Additional information
by Paolina Milana (Author)
In accordance with her Sicilian Catholic family's unspoken code, Paolina Milana learned at an early age to keep her secrets locked away where no one could find them. Nobody outside the family needed to know about the voices her Mamma battled in her head; or about how Paolina forged her birth certificate at thirteen so she could get a job at The Donut Shop; or about the police officer twenty-six years her senior whose promise to her Papà to "keep an eye on her" quickly translated into something sinister. And perhaps that's why no one saw it coming when--on the eve of her sweet sixteen, pushed to edge--Paolina attempted to take her own mother's life. Raw and compelling, The S Word is the true story of a girl who nearly suffocates in the silence she was taught to value above all else--until she finally finds the strength to break free of the secrets binding her and save herself.
Author Biography
Published author, speaker, podcaster, and founder of Madness To Magic, Paolina Milana's mission is to share stories that celebrate the triumph of the human spirit and the power that lies within each of us to bring about change for the better. Her professional background includes telling other people's stories, first as a journalist and then as a PR and digital marketing executive in both corporate and non-profit environments. She currently serves as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for children in foster care and as an empowerment coach, using storytelling to help people reimagine their lives, write their next chapters, and become the heroes of their own journeys. Paolina has won awards for her writing and creative campaigns, including her first full-length book The S Word, which received the National Indie Excellence Award. Her self-help picture book for adults Seriously! Are We There Yet?! will publish late 2020. Paolina is first-generation Sicilian, married, and lives on the edge of the Angeles National Forest in Southern California.
