Finding Fifty: A Memoir of Rising in Midlife

From High School Dropout to College Professor...

Have you ever wondered if it's too late in life to reach your goal? Maybe the haunting of your past and toxic relationships has held you back.

If you've ever thought these things, this story is for you.

When life didn't turn out the way society (or family) said it should, Jill Carlyle didn't give up-she forged ahead. Despite a lifetime of loss, poor choices, failed marriages, family estrangement, and a childhood wrapped in shame and trauma, Jill found the determination to rise above the pain of her past and use it as the foundation for her future.

Finding Fifty is every woman's story. This isn't your typical bildungsroman, coming-of-age tale; this is a coming-into-age journey. Finding Fifty is a collection of stories about the struggle of self-invention, lost identity, and the rise to one's personal best despite insurmountable odds. Equally, it is an important message about the bold reckoning, and courageous shift into mid-life every woman ultimately faces.

This inspiring memoir takes readers on a journey into the ordinary life of Jill Carlyle as she wrestles with a past she can't control and discovers the power to shape a future she deserves. Her storytelling inspires readers to find something extraordinary in their own lives and empowers them to leap into a future full of purpose and hope.

Jill Carlyle is an emerging author of both fiction and nonfiction work. She has published various articles and essays covering everything from family, to feminism, to the importance of the female voice. She is a graduate of the University of Central Florida and holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and a double master's degree in English and Creative Nonfiction from Southern New Hampshire University. She is pursuing an additional Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Fiction. Jill is an adjunct professor of English Composition and Literature at Eastern Florida State College in Cocoa, Florida.