“I grew up and still reside within the beautiful sheltering hills and valleys of eastern Kentucky. My heritage provides a wealth of stories and intriguing characters. I capture some of them in my two novels The Chosen Child and Grand Finale. I have always been an avid reader of books of all genres, from romance to murder mysteries and fantasy, which influenced my writing. My stories come from wherever my imagination takes me which could be anywhere.”
Joan began her writing career late in life, waiting until retirement to begin. In her spare time, during those years of operating her own retail shop and raising two children, she found time to write poetry and short stories and dream of the day she could get into the characters that lurked in the back of her mind and place them in her novels. That day arrived and she felt unprepared, so she enrolled in a creative writing class at Morehead State University then took an adult course at Ashland Community College and joined a writing club that worked tirelessly at critiquing each member’s work. She began her first novel, The Chosen Child.
In days past, folks settled disagreements in their own way, usually outside the law. Such is the theme of The Chosen Child. Sixteen-year-old Abigail becomes a pawn for money to save her mother who is ailing with tuberculosis. Her father was desperate and easy prey to the schemes of a rich old neighbor who wanted Abigail for his wife. Abigail married to save her mother. No one imagined the dire consequences of the union.
Grand Finale is set in modern-day Appalachia. The area is plagued by poverty. A young woman, seeking funds for her education, becomes a stripper in a club in the badlands of West Virginia. She is murdered. A preacher dutifully visits her killer, who is on death row in Kentucky State Penitentiary. He is convinced the young man convicted of her murder is innocent. To prove it, his faith is tested when he ventures into an underworld of strip clubs, drugs, and murder in the badlands of West Virginia.
Her love for fantasy was fueled by her curiosity of the unknown. She believed the unbelievable, so of course, she would write a book like Color Me Human. A young woman is abducted and taken to a planet with no sunlight, a beautiful pale twilight world. She gets caught up in the struggle of a species striving to be classified as humans. Finding them to be as human as she, although different in appearance, she joins their cause against the establishment. All the while, the evil queen plots to destroy her.
While in the mood for fantasy, she turned her thoughts to a book for children. She had spent many days of her childhood playing in the woods that covered the hills near her home. Her imagination was fueled by mysterious sounds and shapes in the forest. Alotta, The Girl Who Walks with Dragons was born from those ventures as a small child. Alotta ventures into dragon territory in search of her missing father and finds dragons are not the enemies of humans. She makes friends with one named Soo, and together they face the dangers in Wondrous Valley to find her father.
Rescuers, Above and Beyond is another book for children. Playing on the superhero genre (sort of), this book tells of four spirits sent from heaven to save the lives of three children who are in danger. If they are successful, the rescuers begin the process of earning their angel wings. They must battle dark forces to save their subjects.
Daydreams is a book of short stories filled with the adventures of elves, friendly ghosts, angels, and fairies. A book suited for readers of any age who enjoys pure fantasy.
“Monkey Mischief” is a picture book for children created just for fun. The title explains the concept, monkeys performing tricks on one another meant to amuse and inspire laughter.
Amazon Links:
Alotta, the Girl Who Walks with Dragons
