Fatal Choices

Since the last two blogs were about depression, I thought I'd wrap up the short series this week by writing about a character dealing with the illness in my first novel, The Devil's Pawn.

In The Devil's Pawn, the main character, Robin Wilder, is struggling with depression due to the tragic death of her toddler son, Jacob. Her child died six years before the story begins, and yet the plot reveals how her damaged state of mind has crippled her behavior. Robin's guilt has taken control of her emotions.

It is a fact that when a person suffers from depression they may exhibit obvious signs such as sadness. Anyone who looks at them can see they are unhappy. However, Robin suffers the from the undetectable signs. She endures feelings of worthlessness and guilt. Unseen by those around her, these symptoms cause her to have a hard time making decisions and concentrating.

Robin, unable to live in the home where she wanted to raise Jacob, packs up and leaves the state. She finally settles in Heritage, SC. In this small town, she lives the pretense of a normal life as a novelist and creative writing teacher at the local college. After a time, Robin allows herself to fall in love again. Hardy Shaw proposes, but Robin hesitates to accept because she doesn't believe she deserves to be happy again. She is still unable to forgive herself and holds onto the blame for her son's death.

Robin's facade unravels when a stranger uses her son's death to threaten her then murders Hardy. When a student's warning leads to the young woman's murder, Robin realizes she must confront her past guilt and find the killer before she, or someone else she cares about, becomes the next victim.

Can you relate to Robin's situation? Has something traumatic happened in your life that caused you to find yourself making all the wrong choices? I look forward to your responses.