Sheila Sharpe is an author, teacher, and clinical psychologist from Del Mar, California. The portrayal of her therapist-protagonist is based on long experience working with trauma patients. Her earlier background in painting and film criticism (MFA from UCSD) inspired the novel's unique cinematic settings. Her previous publications include a professional book, The Ways We Love, and several peer reviewed articles. She won a best-submission award at the 2016 San Diego State Writers' Conference for the first chapter of Locked in a Box, a psychological thriller and has published personal essays in the Feminine Connection.