An Interview with Danielle Sartorelli
Danielle Sartorelli is a first-time author and primary school teacher. With a passion for storytelling and an understanding of the transformative power of words, in Life in Instalments Danielle has crafted a heart-wrenching recount of her life, exploring the complexities of family dynamics through her experiences as a sister to a troubled brother.
Danielle lives in Australia with her husband of twenty-three years and their two sons. When she is not writing or teaching, Danielle is busy tending to all the animals on the family’s hobby farm.
Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?
Life in Instalments is a title that came from a moment that stuck with me. During my brother’s second stint in prison, a guard looked at him and sneered, ‘Back again, James. You’ll end up doing life in this joint; it will just be in instalments. Welcome home.’ It was cruel, but in a way, it summed everything up.
My brother has done over 20 years behind bars, not all at once, but spread out over decades. In and out. A few years here, a few years there. Each time, a little more of his life chipped away. And it wasn’t just about the time – it was the toll it took. The solitary confinement, the violence, the psychological strain, the constant threat of harm – it all added up. Those years weren’t just sentences, they were fragments of a life lived in pieces.
So the title reflects that reality – not just for him, but also for those who love him. It’s about a life interrupted, again and again. A life served in instalments.”
How did it feel when you first saw your book cover? Or when you first held your book in your hands?
The first time I saw my book — the cover, the title, my name on it — it didn’t feel real at first. I just stared at it, almost like it was someone else’s story. But then it hit me: this was our story. All the years of pain, survival, setbacks, and comebacks — bound together in something solid, something permanent.
When I held that first copy in my hands, I felt everything at once. Pride, disbelief, grief, and a strange kind of peace. The weight of it wasn’t just paper — it was the weight of everything we’d been through.
I thought about my brother. About all the years we lost. All the times I didn’t know if he’d make it out. And yet here was proof that some part of it had meaning — that those years, that pain, didn’t just disappear. They became a story that might help someone else.
It wasn’t just a book. It was survival, printed and bound. And for the first time in a long time, I felt like maybe we’d reclaimed something. Even if just a little.
Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?
I didn’t set out to be a writer. What made me write was pain — and the need to make sense of it. Watching my brother go in and out of prison over two decades, seeing what it did to him, to us, to the people who loved him — it left a weight on me that I couldn’t carry in silence anymore. Writing became a way to process, to survive, and eventually, to speak up.
There wasn’t one particular person who inspired me — it was more the absence of stories like ours. I didn’t see our lives, our struggles, our kind of truth in books or media. I wanted to put something out there that felt real, even if it was hard to read.
That said, I’ve always been drawn to raw, unfiltered storytelling — the kind you find in memoirs, prison letters, music, and spoken word. Art that doesn’t try to polish the truth. Artists who turned their pain into purpose — those voices light something in me. Showing me that even if your story is ugly or uncomfortable, it still deserves to be told.
What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?
Most people probably don’t expect this, but I’ve been a school teacher for as long as I can remember. Even as a kid, I knew that’s what I wanted to do. The road to getting there wasn’t smooth — I struggled academically — but I was determined. I worked hard, and it turns out what they say is true: hard work does pay off.
Now, after more than 20 years in education, I sometimes find myself questioning why I chose to work with children instead of animals! I’ve always had a strong connection with animals — there’s a calm, honest energy in them that I’ve always been drawn to. Maybe in another life I would’ve been a vet.
That said, I’ve found a way to honour that part of me, too. I recently bought a small patch of land and I’m slowly building it into a hobby farm. It’s early days, but there’s something grounding about it. It gives me balance — a different kind of peace from the chaos of the classroom.
Something readers might not know about me? I’ve never been the type to stay quiet or shy away from telling hard truths. People see me as strong — and I am — but that’s not the whole story. I’m also a sensitive person. I feel things deeply. I’m loyal, and when people I care about hurt, I carry that with me. I hurt too.
Maybe that’s what really led me to write. I’m a deep thinker. I carry people’s stories with me. I remember the details. I care more than I let on. Writing became a way to speak for those moments and people that are often forgotten. This book isn’t just about pain — it’s about the pieces of life that get lost in between, and the people who live through them.
What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?
The most rewarding part of publishing my book has been the response — not just from people I know, but from complete strangers who connected with the story. Hearing from readers who said, “That could’ve been my brother,” or “Now I understand what my son’s going through,” — that’s what made it meaningful. It reminded me that our pain wasn’t isolated, that there are so many families living lives in instalments, too.
Putting it out into the world felt like reclaiming something that had been taken — not just time, but truth.
Reading the reviews has been amazing. I never wrote this book for the accolades — that was never the point — but there’s something profoun
d about reading people’s reflections. It’s a feeling like I’ve been seen and heard. Validated. And honestly, that’s priceless.
On a personal level, it gave me a sense of peace. It allowed me to honour everything we (my family and I) survived. After years of feeling powerless, publishing this book felt like turning survival into something with purpose.
If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?
“Dreams” – Fleetwood Mac
“My Immortal” – Evanescence
“That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine” – Johnny Cash
“Everybody Hurts” – R.E.M.
“The Living Years” – Mike + The Mechanics
“Fast Car” – Tracy Chapman
“Against All Odds” – Phil Collins
“Eye of the Tiger” – Survivor
“Man in the Mirror” – Michael Jackson
“Don’t Stop Believin’” – Journey
“True Colors” – Cyndi Lauper
What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?
One thing I hope readers take away from my book is the understanding that pain, struggle, and survival often don’t come in neat, clean chapters. Life happens in instalments — with setbacks, detours, and moments of darkness — but also with hope, resilience, and the possibility of healing.
I want readers to see the human side behind the statistics and headlines about prison and hardship. To understand that behind every story of incarceration, there’s a family, a person, and a lifetime of experiences that don’t fit into a simple narrative.
My perfect reader is someone open enough to face uncomfortable truths, but compassionate enough to see the people behind them. Maybe they’ve felt broken or lost themselves, or maybe they know someone who has. They’re willing to listen, to reflect, and to walk away with a deeper empathy for lives that are often misunderstood or ignored.
If my book can spark that kind of understanding — and remind people that even fractured lives have value and hope — then I’ll consider it a success.
What creative projects are you currently working on?
I’m working on expanding my hobby farm into a small community space, where I hope to blend education, healing, and connection with nature. It’s been incredibly rewarding to see how animals and land can offer a different kind of therapy and hope.
How was working with Atmosphere Press? What would you tell other writers who want to publish?
Working with Atmosphere Press has been a positive experience. They’ve been supportive and professional throughout the entire process—from editing to design to marketing. It’s clear they care about the stories they help bring to life, and that made a big difference for me.
For other writers thinking about publishing, my advice is this: be patient and persistent. Writing a book is hard, but getting it out into the world is a whole other challenge. Find a publisher who believes in your story and respects your voice. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and advocate for yourself.
And remember, your story matters — even if it feels uncomfortable or raw. The right team will help you tell it in a way that’s authentic and powerful. So keep pushing forward.
Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.
Atmosphere Press is a selective hybrid publisher founded in 2015 on the principles of Honesty, Transparency, Professionalism, Kindness, and Making Your Book Awesome. Our books have won dozens of awards and sold tens of thousands of copies. If you’re interested in learning more, or seeking publication for your own work, please explore the links below.
