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Wendy Shipman is a two-time, self-published author. Her first novella, INSIDE OF ME, was published in 2019. The book was named the 2020 Christian Indie Award Winner in the Personal Growth category and also a 5-Star Readers’ Favorite. In 2021, her second book was published, I DIED SO I COULD LIVE - a personal memoir of her journey dealing with mental health.
Wendy wanted to pursue more with her first book, so her next adventure was making Inside Of Me into a short film. The production was filmed December 2021 in Summerville and Charleston, SC – her hometown. On March 26, 2022, she hosted a Red Carpet Movie Premiere in Birmingham, AL. Wendy has also won several film festival awards for her movie. Winning the Crown Point International Film Festival, Crown International Film Festival, Multi Dimension Independent Film Festival are just a few of her many film accolades.
As a Mental Health Advocate, Wendy’s purpose in life is to bring awareness to communities on mental health. She is the first student to complete Level 3 of the UAB Student Mental Health Fellow.
Wendy received her A.A.S. in Criminal Justice and is a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. She is married to Mark Shipman and share three children together.
Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
Inside of Me is a work of deeply personal and explorational fiction on the subject of depression and was penned by author Wendy Shipman. Compassionate and harrowing in its initial presentation, this intense narrative begins as Judean Montgomery sits in a church service, unable to fully give her attention to the pastor. She is distracted and unable to find peace, and it’s only when she has a truly life changing conversation with her son that she realizes her bland acceptance of negativity in her life could actually be down to clinical depression. So begins a powerful journey of looking inward and acting out in order to achieve happiness she never thought possible before.
Author Wendy Shipman has a keen understanding of the workings of everyday depression, and how that differs from the sudden onset of sadness that many of us face in everyday life from time to time. The rut that Judean has settled into comes on in subtle ways throughout the first person narration, hinted at and emotionally expressed without ever being too obvious. This overall picture of a deep and accepted sadness makes it all the better when things begin to change for her, though the journey is by no means easy. Intelligently written, appropriately narrated and brought to life with an excellent and authentic use of dialogue and strong family ties, Inside of Me is a work that those who have suffered will relate to, and those who have no idea about depression can really learn from. A highly recommended read.
