I'm learning that self-promotion takes up a lot of
time I'd rather spend writing, or working on my crafting hobbies. For people
who are self-publishing, promotion is even more important. So I'd like to
introduce one of those self-motivated people who not only writes, but takes
care of ALL the tasks that go into producing a book, as well as promoting it.
Meet Joan Joachim, who is the author of two romance series as well as a brand new
Thanksgiving novella. Since most of these books have been published in the past
year, I asked her to tell me about herself and how she managed such a huge
output. Here's her answer:
"I live in
New York City, am married, have two sons and a pug dog named Homer. My writing
career started with non-fiction. My first book was “Beyond the Bake Sale, the
Ultimate School Fund-Raising Book” published by St. Martin’s Press. I had two
active boys and was heavily involved in their activities, running the PTA,
fund-raising, coaching soccer, leaving little time or energy to write. I
progress to writing a movie review column for parents, which I have been doing
for the past 11 years. Once my youngest went off to college, I had the time to
start writing fiction and all the stories that had been piling up in my head
came tumbling out. So I’ve been prolific this year, four novels and there will
be four novellas by the end of the year. But two of those books I wrote last
year. I have two more from last year I am editing and another I wrote this year
with a partner that is almost finished. I write fulltime and find it hard to
stop to make dinner. Sometimes, I don’t!"
****
Her two newest books are Now and Forever 2, the
Book of Danny and The Marriage
List. Read on to find out what
they're about:
Now and Forever 2, the
Book of Danny is the second in the
Now and Forever series. In the first book, Now and Forever 1, a Love Story, you met Callie Richards and Mac Caldwell and watched their love story evolve. This
second book is the story of Danny Maine, brother
to Callie’s fiancĂ© lost in Iraq as well as the
continuing story of Callie and Mac.
Danny Maine leaves the Army
after becoming an expert sharp shooter, killer and womanizer. He hopes a job
teaching English at Kensington State University
will propel him into a normal life.
On
his first day, he meets Eliza Baines, a beautiful widow, and is smitten
immediately. Danny works to overcome post-traumatic stress syndrome and make a
new life when his drunken and abusive father is released from prison and seeks
him out. Struggling to leave his horrific past behind, Danny attempts to forge
a new path that includes love, success, friends and having his own family but
dark forces and emotional obstacles block his way. The Book of Danny is a
poignant story of love, loss and ultimate triumph that will touch your heart.
****
I asked Jean to tell me why this book was so special to her. She said:
"What's so special about
The Book of Danny is that the
main character is an ex-Army man, raised by his brother, Kyle, who was
subsequently killed in Iraq. Kyle’s death filled Danny with rage, so he went
there to get revenge but ended up losing some of his humanity.
"He came to me and told
me his story of love and loss and I was compelled to write it. Danny is an
imperfect man, sexy as hell, smart, educated, but stuck with the horrors of war
messing up his life. With help from friends, family, a counselor and the people
of a small town, he is able to break through and overcome the obstacles keeping
happiness out of his reach. His return and search for the right woman,
fulfilling work and a place to settle feels very real. I think Danny will grab
your heart in a way no other hero will. He did mine."
****
In
addition to The Book of Danny,
Joan has a Thanksgiving novella out called The Marriage List. Here's the cover and blurb for that story:
Can happily ever after start with a list? Grey
Andrews thinks so. After ten years of working, saving and investing, Grey
finally achieved a level of wealth that allows him to do what he wants with his
life. He needs a woman to share it with, but not any woman, the perfect woman.
A woman who has the three essential qualities on his marriage list. But after
three years of searching he isn’t any closer to finding her than he was when he
started out.
Carrie Tucker, an aspiring mystery writer and
divorcée struggling to make it in the world of advertising, turned her focus
from men to her career after dating too many creeps and losers. She’s finally
earned her big break, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become the first
female creative director in a hot New York ad agency. So what if it means
working nights and weekends? It’s not like she has a social life anyway.
Is the marriage list a failure or will a chance
meeting at a fiction-writing conference prove the list to be the key to Grey’s
happiness after all?
All of Jean's
books are available online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
The Book of Danny is available at these links:
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-nowandforever2thebookofdanny-641722-148.html
The Book of Danny is available at these links:
The Marriage List is available by going to any of these links:
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/103001
You can also get more information about Jean and her books by going to her blog.
Patti -- Good morning and thank you for having me here today.
ReplyDeletePatti, Jean is the promo queen. She has helped so many people to achieve their dreams, and has done many workshops helping people get on the right track. Thanks for sharing her talents with everyone.
ReplyDeleteIt's great to have you here, Jean! Congrats and best wishes on your recent releases.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Karen, but I haven't done much. Am still struggling to find the right formula for myself!
ReplyDeleteBut I love your support and you, too, Patti.
It's really nice to hear about another writer and what brought them to the keyboard! Nice post.
ReplyDeleteIt's always interesting to read what's behind the motivation behind an author. Oh and Jean, let them fix their own dinner if your in the writing groove.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Patty, for introducing us to such an interesting author. Best of luck, Jean.
ReplyDeleteThank you all. So happy to meet you. Thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDeletePatricia, thank you for this author spotlight. It was fun learning more about Jean and her books. I've enjoyed her posts on Sweet Saturday Samples, and I'm looking forward to more.
ReplyDelete