Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sharon Lee Villone. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Sharon Lee, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you?

Great question! My debut novel, Harness The Storm, holds a special place in my heart, not only because it was my first book, but because of where I was in my life when I wrote it. I was married for twenty years to someone who was extremely mentally and emotionally abusive. I was in a dark place when I left the marriage and I desperately needed an escape. Harness The Storm gave me a place to hide and a purpose. It was such a cathartic release because I spent countless hours diving into the story and expressing my emotions through the characters.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

It took me a long time to be able to say with true conviction that I am a writer, through and through. I’ve been writing since I was sixteen years old and I have a file cabinet filled with poems, greeting cards, newspaper columns, children’s books, and book ideas, that I’ve written over the years, to prove it! Writing is who I am far more than what I do. My love for the craft has given me purpose and meaning but most of all, it has carried me through the darkest hours in my life. The thought of spending time alone with my thoughts and my computer still lights a fire in my belly for which I am eternally grateful.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

As I mentioned earlier, my debut novel, Harness The Storm, was a way of releasing the emotions I felt after an abusive marriage to a man I believe is a malignant narcissist. Finding the strength to end the marriage was such a blessing and a kickstart to my career as an author. Being on my own gave me the time, space, and clarity I needed to begin to heal from the psychological abuse that I endured for so long. During that phase in my life, I learned a lot about myself and I started a support group for victims of narcissistic abuse so that I could share with them what I had discovered. I spoke with hundreds of survivors and discussed life-changing realizations that helped me find the joy, peace, and love that I craved. I consider it a blessing that my heartache was transformed into a new life purpose which inspired my new book, Girl Gone Glad, Revelations of a Midlife Single, available in August 2023. My goal is to spread awareness of narcissistic abuse so that others don’t have to suffer in silence.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

This is such a great question! My new book is about the life lessons I’ve learned being midlife and single. These lessons, which I refer to as “revelations,” actually replace old lessons that I learned during my childhood years. For example, most of us learned that we should treat others as we would like to be treated. But no one ever mentions that we should treat “ourselves” the way we would like to be treated. It was eye-opening for me to realize that we teach others how to treat us by how we treat ourselves. If we put our own wants and needs last, others will too. I don’t think the golden rule is completely faulty but it is my humble opinion that it needs some elaboration.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sharonleevillone.com
• Instagram: @authorsharonleevillone
• Facebook: Sharon Lee Villone
• Youtube: Girl Gone Glad
• TikTok: @authorsharonleevillone