…published author, playwright, outspoken voice for women’s rights and advocate for better healthcare for veterans, Donna currently has seven books available on amazon.com: Through Thick and Thin, Silk Suit/Stone Heart, and Total Submission, the first three books in her Cat Leigh and Marci Welles crime novel series; Private Hell, a semi-autobiographical novel focused on domestic abuse; Bread and Bullets–The Rosario Liotta Story, a true crime novel co-written with Rosario Liotta; Charlie’s Molasses, based on a story told to her by Mark Risher; and Lambie and Me, a children’s book based on conversations she had with her grandson.  

 Donna M. Carbone, the owner of Write For You, LLC and the Managing Director of the Palm Beach Institute for the Entertainment Arts, got her start on Manhattan’s prestigious Park Avenue. Her first job after graduating from business school was in the public relations department of Lever Brothers Corporation. After two years of soap and maple syrup, she decided to expand her horizons by taking on the financial world. Positions at Chase Manhattan Bank and Nikko Securities soon followed. During her time with Nikko, then the second largest securities firm on Wall Street, she grew to love the Japanese people and their culture. That love remains strong today with many items in her home reflecting an Asian theme.   

Fast forward nearly fifty years! Always wanting to expand her horizons, Donna has had careers in manufacturing and construction, law, medicine and, most recently, as a published author and playwright. She was a frequent contributor to the Jupiter Courier, writing on issues that are near and dear to her heart. She also uses her writing skills to teach the novel, screen and play writing classes at the Palm Beach Institute for the Entertainment Arts (formerly the Burt Reynolds Institute). In 2016 and 2017, she volunteered her talents to teach gifted fourth-grade students at J.L. Parker Elementary School in Stuart. She was honored with an award from Caring Children Clothing Children of Martin County (the 4 C’s Club).

In January 2016, Donna published her first book in the Cat Leigh and Marci Welles crime novel series set in Palm Beach County. Through Thick and Thin introduces some very devious criminals including the Kalendar Killer, the Ribbon Rapist and a lifeguard who used his breaststroke more often out of the water than in the water.                              

In January 2017, she published the second book in the series. Silk Suit/Stone Heart takes readers deeper into the lives of her brave and determined lady detectives and introduces a new group of clever criminals including a nerdy poet intent on killing politicians and a tall, handsome, imposing organized crime boss whose confident air and casual attitude toward life and death intimidated everyone.

 Donna’s reason for writing crime novels is to educate through entertainment. She has used the true account of her daughter’s kidnapping and rape in 2007 to focus a spotlight on crimes against women. So miraculous was Jessica’s survival that the story has been featured on both Surviving Evil (History Channel) and I Survived (Investigation Discovery). Donna and Jessica also appeared on the Katie Couric Show and on numerous radio programs where they discussed safety awareness with the audience. She was recently invited by the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County to speak to Americorps volunteers about personal responsibility.

Donna and Jessica founded the website feelnoshame.org, which offers support and resources for survivors of assault. Donna is an outspoken advocate for victims of violent crime and also advocates for better healthcare for our veterans. 

In Private Hell, a separate crime novel, Donna uses her own experience with domestic abuse as a focal point. As with all of her writing, keeping women safe in an ever increasingly dangerous world is her goal. In her own words: “I know what it is like to be on the receiving end of violence. I know what it’s like to have someone you love survive a violent crime. I want to spare as many women as possible the trauma of assault. If I have to open old wounds to do that, I’m willing.”

 Asked to give a synopsis of her stories, Donna said, “The stories are dramadies. Yes… people die. But people also live, laugh and love. While the books are categorized as crime novels, they are also about friendship, loyalty, dedication and values. The stories feature real people… people who are humanized by their strengths and weaknesses.”   

Four years ago, Donna published her first children’s book, Lambie and Me, which is based on conversations she has had with her grandson. She claims that this precocious child has convinced her that reincarnation is real. Donna swears there was a 40-year-old man living inside that 4-year-old body. How Much Do You Love Me, her second children’s book, is being illustrated. 

In 2019, Donna collaborated with Rosario Liotta on Bread and Bullets – The Rosario Liotta Story. This is the true tale of justice gone wrong. In 2003, Rosario Liotta killed a mob associate in self-defense during an attempted shake down. The killing took place shortly before the Stand Your Ground laws went into effect in Florida. As a result, at trial in 2005 he was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years in prison. In time, the authorities learned that the associate was the hit man who had murdered Miami Subs founder and SunCruz Casino Lines mogul, Gus Boulis. Because of the shooting, Rosario was dragged into that case. Now a free man, Rosario is telling his story – the same story he told throughout his trial – complete with all the details the prosecution never allowed the jury to hear.

Donna published two books in 2020. The first, Charlie’s Molasses, is a chilling account of life in a Florida sugar town in the Everglades, based on a story told to her by Mark Risher. Forty-four miles from Palm Beach is the deserted town of Bryant. Little remains to tell the story of who lived and worked on the land and what became of a once powerful sugar dynasty. But… some ghosts refuse to remain silent.

Cat Leigh and Marci Welles continue solving murders in the Palm Beaches in this third book in their series. Total Submission reveals the ugly underbelly of the sex trade, and this time it involves someone they know. 

Donna is also a recognized playwright. Her play, Shell of a Man, was presented at the Dallas Convention Center in 2015 under the auspices of The Black Academy of Arts and Letters. Shell of a Man is the true story of a Vietnam veteran’s 40 year battle with PTSD. Currently, Donna has a number of new plays under consideration by theaters across the country. Her play, The Intersection of Lincoln and Parks, directed by famous actress  and singer, Avery Sommers, will be shown at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach in February, 2021. 

Fear Sells, Donna’s one man show about negative advertising, was commissioned as the closing offering at the TEDxJupiter conference in November 2013. She was a Scenemaker of the Week in the Palm Beach Post in 2012.

One of her proudest moments was when Burt Reynolds told her, “Damn girl, you can write!” 

Connect with Donna. She’d love to hear from you!

Facebook:                              https://www.facebook.com/donna.m.carbone

Facebook Author Page:        https://www.facebook.com/writeforyouproductions/

Amazon Author Page:          amazon.com/author/donnamcarbone

Twitter:                                  Feel No Shame@DonnaMCarbone

Email:                                     write4you@comcast.net

Website:                                 www.writeforyoullc.com