About Sarah Hummell:
Sarah Hummell is a mother of two and a Manhattan-based Hospitality Consultant. While appearing on Food Network's Restaurant: Impossible, the abuse she had endured for years was exposed. In her writing, she shares her hospitality experience and her story of survival to raise awareness of the behavior patterns and warning signs of abusive personalities.
What inspires you to write?
I started writing to let out the thoughts milling around my head after surviving domestic violence. I never intended to share my story. Looking at it all I had written on paper, the lessons to be learned from my struggles were so clear! Yet, while I was living in it, I had no idea. Then, I decided I needed to share what I learned from what I went through so others don't have to go through it.
What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
I have always been an Ernest Hemingway fan. I even created a restaurant concept, Feast, based on “A Moveable Feast” and planned to serve all of the dishes Hemingway wrote about, along with a literary-inspired prohibition-era craft cocktail list. I became obsessed with the 1920s Paris Literary scene and got into F. Scott Fitzgerald for a while, too.
I was even more intrigued when I learned Zelda Fitzgerald was actually the talented writer responsible for most of her famous husband’s books! “The Beautiful and the Damned” was literally stolen from Zelda’s diary! She wrote at least three more books published under her husband’s name because the publisher thought it would get more sales. She later wrote “Save Me The Waltz” under her name while hospitalized after her husband had her committed for refusing to give up her dream after she was invited to tour with a Spanish ballet company. She would not be released until she agreed to return to being a housewife. It took her three years of hospitalization before she would agree. Once she was released, she outshined him again as a talented painter, so he committed to her again! Sadly, she died in a facility in Ashville, NC, due to a fellow inmate starting a fire, and all patients were locked in, unable to escape.
Then I discovered the book “The Paris Wife” by Hadley, Hemingway’s first wife. After reading her story, it was clear these women were the true talent behind these famous yet deeply flawed men. The stories about these women inspired me to tell my own story, express my talent, and never dull my light for anyone who felt I was outshining them.
Tell us about your writing process.
Typically, I write to get out the thoughts milling around in my head. It's usually at night when I can't sleep or moments of rest when I find it hard to relax.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Since my writing is autobiographical, I write the dialog from memory as it happened. While writing, I sometimes express my inner dialog, usually my thoughts or reactions to a certain scenario.
What advice would you give other writers?
We all have a story worth sharing, and it is amazing how much healing can happen when you take the time to write it all out. You may feel it’s too personal to share or publish, but sharing your story shows others who may be going through similar circumstances that they are not alone.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
Originally, I had no intention of publishing. Telling my story had risks. What will my family think? What will his family think? Would employers not hire me if a quick Google search showed them I was a “battered wife?” Would clients not work with me if they thought I was somehow “damaged goods?” Will telling my story somehow affect how my children are perceived? Will other predators use this highly sensitive information against me?
At the same time, people are dying! My silence only allows the violence to spread. I survived to tell the story the other families did not live to share. Remaining ashamed and keeping quiet about it just because I was worried about how others would react to my truth certainly wasn’t good for my own mental health. My silence is a disservice to the millions of victims suffering who, like me, have no idea how they got into the violent situation they are in and have no idea how they are going to get out.
Leaving was not that simple, either. “Why didn’t you just leave?” I get asked all the time. I would get so frustrated because I didn’t know the answer! It was way too complicated! As mentioned above, he always found me no matter where I went.
Knowledge is power! Knowing the signs early on and confidently trusting your gut is the only way to prevent yourself from falling victim to the predatory nature of an abusive personality. It is much easier to leave a toxic situation if the signs are recognized early before it gets too complicated.
As survivors, our words spread awareness and empower victims to heal and even change laws! Our stories are our only defense against the deadly violence that is spreading rapidly in the war on intimate partner abuse.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
As with anything, media is continuing to evolve. The landscape is everchanging. As someone still living with dyslexia, I would not have had the opportunity to share my story with others without the advances that have evolved so far. For that, I am thankful.
What genres do you write?: Memoir, Autobiography
What formats are your books in?: Print
Website(s)
Sarah Hummell Home Page Link
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Twitter
Instagram
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
