Virginia Pillars, Author

     Hello!

     Thank you for coming to my website. I appreciate it.

     I started this site as an avenue to bring awareness and hope. I began my journey into mental illness in late 2004. In 2008, I began to explore writing my thoughts down to share with others.

     First, I feel I must be honest with you. Virginia Pillars is not my real name. I use this name at my family’s request to stay out of the public eye. I honored their wishes and write with a pseudonym about my journey through mental illness with my adult child. I live on a farm, along with my husband of forty-five years. I am the mother of four—one of whom suffered from a mental illness—and grandmother of four with a passion for reaching out to families who are also affected by mental illness. I volunteer as an educator and a support group leader for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (under my legal name) and speak on the effects of mental illness on families. I am also certified in First Aid for Mental Health.

My faith life is important to me and I share it with those who wish to listen. I’ve been a frequent speaker on my faith journey to youth and adults for over twenty-five years.

I try to live deliberately, practice kindness, and focus my efforts on supporting family and friends. I strive to help people find hope in their own journeys.

I wrote my journey through mental illness with my adult child. Broken Brain, Fortified Faith: Lessons of Hope Through a Child’s Mental Illness, was published by Familius and released on September 6, 2016. In 2017, it won a Selah Award for best memoir and received the Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval.

I contributed an essay for Whispers in the Pew: Voices on Mental Illness in the Church. This compilation features eighteen people who shared their experiences as they shared their mental illness with their church communities.

A recently released book with an essay written by me.Sharing Your Catholic Faith Stories

Want to read about answered prayers? My piece appears in this new release Divine Interventions: Heartwarming Stories of Answered Prayers, a Guideposts book.

I love to share our story with others. Listen to podcast interviews with me at the following links:

The Curiosity Hour:

The Storytellers with Tony Agnesi:

The Catholic Current Podcast on Stations of the Cross

Here’s to Your Health Iowa Catholic Radio

Beginning in 2019: Purchase signed copies of books directly from me by sending me an email. I accept Paypal and will send you an invoice. Once I receive payment, I send your book via USPS. (only addresses in the U.S). I’m sorry, I do not send books overseas. Contact a book store in your area to order it through them.

Thank you for stopping.

2017 Selah Memoir Winner

2017

Available at the following retailers or ask for it by name at your favorite independent bookseller. They can order it for you.

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Familius

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