A good friend and colleague of mine has written her first book this year. An amazing book on learning to live with and letting go of fear. It is mostly geared toward mothers, however that being said I have read it twice and I gained so much from it as a single women. I feel like those of us with chronic illness live a life of perpetual fear and that is why when she origainally talked to me about reading it I agreed 100%. The more ways that I can find to deal with the fears I have in my life the better my life will be. 
 I recently set down with Bethany L. Douglas author of Helicopter Mom and talked with about her book and why she wrote it. After our discussion I put that discussion into writing so you could all read it. So down below I have included my interview with Bethany along with a link to a giveaway she is doing for a chance to win a copy of her book.   

                    Helicopter Mom 

Interview with the author Bethany L.         Douglas

—-What inspired you to write your book? 

Without being too spiritual about it, the short answer is the Holy Spirit inspired it. I talk some in the foreword about the inspiration for it which explains more, but truly this book came out of nowhere for me. I had not been thinking or planning on writing a book, and then one Sunday after a really great sermon by a guy named Jeff Voth, I came home and told my husband Gabe that I felt God had instructed me to write a book. I started that afternoon and it just poured out of my. I wrote it in long sessions while at work at my helicopter base, and the thing literally just wrote itself in about 6 days time over the course of a month.

I didn’t intend or expect to do anything with it. I was quite happy to just have it on paper. I left it that way for almost a year and didn’t think a thing about it. Then this last fall I felt compelled to try to get it published. I felt it was such a powerful and needed word from God for women and moms in particular that I needed to share it with the masses. And the rest is history!

 —-Why did you feel it was such an important message to share with women? 

Looking back on it now, I think God had been preparing my heart for quite a while for the subject matter. I had been a part of several moms groups for a while at that point and had been constantly surprised by how fearful the majority of them were. From the realistic to the crazy, never-gonna-happen stuff, fear seemed rampant in this population. Obviously so much so that society even has a term for it- helicopter moms. Fear drives so much of our lives when you really think about it, especially fear for our kids. I am not naturally a fearful sort of person, as I talk at length about in the beginning of the book, but it struck me how crippling it can be for others. Being an actual ‘helicopter mom’ seemed like a God-given dovetail from a really unique and fitting angle to help women overcome fear.

 —–Do you feel like women who aren’t mothers, or males (fathers) could relate to the book? 

You know, at first, I had no thoughts past just ministering to moms with this particular book, however I’ve had tremendous feedback from non-moms, single women, single father’s, even non-fathers about the book. The book speaks to everyone on some level. I think the key is that the book at its base is really just about overcoming fear. What people fear may be different and look different, but the fact is we all struggle with it to varying degrees. Even the men who’ve read it said that they gleaned a ton of great insight and practical applications to dealing with this giant in their lives. I had one guy tell me he needed to read it because he’s a ‘helicopter husband’! I think the basic Biblical principles will ring true with everyone, regardless of what specifically they fear about; and my ‘non-audience’ readers have all echoed this sentiment which thrills me.

 —-What made you decide to reference your medical training and job in the book? 

Most of that just seemed like the most obvious thing to do. The title for the book came to me immediately and I thought it was a totally different and unique perspective on just another ‘self-help’ book. I googled quite a bit about other books available that addressed such issues and there just aren’t any out there- either secular or Christian. I was really surprised since it seems to be so prevalent in our society. But, as I said before, the manuscript came very supernaturally and yet organically at the same time. I simply wrote what I do know about, the world of flight nursing and emergency medicine, and married that to the core issues that I perceived as being the root of this fear issue. The rest was just a Bible study of sorts to learn how to practically solve each issue. The helicopter background and information fell seamlessly (in my humble opinion) into visual and anecdotal stories that hopefully help the readers get a better grasp of what I’m writing about.

 —-If readers were to take away one thing from reading your book, what do you want that to be? 

More than anything I want this book to glorify God and show that He is the overcomer- and that as Christians we can share in that mantle. The Bible talks at length, from front to back, about not fearing- and yet we still do it. I want people to walk away with really practical, day-to-day steps on how to overcome this giant in their lives. For moms specifically I want them to ‘let go and let fly’ as I say in the book. Helicopters are actually the perfect visual to have as a mom… but we need to understand the purpose is not to hover but rather the amazing qualities that these aircraft have in flight. We can spiritually be the same way with our children and utilize this thing we call motherhood to better and more effective ends with our kids.

 —-What is your favorite memory during the writing, publishing and promoting process? 

By far my most cherished memory was the fact that I was pregnant with our third child at the time. She was flying around with me for the entire pregnancy and all of the writing of the book. I don’t want to give anything away, but as I talk about in the Afterword About the Afterward at the end of the book, she has made a honest mom and an honest author out of me. (You’ll have to read it to see why!) But I have loved the journey that God set me on for this whole, crazy thing. It has been refining for sure and I’ve met some tremendously amazing people along the way.

I love that during much of the writing, I would go back over it and have literally no memory of writing some of the things that were on the page. I still go back to this day and there are sections I read and I’m like, “That’s really good stuff! I should write that down!” Ha!

I don’t at all feel like this book is mine so much as a very special word from God; I just happened to be the typist and entrusted to get it out in book form to people. That in itself has been a sobering, heavy mantle at times to bear. But I am honored and humbled that He would choose me to proclaim the message.

—-What can we expect from you in the future? Are you working on another book? 

Whew, loaded question. I do feel like God is calling me to write and speak much more formally and full-time eventually. I have several ideas for books that I will get around to at some point. I’m working on an accompanying Helicopter Mom Workbook that can be used alongside the book right now. Hoping to get that out by the end of the year. I think my next book is supposed to be focused on helping women overcome guilt and our totally obsession with ‘giving things to God’ and then immediately picking them back up to worry and fret over. We have so much junk we needlessly carry around because we just refuse to put it down and walk away…. I’m thinking of calling it Junk in the Trunk… what do you think? Past that, I would like to start speaking and encouraging people more, as God opens doors. This ‘platform-building’ thing has been an interesting ride for sure… one that this mom still knows almost nothing about. But as long as I let God pilot this mission, I’ll be in good hands. You never know where this chopper may end up! I’m excited to be on the journey.

I loved being able to talk with Bethany after  reading the book and getting to talk to her kind of behind the scenes. Especially because I have known her for, oh boy I feel like I’m dating myself, at least 12 years and really always looked up to her as a person anyway.  I hope that each of you would give this book a chance. It is available to be purchased on  everyone go out and pick one up today! Available at http://bethanyldouglas.com/book/ and on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/098392886X/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&qid=1495143055&sr=8-24&keywords=helicopter+mom

And as soon as I can figure out how to get the link up I’ll get the link up for a chance to win a free copy of the book. 

• -Amber