trauma, it quickly becomes a story to tell more than a problem to truly consider. In fact, to the police officers and paramedics at the scene, I believe it was merely work; a mess to clean up and later forget. To the drivers stuck in the cars that had been blocked from moving because of the incident, it seemed an inconvenience.
I think the death of a man should be a little more than inconvenient.
As I considered what to write for the holiday season, I knew I wanted to try something uplifting and hopeful, but also addressing an important issue. According to the CDC, suicide is a major public health problem, and the 10 th leading cause of death for Americans. I’ve personally experienced what is referred to as “depression” and “bipolar disorder” for most of my life and it is a subject very close to me. This makes it challenging to write about. When I was seventeen, I had an unpleasant experience when I was forced to go to a psychiatric hospital. (I wasn’t even depressed at the time, but I had made the mistake of having candid discussions with my school counselor who thought that I was a “danger to myself.”) After that experience I was outraged and decided to stop speaking to people about my problems altogether.
Locked in an empty room for a few days, the only item I had with me was a fantasy book written by one of my favorite authors. Every time the doctors came in to question me, they would ask me questions about my novel. There was a dragon on the cover, so they tried to sweetly, condescendingly ask me if I thought dragons were real. It was extremely humiliating. This was their way of determining whether I had “lost touch with reality.” Do book characters sometimes feel more real to me than actual people? Yes. Does this mean I’m crazy? Maybe. Does it mean I deserve to be locked up? No! It means I want to be a writer when I grow up. (Actually, that does sound insane.)
In my limited experience of speaking with doctors, mental health professionals, and various authority figures, I feel that the solution is always to lock someone up, humiliate them, and pump them full of medication. This might work for some people, but it has never been effective for me. Friends and family make all the difference. My “depression” has never gone away, but it is something I have learned to mostly bury under the surface and live with every day. It has real causes—it is not just a random emotion that arises like the common flu. If someone I love lies to me, hurts me, or takes advantage of me, I will feel upset about that for years. I figure this is the same for most human beings, and no medication can solve that.
I suppose that in the end, all that anyone needs is the respect and love of just one person. A little kindness can go a very long way. I hate to interpret my own story, but let’s take care of each other a little better, and not leave it up to the gods or angels to do it for us. =)
Now that I’ve ranted about that, I can say that I do have some ideas for other novellas in this series. It will be a trilogy at most. I would really like to explore Kayla’s life as a human being, and some of her initiatives to help people. Of course, I’d also like to see her relationship with Kieran develop, and maybe throw some major obstacles at them and see how hard they fight for each other.
I do have a few more books in progress which I have promised my readers, and I will try my best to get them written and polished for your eyes before long. Specifically, the fifth book of the Sacred Breath series which a lot of people have been asking me for. Please do keep sending me messages about the stories you are excited about; it really helps to motivate me more than anything else.
If you enjoyed this story, I would be so thankful if you would take the time to leave an Amazon review!
Wishing you all a merry Christmas and the happiest of holidays. =)
Sincerely,
Nadia
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nadia Scrieva was born
I think the death of a man should be a little more than inconvenient.
As I considered what to write for the holiday season, I knew I wanted to try something uplifting and hopeful, but also addressing an important issue. According to the CDC, suicide is a major public health problem, and the 10 th leading cause of death for Americans. I’ve personally experienced what is referred to as “depression” and “bipolar disorder” for most of my life and it is a subject very close to me. This makes it challenging to write about. When I was seventeen, I had an unpleasant experience when I was forced to go to a psychiatric hospital. (I wasn’t even depressed at the time, but I had made the mistake of having candid discussions with my school counselor who thought that I was a “danger to myself.”) After that experience I was outraged and decided to stop speaking to people about my problems altogether.
Locked in an empty room for a few days, the only item I had with me was a fantasy book written by one of my favorite authors. Every time the doctors came in to question me, they would ask me questions about my novel. There was a dragon on the cover, so they tried to sweetly, condescendingly ask me if I thought dragons were real. It was extremely humiliating. This was their way of determining whether I had “lost touch with reality.” Do book characters sometimes feel more real to me than actual people? Yes. Does this mean I’m crazy? Maybe. Does it mean I deserve to be locked up? No! It means I want to be a writer when I grow up. (Actually, that does sound insane.)
In my limited experience of speaking with doctors, mental health professionals, and various authority figures, I feel that the solution is always to lock someone up, humiliate them, and pump them full of medication. This might work for some people, but it has never been effective for me. Friends and family make all the difference. My “depression” has never gone away, but it is something I have learned to mostly bury under the surface and live with every day. It has real causes—it is not just a random emotion that arises like the common flu. If someone I love lies to me, hurts me, or takes advantage of me, I will feel upset about that for years. I figure this is the same for most human beings, and no medication can solve that.
I suppose that in the end, all that anyone needs is the respect and love of just one person. A little kindness can go a very long way. I hate to interpret my own story, but let’s take care of each other a little better, and not leave it up to the gods or angels to do it for us. =)
Now that I’ve ranted about that, I can say that I do have some ideas for other novellas in this series. It will be a trilogy at most. I would really like to explore Kayla’s life as a human being, and some of her initiatives to help people. Of course, I’d also like to see her relationship with Kieran develop, and maybe throw some major obstacles at them and see how hard they fight for each other.
I do have a few more books in progress which I have promised my readers, and I will try my best to get them written and polished for your eyes before long. Specifically, the fifth book of the Sacred Breath series which a lot of people have been asking me for. Please do keep sending me messages about the stories you are excited about; it really helps to motivate me more than anything else.
If you enjoyed this story, I would be so thankful if you would take the time to leave an Amazon review!
Wishing you all a merry Christmas and the happiest of holidays. =)
Sincerely,
Nadia
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nadia Scrieva was born
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