#WriterWednesday Author Interview with Shamayne Olivia
/
I’d like to welcome Shamayne Olivia back to the blog for #WriterWednesday!
Favorite thing to do when you have free time: For free time anytime I like to create art using a coloring app. For longer periods of free time, we like to attend live music venues or the theatre.
The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list: Grocery shopping.
Things you need when you’re in your writing cave: Peace and quiet with natural light. I like to write in my bedroom because it’s in the back of the house. I have windows looking out to the garden in our backyard.
Things that distract you from writing: perfectionism
Hardest thing about being a writer: Self-doubt, In the beginning, I think I spent as much time convincing myself I could do this as much as I did actually writing.
Easiest thing about being a writer: I’m still thinking about that one.
Something you’re really good at: intuition, organization, and time management
Something you’re really bad at: backing into a parking spot or parallel parking on the street. I get nervous.
Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: an oceanographer
Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: that I would write and publish a book then own my own business
Something you wish you could do: Sing with a strong voice.
Something you wish you’d never learned to do: I wish I’d never learned to doubt my own abilities.
Last best thing you ate: Chicken Piccata on our anniversary at a swanky Italian restaurant. At one time the restaurant was called Romeo’s. The new owners named it Juliet’s.
Last thing you regret eating: Pork belly. One bite was enough to know.
Favorite places you’ve been: National Parks in Colorado and Utah
Places you never want to go to again: Over-crowded tourist towns
Best thing you’ve ever done: Coach my daughter through labor and delivery of both my grandsons.
Biggest mistake: not retiring sooner.
The most exciting thing about your writing life: the people I have met. Each stage of my writing journey introduced me to the people I needed in my life at that time. Some are well known and others are like me, but one step ahead and could offer guidance.
The one thing you wish you could do over in your writing life: It’s hard to say since I never imagined I would be a writer. My life as a writer unfolded as I worked to rebuild a life untethered from a painful past. The writing was part of the journey.
About Shamayne:
Shamayne Olivia is an author, speaker, and facilitator whose journey of reclaiming her authentic self has defined her life’s work. The eldest of four children, she carried adult responsibilities far too young, navigating the emotional needs of both siblings and parents. After her parents’ divorce at age eight, she was shaped by the lasting effects of alcoholism and rigid religious beliefs. Refusing to be defined by these patterns, she chose a path of healing and transformation—breaking the generational cycle and guiding others to do the same with courage, hope, and resilience. Her first book, Shoes That Fit Her Soul, explores these intricacies, removing the layers to uncover the fundamental steps needed to recover one’s identity and enjoy a more meaningful life.
Through decades of seeking her true identity, she uncovered profound insights and revelations that became the foundation of her business, Shoes That Fit Her Soul, LLC. Drawing from her own experiences, she created the Shoes That Fit Her Soul workbook, digital workbook, and workshop—resources designed to help others reclaim their voices, rewrite their stories, and step boldly into lives of purpose.
Shamayne lives in the Texas Hill Country, near Austin, with her generously supportive husband, Craig, and two affectionate cats, Wrigley and Ivy. She is the mother to three remarkable adult children, Sydney, Nathan, and Daniel, and “Maymie” to her beloved grandchildren, Emerson, Joaquin, and Jude.
When she’s not writing or leading workshops, Shamayne finds joy in family time, traveling, live music and theatre, major league baseball, and practicing yoga. Simple practices that remind her to stay grounded in gratitude and wonder for each new chapter.
Her hope is that every woman who encounters her work discovers the same truth she has embraced: it’s never too late to reclaim the light within you.
Let’s Be Social:
