Interview With Author Sharon Diotte
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an author. My first book was published in the fall of 2024.
I am a retired Registered Nurse, a retired teacher at the Focus on Women department of a local college, and a retired small business owner. I lived seventeen years on Easter Island where I was married into the Rapa Nui culture. I built and operated a successful boutique hotel, which ranked #1 on Trip Advisor and “Our Pick” on Lonely Planet. . My Rapa Nui name is “Te’ora” which means – a beautiful new life.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is Te’ora: From Vulnerability and Wounding to Wisdom and Freedom.
During a difficult passage in my life, when I felt frozen, unable to stay but too terrified to leave, reading female authors helped me clear a path forward. Women who bravely broke their silence around taboo subjects encouraged me to see the world differently and see myself differently. I began to identify what I needed in my search for self-agency. The female experience does not fit neatly into the patriarchal narrative. I realized I was being suffocated by patriarchal rules that did not nourish me.
Our wounds matter. Even the most deeply hidden fears can become sources of strength. The key is to break the silence around shame-inflicting wounds and dare to let others see the real you behind the carefully crafted mask. #MeToo inspired me to join the legion of women who are saying “No More.” Our voices are powerful. Together, women are linking arms, speaking truth to power and shifting the culture of misogyny.
Transformation is always possible, no matter how long the wounds have been hidden. I share my story to offer companionship to other women navigating their own healing
I also wrote my memoir to give my children an honest view of who I am, more than just their mom. My mom died when I was young. My dad died when I was 50. After his death, I realized how little I truly knew about either of them. I knew them only through the lens of a daughter. Now that I’m an old woman, wiser about the complexities of life, I wish I could sit down with them, share a cup of tea, and ask about their hopes and dreams, their successes and failures, their joys and disappointments. What did life teach them? I would love to know them, not just as my parents, but as full human beings.
I wrote my story to give my children HOPE in an often-difficult world.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know that it is unusual, but I am most prolific upon awakening in the morning. Dream space provides ideas, understandings, questions for integration. If I sit with my computer and pen soon after rising, all sorts of insights tumble onto the page; a downloaded dictation.
I also find inspiration from Nature. When I get a bit stuck, I go outside and let the breeze blow the stagnation out of my body. Breathing with the trees and plants shifts my nervous system into parasympathetic mode so I can relax. In that relaxed, open state, I can better hear what my heart, my soul, my ancestors, and my guides and angels want to say. There’s so much help available to us if we ask and then listen.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Clara Pinkola Estes
Betty Fiedan
Gloria Steinem
Starhawk
Alice Walker
Maria Gimbutas
Merlin Stone
Jean Shinoda Bowlin
Riane Eisler
Vicki Noble
Esther and Jerry Hicks
Louis Penny
Monica Sjoo & Barbara Mor
What are you working on now?
It took four years to write Te’ora. I am now savoring the after-publication space where integration happens. I am making peace with having removed the mask I wore for so much of my life. Writing this book feels like a sweet accomplishment. As I hold it in my hands, I realize that I have far more to be proud of than I ever had to be ashamed of. For now, I am not rushing into the next venture; I am allowing myself to simply be with what has been created.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am working with a publicist so she lines up interview engagements for me.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Bringing a little levity to the task lightens the job. I like this quote from Victoria/V.E. Schwab:
“Look, writing books isn’t that hard. All you have to do is build an armored giant out of all your fears and then fight it to the death and melt the metal down to forge a pair of doors locked by doubt and go on a quest to find the key and then sit your a** down in the chair and write.”
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
An elderly, wise Rapa Nui woman once told me a we should sit with our death for at least a few minutes every day. It was not a morbid idea, but a loving invitation to live each day with authenticity and purpose. The practice is a kind remembrance that each day matters. It lightens the Spirit.
What are you reading now?
The Separation of Church and Hate by John Fugelsang.
Behaving As If the God in All Life Mattered by Machaelle Small Wright
What’s next for you as a writer?
I am writing articles for magazines and journals. I am enjoying sharing my Crone wisdom now that I have reached elderhood. I’ve waited a long time to become and old woman. It’s quite a delectable stage of life.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Great Cosmic Mother by Monica Sjoo and Barbara Mor
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Wild Hop by Donna Ashworh
Author Websites and Profiles
Sharon Diotte’s Social Media Links
Author Interview Series
To discover a new author, check out our Featured Authors page. We have some of the best authors around. They are just waiting for you to discover them. If you enjoyed this writer’s interview feel free to share it using the buttons below. Sharing is caring!
If you are an author and want to be interviewed just fill out out Author Interview page. After submitting we will send it out in our newsletters and social media channels that are filled with readers looking to discover new books to read.
If you are looking for a new book to read check out our Featured Books Page.