, including three Christmas novellas. When I’m not working or writing, I enjoy playing board games, baking, taking walks, and spending time with my family.
Your new book, A Stalker to Die for, releases today.
What is the book about?
Ashley Morris thought the worst part of online dating was awkward small talk. She was wrong.After one disastrous date, a man named Nick won’t take no for an answer. His calls and texts escalate into threats, break-ins, and a terror that shadows her every move. Desperate for safety, Ashley hires Jackson Russo—a talented painter with a kind heart and a protective streak—to renovate her home. But as their friendship deepens into something more, Nick’s obsession turns deadly.Caught between a stalker’s rage and a love she never expected, Ashley must trust God’s protection and her own instincts to survive. With Jackson by her side, she’ll fight for her life—and for a future worth living.A faith-filled romantic suspense with a slow-burn, closed-door romance and a guaranteed happily ever after. No graphic content. Perfect for fans of Lynette Eason, Dani Pettrey, and Dee Henderson.
I love how you weave your faith into the fabric of your stories. I can’t wait to read this one!
Now let’s do a Q&A so our readers can find out more about you and your writing style:
Are you a night owl or morning person?
Sadly, I don’t consider myself either. Maybe I’m more of an afternoon person? Ha! I typically fall asleep on the couch before 10 PM while watching TV with my husband. And on the weekends, I love to sleep in—although to me, that means 8 AM. I don’t often sleep later than that, and during the week I’m up by 6 AM to get ready for work, so maybe that makes me a morning person? I guess it depends on what you consider early.
Who was your favorite character to create?
Although she’s a very minor character, I very much enjoyed Ashley’s friend Stacie. She’s the comedic sidekick that eases the mood when things get too tense, but she’s also a faithful friend that truly wants the best for Ashley.
How did you come up with the names of your hero and/or heroine?
Jackson is the name of one of my sons. I had already used my other son’s name (Lincoln) in my novella Christmas in Meadow Creek, so I thought I might as well make it fair, lol. And the name Ashley is just one of those names I’ve always wanted to use in a story but haven’t yet. I think the names pair together quite nicely
Are you a plotter or a panster?
I would say I’m a mix of the two! I definitely don’t have the entire story mapped out, outlined and neatly tied together before I start writing, but I do try to have the broad strokes in place before I start fleshing out the details. But the plot often takes a twist or turn I didn’t originally intend as I proceed with writing the detailed scenes. I would love to see what happens in the mind of a true plotter and a true panster as they work through their process!
If you didn’t write books, what would you do for a living?
I feel that I have incredible attention to detail. So, if I could make enough money doing it, I would love to be a proofreader. That way, I’d get to read all sorts of books for a living while making minor edits and helping other authors put their best foot forward.
Do you experience writer’s block? What do you do to get through it?
All the time! I wish I had a surefire method for working through it, but I usually just walk away until I’m feeling inspired again. Since writing is just a side hobby for me and not my full-time job, I can afford to go long bouts without writing. Eventually, the creative muse returns and then I try to cram as much writing in as possible.
How can readers find your new book?
And last question, tell us what’s next for you as an author?
I am working on a Women’s Fiction that’s told in first person present tense from the alternating points of view of four former college friends navigating life, careers, and relationships. It’s been a long time in the making, but I’m excited at how it’s shaping up and hope to get it out in the world someday (and someday soon would be even better).
It was great chatting with you, Katy. Before we go, where can readers find you online?
Today on my blog I’m interviewing Samantha Fury and some of her author friends that are working on a great series, Men of the West. We’re going to be talking with Samantha and one of her authors in this series, Ivy Hart. The series as of now has 9 books with more being added throughout the year.
First, we’ll be talking with Samantha Fury.
Samantha, tell us a little bit about yourself:
A big Kentucky howdy to everyone. It’s nice to be here today. My name is Samantha Fury and I wear many hats. I’m an author, designer, wife, fur baby mom, and way too many other things that circle around publishing books for and with other authors. I’ve helped Carol with some of her books, and I have a lot of authors I work with. Right now, I’m working with several great ladies on a Multi-Author Project. It’s a lot of fun. I’ve created all of the covers, and I’ve invited some of the authors to join me here today. Later in the year I hope to have a book out in this series.
I’ve really appreciated the work you’ve done on my book covers and expertise in helping with the publishing.
Samantha, tell me what a Multi-Author Project is.
Sure. It’s a lot of fun working with other authors, and each of them has at least one book in the series and some have two. The books are not connected so you can read them in any order, and they each circle around the idea for the series. The books can cover any state out West where a female character meets with the man with the titles using the man’s occupation. Samples are: The Blacksmith, Liveryman, Shopkeeper, Miner, and many other interesting titles.
In some books, the match may have bumps in the road, or they may hit it off splendidly and falter due to a villain. Every book in this series is different, but the main ingredient is romance that never goes according to plan. So be prepared for several bumps on the road to happiness. Enjoy meeting adventurous ladies and men of every occupation.
That sounds like so much fun. Samantha we’re going to ask Ivy Hart a couple of questions then we’ll come back to you in a minute. Ivy, what is the inspiration behind your story?
Hello Carol. That’s a great question. The inspiration for The Drover came from a single, powerful question: What if a man whose entire identity was built on healing—a doctor—was forced into hiding because he believed his hands only brought death? That idea became the seed for my hero, Griff. He’s a man running from a past tragedy, carrying a secret that isolates him from the world, yet his very nature is to protect and mend.
I wanted to place this broken man in the path of someone with unshakable faith. That’s how Ellie, a young widow struggling to keep her homestead, came to be. Her situation was heavily inspired by the biblical story of the Widow of Zarephath—a woman on the brink of starvation who is asked to give her last bit of food to a stranger, and through that act of faith, is provided for.
The story became about exploring how these two people—one running from God and the other running to Him—could find hope and redemption together in the harsh, unforgiving beauty of the 1870s Kansas frontier. It’s a story about how even in our darkest moments, faith can light a path toward healing.
That answer really pulls us into the story as a reader Can you tell me, were there any surprises that came up as you wrote your story?
The biggest surprise was the depth of Griff’s guilt. I knew he was a doctor on the run, but I didn’t realize how profoundly he saw himself as a failure—as “poison,” to use his own term. In my initial outline, his secret was more of a plot device, a reason for him to be a fugitive. But as I wrote him, his internal struggle became the absolute heart of the story. This wasn’t just about him hiding his past; it was about him fighting a deep-seated belief that he was unworthy of forgiveness, love, or a second chance. It made his journey toward redemption, and his relationship with the ever-faithful Ellie, so much more powerful and emotional than I had originally planned. He really broke my heart before he started to heal, and that was a journey he led me on as much as I led him.
Ivy, are you a plotter or a pantser?
I like to call myself a “plantser”—I’m a plotter with a pantser’s heart! For a story like The Drover, with its historical details and suspenseful elements like the range war, I absolutely need a solid plot. I had the major story beats mapped out: Griff’s arrival, the blizzard that forces them together, the escalating conflict with the cattle baron, and the final confrontation. That structure is my roadmap. However, I always leave room for the characters to breathe and surprise me. As I mentioned, Griff’s internal struggle took the story in a much deeper emotional direction than I’d first plotted. When a character’s motivation feels more real or powerful by deviating from the plan, I follow them. The plot is the skeleton, but the characters are the ones who give the story its heart and soul.
Thanks Ivy, for sharing and for joining us today. The Drover sounds like a great, faith-filledstory. We’ll show the cover and a link at the end of the article. For now, let’s change gears and ask you a personal question before we go back to Samantha. Are you a night owl or morning person?
Thanks Carol, it’s been fun joining you today and that’s a fun question. I’m Definitely a night owl! There’s something magical about the quiet of the late hours, when the rest of the world is asleep. It feels like the perfect time for characters to start whispering their secrets, and I find I can focus most deeply on their emotional journeys without any distractions.
Samantha, what about you, night or morning?
I agree with Ivy. I’m a night person, though I do love the mornings and chatting with my family. At night the phone doesn’t ring, the dogs are sleeping, hubby is watching YouTube, so it just gives me more time to think clearly.
That makes sense. You mention your family. What do they think of your writing?
They are very proud of what I’ve accomplished and they are very supportive. My aunt edits, my mom markets like only a mother can. My other aunt and cousins love what I do and are always telling me which cover they like best.
What is your mom’s favorite book and yours?
My mother has two: Sweet Prince and Maid for Martin. Mine, goodness, I love them all. Street Justice book one, Sweet Prince, Rachels Ransom, Aria.
Who was your favorite character to create?
That is easy: Angel Morganson. He was one of my first characters and he’ll always be special to me.
Samantha, thanks for joining us today. A few last questions. First, what’s next for you as an author and Second, where can readers find you online?
I’m working for a lot of authors right now, but I hope to write more. I have so many stories I want to publish. And you can find me at my website. There you can learn more about me and find all of my books. I write under Samantha Lovern, and Samantha Fury. Lovern is clean romance. Fury is more Christian. Thanks for having me!
Last week I shared insights from my Christian counselor. When I was in the pit of depression, the truths that I learned were the rungs that helped me climb my way out of the pit.
I first had to recognize that what I believed about myself was not the truth about me.
In one session, my counselor was trying to print something and had to change the default printer to a different one. She said that it was similar to what takes place in my thought process.
My “default” feelings:
Blaming myself when something goes wrong
Thinking that everything bad that happens is my fault.
Feeling that I am not worth anything or a bother to someone else.
Believing that I am less ____ than anyone else
Harboring resentment
Feeling guilty for past sins or mistakes
To find healing from the depression, I needed to let go of these thoughts. I needed to learn to Stop, to Catch my Thought, and to Change the Default.
Replace the negative thoughts with the truths about who I am. (See Previous Post: Climbing Out of Depression: Key Steps to Healing).
Phillipians 4:8 gives us an illustration about the things we as Christians are to think about:
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Often times I feel like people don’t like me, or I did something dumb and they now think poorly of me. My thoughts turn against me, telling me that I’m a bad person or I’m unlovable.
When I think like that, I turn inward and pull away from people who care about me or stop going to the places where the events happened.
I am my own worst enemy. But my feelings are not facts.
A few of the facts about me are:
I’m not dumb.
I am who I am because that’s how God made me
I’m okay the way I am.
I’m not like everyone else.
I might have made a bad choice but that does not make me a bad person.
When we catch ourselves in a negative thought, we can turn it around and replace it with a positive truth, or affirmation. We can learn to change the default thought.
No one can do this for us. We can only do this for ourselves, and by the grace of God.
I’m not suggesting that this is easy. In fact, it’s very hard to change the way we’ve thought about ourselves for so long.
We need to take this healing process one step at a time. One day at a time.
Don’t look at a week, a month, or a year.
“THIS is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)
Good morning. Today I am interviewing Christian author Sara Beth Williams.
Sara Beth, thank you for being my guest today.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I live in the Sacramento area, in Northern California, and am married with two girls and three cats. I love being creative in many facets, including playing music, writing, gardening and so on.
What is your newest book about?
My latest book is an outdoorsy adventure about Jesse, an avid rock climber and trained EMT and firefighter with a bit of a hero complex, who is seriously injured and begins questioning his purpose in life. When he reunites with an old childhood friend, he begins to find some hope and light again and begins to heal both inwardly and outwardly.
Childhood friend Renee has grown up with a growth hormone deficiency disorder and has a hard time with not being taken seriously. She also loves the outdoors and has pursued a degree in education.
What is the inspiration behind your story?
I think there are several things that inspired this story. I love the outdoors, and I always love writing characters who love the outdoors. But Renee was influenced by several different people I’ve met in my life, and even partially, by myself. While I don’t suffer from growth hormone deficiency, I am quite short. Also I think the deep need to be validated, and taken seriously, is universal, and sometimes women who are very short and look very young can find that extremely difficult.
What was the catalyst for your interest in writing?
I think that I love to both consume, and to tell, really good stories. I have written many copycat stories from around 5th grade and onward, and I’ve always loved deeply thought-provoking and emotional stories. Sometimes the best stories serve to both answer questions, and leave you with more questions. I have loved creating characters that represent facets of everyday people, influenced by people I know, or people I’ve met or experienced life with in some way, shape, or form.
Do you have a day job?
I am currently a small-time reporter, and so finding time to write fiction is very difficult right now, but I have several projects already written that I am revising and hope to publish this year.
Are you a plotter or a panster?
I started out as a pantser, but I really do not have time anymore to do that so I have morphed into more of a plotter. I kind of enjoy a hybrid blend of both though, when time actually allows, because I have learned over the last 10 years that pantsing for me takes a lot of time (at least 4-hour blocks of time) but it is the most rewarding and exciting experience.
For the time being, when I come up with a story idea, I usually create a plot outline in paragraph form. The only time I don’t plot is if I’m starting a completely brand new series, because pantsing for me is a very exploratory method of basically writing as much as I can as fast as I can to explore the merits of the storyline, to see if it’s viable, and to see if more will come forth. If a story truly wants to be told, I’ve found it will build upon itself the longer I sit and write consecutively (that’s why I need at least 2 to 4 hours of uninterrupted writing time).
Who was the first person you allowed to read your completed book?
I can’t exactly remember, but I’m almost certain it was my Mom who first read most of my first manuscript. I’m not entirely certain I gave her the entire manuscript, but either way, she was the first person to read through most of my early writings.
If you didn’t write books, what would you do for a living?
That’s hard to say, as I have a lot of different pursuits I really enjoy. I love music, theater, journalism, and education, and also worked as a children’ s entertainer for several years. Writing is woven into so much of my life, including my day job and writing fiction, but if I wasn’t writing, I’d probably be teaching preschool or kindergarten, or music.
Do you experience writer’s block? What do you do to get through it?
When I experience writer’s block, which happened a LOT last year, the first thing I do is wait it out. You need to fill your creativity well in order to produce creative writing. – so I do something else fun or energizing, like gardening, walking, playing music. Advice from many people online suggest to find and write to random creative writing prompts, but I find taking time away from writing helps me more. For me, it’s about digesting the work in progress while it’s away from me.
The second thing I do is purposefully schedule or orchestrate blocks of time to write uninterrupted. And I really do need 2 or more hours to get into the groove. It also helps if I’m somewhere extremely quiet. Though I used to be able to write with noise around me, it’s harder now, not sure why. It helps to set a timer or participate in what people call writing sprints. Sometimes an hour and a half will do but anything less and I feel like I’m stopping just when i’m getting started ‘sigh’
The third thing I do is focus on technical aspects of writing, instead of purely relying on just ‘inspiration’ or ‘feelings’ to guide me. There is a time and a place for both – writing with total inspiration is a beautiful exhilarating feeling! But that is not the norm and if you want to finish and succeed in this thing called authoring —- you have to pick apart your work and apply proper tried and true writing techniques and knowledge to your work in progress. To do this, I start by reading/rereading/studying writing books. My go-to absolute favorite is The Plot Thickens by Noah Lukeman. I also like the Rock your Plot series which is relatively inexpensive and found on Amazon.
Lastly, I would like to add that every writer approaches writing, editing, revising, and addressing writer’s block differently and it’s okay if only some or none of these things work for you and some things may work at one point in your life, and not work at another point in your writing journey. I have been experiencing a lot of writer’s block lately, as the last year and a half hasn’t been the greatest. Though going into 2026, I have a strangely peaceful and positive outlook on the new year.
You have shared some fascinating insights into your writing methods, Sara Beth.
So tell us, what’s next for you as an author?
Iam hoping to publish a box set of the first three books I published and then republished last year – When Hearts Collide, A Worthy Heart, and Anchor My Heart. So if you like box sets, sign up for my newsletter and keep an eye out for that.
I”m also hoping to revise and possibly publish another first in a series, this is a beachy romance that I have been working for several years but it is long and needs a good revising and edit. If you love beachy romances and rock star heroes, subscribe or follow me on socials to find out what my next series is all about.
I’m on Facebook but I detest my Facebook business page. More likely you’ll find updates on Instagram, and my personal Facebook account.
It’s Always Been You: A Trinity Lakes Romance – Buy Link –
She’d always been the still mountain beneath his changing skies.
He was a fool for thinking he could stay away.
After suffering severe burns, avid outdoorsman Jesse Hernandez faces a long recovery, and the longer it takes, the more he questions his purpose in life. Seeking solace, he returns to the hills above Trinity Lakes to settle his late grandfather’s property, but soon finds himself torn between family pressure to sell and his longing to hold on to the only place that felt like home.
Renee Somers has spent her life fighting to be seen. As a master’s student and after-school program director living with a growth hormone deficiency, she’s used to being underestimated. But she finds rejection stings most when it comes from those she highly respected.
When a sudden blizzard traps Renee and her friends on a lonely mountain road, she never expects her rescuer to be the childhood friend who once promised he’d always look out for her. As they reconnect and unexpected attraction surfaces, both must confront past wounds and buried secrets that threaten to pull them apart.
With family tensions rising and harbored secrets revealed, Jesse must decide whether to cling to the past, or embrace the future God has been preparing all along.
A friends to more, small town, contemporary Christian Romance,part of the Trinity Lakes Romance multi-author series, set in the charming, fictional town of Trinity Lakes, Washington State.
Inspirational Author 