Interview with Author, JoAnn Durgin & GIVEAWAY!

Tell us a few fun things about yourself readers might not know.

*I love my costume jewelry and have an embarrassing number of bracelets, in particular.

*I sleep with a backrest and about five pillows; it’s amazing I don’t have neck pain.

*I’m related to an honest-to-goodness Master’s and U.S. Open Golf Champion (his oldest daughter was the flower girl in our wedding).

*I saw Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton perform together in a Broadway play. We were right up front; he spit on me and Elizabeth looked me straight in the eye and winked!

*One of my favorite indulgences? Buttered movie theater popcorn from the theater (sometimes I actually go just to buy it and don’t even see a movie!).

*This one’s for the readers who’ve read my Lewis Legacy Series thus far: Beside my computer, I have a small stuffed armadillo, a peach candle holder, an oversized soup tin that says Daydreams, a small bouquet of yellow roses made from wood, and a Precious Moments astronaut figurine (one of my favorite characters in the series is Commander Will Lewis in Pursuit, Book #8—yes, it’s a long series).

Can you tell us about your writing journey?

I tried penning my first Christian romance novel as a stay-at-home mom in Philadelphia with three small children. When we moved to Boston and my husband became a senior pastor, I put the writing—but not the passion for it—on the back burner. When we moved back to my native southern Indiana in late 2005, I remember saying to my husband one night, “I think it’s time.” Of course, before then, it’d always meant it was time to go to the hospital to give birth! This was a completely different type of birth, but the Lord prepared and equipped me for this awesome journey. The last stand alone novel I’d written was very loosely based on my love story with my husband, Jim, titled Awakening. Digging out my manuscripts (from beneath the bed and blowing off the dust bunnies), I only found half of it. When I looked at it through “fresh” eyes, I sensed this manuscript was the one He wanted me to pursue getting published. The full story of how I recovered the missing half is on my website, and it involved going to our knees in prayer. In one of those truly awesome, otherwise inexplicable “God” things, not only did He give me back my manuscript, but he confirmed it through a complete stranger! I’d encourage you to read “And the Man Said Peaches!” on my website for more details. Awakening became my debut novel in late 2010. My joke is that I wrote it in less than two weeks, but it took 12 years to get published.

What do you find the most enjoyable part of connecting with readers?

There’s nothing more gratifying than getting a message through my website or a Facebook message from a reader. That’s pretty cool. Something unexpected and wonderful happened at a  church luncheon once. I was at the book signing table and a woman came over and said, “Hi, JoAnn. I was your high school typing teacher.” I smiled and waved my hand at the books on the table and said, “Thank you. As you can see, I haven’t stopped typing since.” What was so gratifying—besides the fact that she read Awakening and wanted to buy the second in the series—was what she told me. She said she’d asked the students all those years ago to type a paragraph about a special Thanksgiving memory. She said, “I always remembered you because you wrote the most beautiful paragraph, so I wasn’t surprised at all that you became a writer.” I can’t even remember what it was, but she sure did. Those types of moments mean so much. I treasure every one of my readers, encouragers and prayer warriors.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to share with your readers, Nancee! Many blessings to you and continued success with your wonderful blog.

JoAnn is the author of the popular Lewis Legacy Series: Awakening, Second Time Around,  Twin Hearts and Daydreams available online in paperback and ebook formats. The fifth book in the series, Moonbeams, is expected by the end of 2013. She’s also the author of Meet Me Under the Mistletoe, a novella from White Rose Publishing. JoAnn works full-time as an estate administration paralegal in a Louisville, Kentucky law firm. A member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and the Louisville Christian Writers, JoAnn’s prayer is that her contemporary romantic adventures will touch hearts and lives with the redeeming love of Jesus Christ. She’d love to hear from you at www.joanndurgin.com or her Author JoAnn Durgin page on Facebook.

JoAnn, thank you so much for joining me and sharing your story. I appreciate your time and look forward to reading more of your books in the near future.

JoAnn has graciously offered a giveaway of an autographed copy of one of her books, winner's choice! This includes Meet Me Under The Mistletoe! In order to qualify you must make a comment on this blog feature, share it on Facebook, and leave your email address in order for me to get in touch with you. You have 2 weeks from the end of the contest to contact me. If I don't hear from you in that amount of time another winner will be drawn. Good luck!