Author Interview: Allison Nance

While I haven't lived in Texas for almost eight years now, I did live there for eleven, and I am always excited to find another author from there. It's like a friend, even if we've never met. Though, after getting to know Allison Nance through her interview questions, I feel like we could be friends. Maybe we need to plan a family vacation to Galveston. See what you think and check out her gorgeous cover for her soon-to-be-released debut novel!

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Congratulations on your first full-length novel. What first inspired you to write this story?

Thank you, Amy! Whew, we are diving in deep with this first question. The answer starts about nine years ago, when my husband and I were first given a heart for cross-cultural ministry, specifically for the people of Japan. Beginning in 2016, God impressed Japan on our hearts, and from that first prompting, we prayed and began learning about how we could best serve overseas. We joined a sending organization and were set to be in Japan in the summer of 2020... and we all know what happened that year. Japan's borders remained closed to non-citizens for almost two years, and finally in 2022, we made it to Sapporo, where we joined some friends who had an English cafe ministry. Approximately five months into our time in Japan, I started developing severe anxiety and insomnia, as well as several other physical effects related to these things. As a typically laid-back person, this was highly unusual for me, and I began seeking medical counsel. None of the doctors had any answers for me. Eventually, my anxiety became so intense, my husband and I decided it was best for our family to move back to the US so I could heal. 

Coming back to Houston was good, but at the same time opened up a whole new level of difficulty. It was several more months until the Lord led me to a doctor who correctly diagnosed the source of my anxiety and insomnia: a severe Vitamin D deficiency. This diagnosis sounded SO strange to me! A vitamin deficiency was the cause of our ministry's end? A vitamin deficiency had the power to take my body down so completely? Apparently so. My doctor informed me that it would take months for my vitamin and hormonal levels to come back up to a healthy level, and for the insomnia and anxiety to cease. In the waiting, I also developed depression due to the lack of sleep and realization that my family had to effectively abandon a calling that my family had literally worked and waited for, for years. 

But God. He placed me back in our home church with family and dear friends who walked beside us in that difficult season of transition and so, so many unknowns. One friend in particular encouraged me after Bible study by saying, "God isn't finished writing your story." Her words stuck with me in ways she couldn't have realized. Several other friends also suggested that I journal through the depression and anxiety, in order to record my feelings with the intent to look back--completely healed--and see what God had done. My first thought was, HECK NO! I never want to remember this time in my life, or how I felt! However, while I was still very much in the throes of depression, I felt led to write--not a nonfiction account of my feelings--but a story about a woman named Aimee Rojas. What began as a feeble attempt to process overwhelming anxiety and grief grew into a creative outlet which the Lord used to heal my mind, then into an 80,000 word manuscript, then querying agents and, a year later, signing with Hidden Shelf Publishing House for my debut novel, Deep Cries Out. 

Did you put anything from your real life into your story? What and why? Are any of your characters more like you than another? 

I drew heavily from my own life for this story! I felt the desire to write when I was anxious; in the middle of a panic attack, when depressive episodes were super heavy, in order to capture the authenticity of the feelings. If you haven't experienced anxiety or depression, it can be very difficult to describe what it feels like. I wanted to make these feelings palpable for the reader, and so I wrote through this dark time in my life. I'm SO glad I did! For this reason, Aimee shares the same diagnosis I had--Vitamin D deficiency--and the same effects. She grapples with a lot, and though her past and circumstances are vastly different from mine, her physical struggles are very much the same. 

Why did you choose to set your book on Galveston Island? What made it perfect for your story?

I love Galveston! It gets a bad rap because the water is... let's say less than blue... but it has a ton of history and a unique culture of its own, apart from the rush and press of Houston. And besides, who can turn down a story laced with some beach-side romance?

As a mom and wife, what's been the hardest thing for you in finding balance between writing and family? 

Timing. My family is in a super busy season, so writing in the margins has been vastly important. Equally as important, has been setting boundaries when I know I need to peel myself away from the screen and have my computer completely shut off. If I'm not intentional about living in the moment with my husband and daughter, not only will my family suffer, my writing will as well. 

Are you working on anything else right now? Can you give us a sneak peek? 

I actually JUST finished my second manuscript last week! I'm really excited about this next book and can't wait to see what God does with it. I can't say much about it, other than it's about a photojournalist in Rome who risks everything to save her teenage neighbor from a sex-trafficking ring. So really, nothing like Deep Cries Out or my real life! :)

And, last but not least, what is one interesting thing about you that not many people know?

I love music, especially singing, and was a vocal performance major in college for several years. I also have a Master's degree in Biblical Studies from Moody Seminary. Lastly, I LOVE connecting with readers, so to keep up-to date with pre-order information for Deep Cries Out and my other projects (and to download a free short story!) please sign up for my newsletter at www.allisonrnance.com ​

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​Aimee Rojas is a tenacious single mother at the height of her career in sales—until an unexpected diagnosis brings her life to a grinding halt. Retreating to Galveston Island on the coast of Texas, Aimee is immediately surrounded with supportive family and friends. However, she soon realizes accepting help from those closest to her comes with its own nuanced complexities. Aimee's beloved cousin reappears in her life, complete with his spiraling opioid addiction, and her handsome co-worker continues to keep her mind racing in spite of her hiatus from the job. The brightest spark of joy in Aimee's life is her daughter Anna, who quickly befriends the family next door. As Aimee grapples with the physical and mental effects of her illness, she has no idea her healing will involve the love of a man whose past is just as complicated as her own, and the surfacing of a lie which might not only end her career, but her life.

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Allison Nance has been talking, writing, and singing all kinds of words since before she can remember. Her debut novel, Deep Cries Out will be released in the Summer of 2025 by Hidden Shelf Publishing House.

With a career in fine dining and special events spanning two continents and almost as many decades, Allison currently resides just outside of Houston, Texas with her family.

If she's not writing, she's probably baking.

You can follow her at www.allisonrnance.com ​