Why is this subject, “Where The Shadows Dance,” important in the world?
Individuals who sit on the sidelines of addiction have little support. As loved ones, our stories aren’t told, and we often feel discarded in the necessary emphasis on the alcoholic. We’re pushed into silence and ignore our own emotional state, believing what the addict needs and the family needs are more important. And while that’s often true, the emotional state of those on the sidelines can’t be ignored without perpetuating the emotional scars family addiction carries. I wrote this book to share my experience and vulnerability with others who feel silenced, hoping my story can be a small bit of help and perspective to those on the sidelines of addiction.
What is the pressing issue right, and how are you addressing it?
Alcoholism is considered a family disease, an admission of its reach. But how many family members suffer in silence, watching chaos play out and experiencing their own emotional trauma? We know that children of alcoholics often go on to repeat the pattern of addiction and abuse I it exists. Even those who experience addicted loved ones as adults carry emotional scars. While preventing and curing addiction must be the core focus, other cycles of damage repeat without the loved ones dealing with their own trauma. There is a need for more emphasis and recognition of the trauma on the sidelines to stop these painful cycles.
Dana Killion Biography
What is your background in this subject?
Where the Shadows Dance was written from my perspective as the wife of a high-functioning alcoholic. From the early days of our marriage, alcohol intruded in our life, but my husband did not present in the stereotypical patterns of the disease. My earliest task was simply to understand that alcoholism had other faces. Throughout our long marriage, his disease moved into secrets and lies, and eventually, I became the collateral damage of his disease. This story is a firsthand account of addiction’s damage to those who love an addict.
What is something that most people don’t know about you?
My childhood in northern Wisconsin included copious amounts of tree climbing, frog catching, and fort-building under branches and pine needles. All are things this grown woman, now an affirmed city-dweller is still confused by.
What are your passions outside of your career?
In addition to writing, I am also a painter. My work is abstract, focusing on color, texture, and mark-making.
Are there any social causes that you believe in and support?
I’m a strong supporter of civil rights, voting rights, and women’s reproductive rights.
What is next for you?
I intend to continue speaking and writing on silence and vulnerability. Where the Shadows Dance is the most vulnerable thing I’ve done, and therefore it’s the most important thing I’ve done. I want to encourage others to know the peace and strength of sharing our truth, even when painful.
Where The Shadows Dance
Tell me about your book.
Where the Shadows Dance is the story of how I became collateral damage in my husband’s self-destruction. He got sober. I got broken. It is a raw, vulnerable telling of how I fought for my family, my husband’s sobriety, and eventually, for my own mental health as details of my husband’s lies and secret life became known. It is a story for women who have set aside themselves for the needs of another and must now find that love for themselves that will help them heal.
Where can people buy the book?
Available May 2023 https://www.danakillion.com/where-the-shadows-dance-pre
