Katy Sudano Interview Published on: 01, Mar 2021

I wanted to do so many things when I grew up. Because I moved around so much and experienced so many cultures, I changed my mind quite often. But mostly, I wanted to save all the children who had been hurt in any way. Ultimately, I have to say that even though I didn't become a doctor or a therapist, I did fulfill my goals in helping many who have had abuse in their past by mentoring and coaching people of all ages. I was even able to work for a nonprofit, educating parents on how to protect their children from abuse and guiding those that were sexually exploited.

The first book I read was "Where The Red Fern Grows". It was my first chapter book and I read it during a time in my life where I felt very alone and isolated, living in a country that was extremely foreign to me. I was able to disappear into a new world and live vicariously through a young man's trials and his incredible journey. It was the book that made me obsessed with reading. This book ultimately led me to realize how my own story could impact others in a positive way.

Strength, strength, strength! Writing gave me a whole new appreciation for all artists. It takes courage to put yourself out there. It took grace to understand how people in my family feel about my truth. It has helped me understand the importance of speaking my truth no matter how hurtful others can be. I learned that your truth is your truth and you should never feel silenced to share or tell it just to protect those that can't handle it.

The first dream of mine to die was the notion that I could potentially ever have a loving relationship with my father. To this day, it still makes me sad at times, however, I do feel spared to some extent having to live through the issues that my father is currently facing today.

My experience working as VP at Total Health Solutions has been absolutely incredible. Seeing people come to our office in pain and feeling like there is little to no help and leaving with a new sense of relief is unexplainable. We have seen incredible results with our natural methods and have seen people get back to a more productive and happy lifestyle. Neurofeedback has been particularly special since we see children and young adults with anxiety disorders that could have affected their futures. To see patients turn around and find happiness, fulfillment, and the tools to move forward is very fulfilling.

Anxiety, depression, and PTSD are very complicated and complex issues. I don't know that there are any "valuable lessons" associated with these problems. There are, however, valuable tools and methods to dealing with these issues and learning how to cope. These dysfunctions are complex because oftentimes they are layers of traumatic incidences that lead to the expression of the disorder. I am happy to say that almost always, you can heal from these issues and if there were valuable lessons from this, it would be the experience of healing. A lesson of the value of telling your story to help others and making it less of a stigma. Helping others to be aware of the effects of these issues to offer advice and where to go for help.

My motivation to write my first book was the insatiable need to speak my truth, to allow my strength to come through my vulnerability to show others just how much abuse affects the mind. But most importantly, to spread the word that no matter how things seem, you can overcome anything and find joy.

I found readers first from my friends and people in my community that knew my desire to help people who have experienced abuse. From there, it spread. Word of mouth and people's incredible amazon reviews was another huge factor. I have also used Twitter and Instagram to spread the word about my book.

I hope to appeal to all audiences. Most of my readers are young adults both male and female. It is unfortunate that there are so many people who have been touched by abuse of all kinds. I hope to be able to reach them in a positive way and to give them hope that they can find their happiness no matter what their pasts look like.

The one piece of advice I would give young writers is to keep going! You can do it! Make a plan to write something, anything every day even if it's just a sentence or an outline. It took me 10 years to finish this book and it was so worth it, no matter how long it took. I always saw the finished product in my mind.

I would have to say that a behind-the-scene tidbit about my life that would surprise my readers is that as strong as I seem to be from what I went through, I couldn't write the book using my real name. I had to change my name to Sydney DeVold in order to get through telling the story. It didn't sit very well with my publisher. He had asked me before the book went to print why I put my real name on the memoir and my character name as something different. I explained to him that dealing with trauma, everyone has their "one thing" and mine was that having to reread my story using my own name was too unbearable. I have worked really hard to heal and rereading my story with my name was just too painful. I chose the name in honor of my great-grandfather.

"Shower Thoughts"... can be dangerous for survivors of abuse. I used to often think about the "what if's", "regrets" or "self-sabotaging feelings, however, I have since learned to focus on thoughts of gratitude and the positive things that I have learned from the past, my present family, and how beautiful the future looks.

I have to admit that all the writing credit has to go to Ginger Green, my co-writer. She is a brilliant writer and we worked so well together. I was able to articulate the exact feelings, imagery, and details of my past to her. The only thing that I would change or do better would have been to take more time to edit the book prior to publishing it.

Ginger and I are currently working on "Truth Gives Strength To Wings" THE JOURNAL. This book is the whole journal of Zoryia, my alter-ego. I sprinkled in some of the journal writings in book one to explain to people how I was able to escape my current circumstances. I have heard that people wanted to know more about Zoryia and her adventures, so even though the journal was a reflection of my life, it was created in my mind and will be fiction. We are currently writing it and will be taking our time to finish it.

AllAuthor has been incredible. I have been so pleased with the services that you provide. I have been able to gain confidence in my writing with the feedback that other authors have provided me. I have enjoyed being a part of the cover contest. I have taken advantage of the Twitter posts program. I also use the mock-up book banners service which has given me beautiful and professional photos to post on my Twitter feed and Instagram. I have to say, I am 100% satisfied with your services and community.