Paula Marie: Thank you so much, JoAnn for taking time out of your oh so busy schedule to sit down with me and our readers for coffee!
JoAnn: Thanks so much for the invitation! I’m very grateful for the opportunity to get to know you and the readers of your blog. And over coffee? Even better!
Paula Marie: I am amazed at the amount of novels you have written over the years, several of which I have read and all of which I have enjoyed! I know you have held many “jobs”, Pastor’s wife, mother, paralegal, etc.! How did you ever find the time to write during those days?
Joann: You ask a good question, and it’s one I’ve often asked myself! I think the best answer is that I required very little sleep during the time I was drafting out my early books. When I started writing, I was a stay-at-home mother/youth pastor’s wife in Philadelphia, so I arranged my writing schedule around our three children and church activities. When we lived in the Boston area (my husband was a senior pastor), I put my writing—but not the passion for it—on the back burner.
A few years later, when we moved to my hometown in southern Indiana, I’d stay up writing until two a.m. during the week and then get up at seven (to be at work by nine). It also has much to do with motivation and determination! Being a little tired took the “edge” off my work, and I was able to keep calm and function well, thank the Lord! Believe it or not, I actually worked three jobs during that time when I was drafting the books that eventually became my “signature” Lewis Legacy Series. I primarily worked as an estate administration paralegal at a large law firm, but a few times each week, I’d literally cross the street at five o’clock to work at the Kentucky Center for the Arts as a floor manager. I supervised the volunteer ushers and made sure everyone got to their seats (and prayed no one fell, got in a fight, or had any issues). Then I’d sit outside the theater during the performance and work on my books. I also worked a four-hour shift on the weekends at a children’s clothing store (I’d started working at the same store chain in the Boston area to clothe my own kids well). So, you tell me, how did I have any energy left?! I couldn’t do it today, but I was blessed to quit my other jobs and step into full-time writing for God’s glory in mid-August of 2014! I haven’t looked back since.
Paula Marie: That is nothing short of amazing! I don’t think I have ever had that sort of energy, lol! I know we have a lot in common growing up in the same era, but tell me what was your favorite TV Show as a child and why?
JoAnn: The Friday night lineup on ABC was my favorite: The Brady Bunch (my favorite!), The Partridge Family, Room 222, and The Odd Couple. The Bradys embodied the so-called American Dream and they were so fun, cute, and relatable! I also liked Flipper, and my brother and I really enjoyed a short-lived show called Time Tunnel, a time travel/adventure show where the two male characters visited different time periods in history. I still remember the Titanic and Pearl Harbor episodes. Fascinating!
However, my absolute favorite TV program of all was only on once a year: Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (taped live television musical) starring Lesley Ann Warren as Cinderella. The music! The costumes! The romance with a prince! I sent a letter to Lesley requesting an autographed photo, and I was so happy to receive one in the mail! I could tell she’d signed it personally, and I treasured that photo. Still do! Fun fact to know and tell: I even named my most recent heroine in Thee Will I Honor
“Lesley Ann” in her honor.
Paula Marie: How sweet of you! I always liked Lesley Ann Warren’s acting as well, but never saw the program you mentioned, found this pic on Wikipedia from it though! Brady Bunch was high up on my list of favorites too! Where do you get your inspiration from for your characters? Especially your slight quirky ones?
JoAnn: I have quirky characters? Ha! Quirky is so much fun! All my characters are mostly created in my sometimes overly active imagination, but a number of them are based in part on people I’ve known. Like a lot of authors, I will freely tell you that anything you say is fair game to be used in a book one day! I’m also an avid people watcher/observer (airports, especially the international terminals, are terrific). I used to find inspiration in newspapers. The idea for mineralogist Seth Barnes (try repeating that word quickly three times straight!) in Heart’s Design came from a Philadelphia newspaper article about a region in Maine rich in gems and minerals. The basis for a pedicab owner/operator in Love So Amazing came from a pedicab ride in Indianapolis late one night when all the cabs were gone and a pedicab guy offered us a ride to our hotel. Now, I find more inspiration from internet articles, the line in the grocery store, radio segments, you name it! I’m telling you, with this gal, anything is likely to show up in a book sometime! A memorable little girl in Whisper to My Heart is based on a friend’s daughter from church who’s a little spitfire and says the cutest things.
Paula Marie: I’ll be sure to be careful what I say around you, hahaha! I find it fascinating how many different styles of writing authors have, what would define yours as?
JoAnn: Great question! I’d say my writing style is faithful (to the Lord’s teachings and intended to give Him glory and honor), entertaining, and sentimental…with a dash of humor added! I like to believe my books are easy to read yet intelligently written. I’m not “flowery” and prone to write a sentence where you need to back up and read it three times to try and figure out what I’m actually saying. In more of my later books, I deeply research various topics and most of my readers feel like they’ve actually learned something—NASA (I visited Johnson Space Center and Kennedy Space Center and asked a ton of questions), woodworking, airplane prototypes, being a member of the U.S. military, Colonel Sanders, Charles Dickens, to name a few. You never know where my books will take you!
Paula Marie I love being able to learn something while enjoying a novel! I can play trivia games and everyone asks how did you know that? I laugh and say i read it in a book!! Do you often find yourself with your characters running through your head before you have even had a chance to write them down?
JoAnn: Not really. I might differ from other authors in that regard, but in some ways, I’ve always been a rebel. I don’t do (or write) things because it’s what others say I “should” do (or not do). With one exception, I’ve only written one book at a time and focused solely on those characters. That way, they can run around all they want, and I’m right there (or “write” there) beside them!
Paula Marie: I know I sometimes feel like the people in my favorite stories become friends, and seeing as how you have a few different series and several standalone books…do you find it difficult to “say goodbye” to your characters from the stand alone novels once you have completed them?
JoAnn: No, and that’s mainly because I keep them alive with mentions or appearances in other books. I have said “good-bye” to a few characters, but I have a peace about them. Still, with me, you never know! There’s a definite method to my “madness.” I have a series coming up with the children of the Lewis Legacy characters. Who’s to say some of those previous characters from another book or series might not show up again? God’s world can be pretty small sometimes, you know. Stay tuned…
Paula Marie: Hahaha! I will definitely be staying tuned!! I love how you have the Bible Verse Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven”, on all of your communications can you share another one or two verses that have special meaning to you?
JoAnn: That’s a difficult question because I have so many favorite verses! I have a theme verse of Scripture, and often a list of verses, in all my books. Below are a couple more verses (taken from the New American Standard Bible) that speak to me personally. They’ve also given me great encouragement and comfort in my writing journey:
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. ~Romans 8:28
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. ~Ephesians 2:8
Paula Marie: Romans 8:28 is certainly one of my mantras as well! I know you love spending time with your family, especially your new grandchild, and writing, but what are some of your favorite pastime activities when you aren’t doing something with the family or writing?
JoAnn: Is there life beyond family and writing? I adore traveling, and I’ve been blessed to take some fabulous trips and see many places in the world, especially B.C. (Before Children). I spent a semester abroad in college (we lived in London and then toured the European Continent for three weeks). I went back to Europe with my mother a couple of times, and she helped to foster and install an independent spirit and a love of traveling in me. Believe it or not, I used to be shy, but going places and meeting new people encouraged me to open my eyes and enjoy different cultures, customs, history, architecture, and experiences.
I like to cook, but I’ll admit we eat out more than we should. I love to decorate but don’t generally enjoy cleaning. I used to adore working counted cross-stitch pieces, but I was one of those weirdos who made the back of the canvas look as pretty as the front. Definitely a perfectionist, a mixed blessing.
Paula Marie: How can fans keep in touch with you and your upcoming books?
JoAnn: I’m the rare bird/writer in that I don’t have a newsletter. I know, I know. Try to cover your shock. As I said, I can also be a rebel. If I had a bumper sticker on my car, it’d read, “I’d Rather Be Writing.” The way I see it, readers are inundated with enough stuff. Plus, I’m an extrovert (also rare for an author, I’m finding), and I’m no stranger to social media. I’ve grown my author page on Facebook tremendously in the past year by posting memes with Scripture verses. The three main places to connect with me are the following:
Website: https://joanndurgin.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjoanndurgin
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Gr8tReads
Paula Marie: Finally – Coffee or tea? Cream? Sugar?
JoAnn: Oh, I definitely love a little coffee with my French vanilla creamer and Splenda, thank you so much! Just don’t ask how many packets of Splenda I add (depends on whether I’m making it myself or getting it elsewhere). I can’t go to the drive-thru at my local McDonald’s and order coffee or else they’d need to alert the nearby hospital to be on standby for a possible sugar overdose! I also adore hot apple cider in the fall and hot chocolate with marshmallows during the holiday season.
Paula Marie: Thank you again for sharing this time with me and my followers! It has truly been a pleasure getting to know you and becoming friends!
Now readers – JoAnn Durgin has GENEROUSLY offered to give away THREE ebooks to three different commenters here on this post! Winner gets their CHOICE of books, musty be in USA or have an USA Amazon account to receive the ebook! Choices are here: https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B004FELQDC?_encoding=UTF8&node=618073011&offset=0&pageSize=12&sort=author-pages-popularity-rank&page=1#formatSelectorHeader
Please take a moment to to say thank you and enter to win any of JoAnn’s single ebook of your choice!
Contest will end Monday, August 13th at midnight!
Just wanted to say thank you again, JoAnn!!
Hey JoAnn Durgin it so good to read your post so happy to know you keep writing those amazing Books God bless
Thank you so much, Carol! I appreciate your faithful readership of my books. Blessings!
My pleasure (and no, I never worked at Chick-Fil-A). Feeling punchy on a Monday. 🙂 I had fun answering your questions, and I LOVE that you pulled up the NASA image and the photo of Lesley Ann Warren and Stuart Damon as Cinderella and her Prince Charming! Thank you! I can’t believe you’ve never seen it. I have it on video, but I don’t have a VCR anymore. I need to check if it’s on DVD… Thanks again! Love your blog, Paula Marie. 🙂
Aw, thank you, JoAnn, it was my honor to have you here! I appreciate your kind words about the blog, it has truly been a dream of mine for a while!!
Great article and I learned some things that I didnt know about Ms. Durgin. She is a wonderful writer and I love all her books.
Thanks, Cathy! I always try to ask some different questions to keep it interesting, of course JoAnn is amazing!
Thank you, Cathy! I have the BEST readers ever, and I’m so grateful to the Lord for bringing me together with many of them. Through my connection with Cathy, I have an opportunity to do something very fun next month, and I’ll be meeting, gabbing, and spending quality time with her! Cannot. Wait. 🙂 Hugs, Cathy, and thanks for the comment.
I would love to read any of your books! They sound lovely!
Thank you, Paty! I appreciate your comment, and I hope you’ll have the opportunity to read one of my books soon! Blessings.
They are lovely, Paty! I hope you get a chance to read some soon!
to a new Author to me I would like to have the pleasure of reading one are a few of your books, I enjoy reading my husband works out of town so I have a lot of free time on my hands and I am on disability so i am limited to what i can do but READING I can do it . Thank you for this amazing giveaway,
Hi Amanda! Thanks for the comment, and I love “meeting” possible new readers. Thank you for your support of Christian fiction and its authors. I’m glad you like to read, and I hope you’ll have the opportunity to read one of my books soon! Blessings!
Hello, Amanda! I sure hope you get a chance to read some of Joann’s books, you will not be disappointed! Bless you for stopping by and sharing with us!
Great interview!
JoAnn, i first read one of your books as a freebie on Kindle. The strong biblical content and quirky characters drew me in! I’ve been a fan ever since! As a believer and also a pastor’s wife, i was so pleased to find an interesting writer who knew how to write about a pastor who was real, fun, and strong. 😉 Love your characters! Love your books!
Thank you for many happy hours of reading. 😀
I love the quirky characters too, Hannah! I am glad you enjoyed the interview! Thank you for sharing and best of luck in the drawing!
Hi Hannah, and thank you so much for your kind comments about my books! I’m grateful you tried out one of my books and have now enjoyed a number of my characters and their stories. Nothing thrills my heart than to hear from happy readers! 🙂 Blessings to you!
JoAnn is an amazing author! I love all her books <3 If you haven’t read any, you’re missing out!!!
I’ve learned some new things about you 🙂 thank you for the interview!
Blessings for many more books to come!
Thank you, Natalya! I love that you learned some new things about a favorite author! I appreciate you stopping by and letting us know!
Natalya, you are so good to me! Thank you for your gracious words about my books. I had fun doing this interview, as you can probably tell. Glad you could learn a few new things about me. There’s also a lot of “me” in many of my heroines. You might already suspect that much, LOL! Blessings to you, my friend! 🙂
Again, thank you so much Paula. You introduce the most wonderful authors to me.
JoAnn, I love all your answers. I have several of your books and consider you one of my favorites.
I am also a ministers wife. So I know all about that role. Not always easy, but rewarding.
I’m glad you started writing full time.
My favorite verse is
I John 23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.
Although, like you, I have so many.
Thank you for sharing.
Blessings
Kathy
Oh, Kathy, thank you!! You have made my day, that is just what I have wanted to do with the blog, bring authors and readers together!! Blessings to you!!
Hi Kathy! Thank you very much for your gracious comment. Nothing thrills me more than to hear from readers who enjoy my books! I’m so thankful you commented; it gives authors more encouragement than you can possibly know. Thank you for sharing your favorite verse, as well–another great one. I have a new book coming out soon in the next month, and stay tuned…in the next week or so I’ll be announcing a very special Christmas book. I believe my readers are going to really love this one! Blessings, and thank you for being a blessing to me! 🙂
I enjoyed learning more about JoAnn and I’m looking forward to reading more of her books! They are great!
Thanks, Vicki! I couldn’t agree with you more, JoAnn’s books are great!! I appreciate you visiting with us today!
Thank you, Vicki! I’m so happy you visited Paula’s fabulous blog and commented! This author loves hearing from her readers (especially happy ones). 🙂 I hope to bring you many more books in the future. Blessings and happy reading!
Thanks for your interview. I enjoyed learning about JoAnn’s life and her books.
Thank you, Connie! I am glad you dropped in to join us today!!
Thank you, Connie! I hope you’ll have the opportunity to read one of my books soon. Blessings, and I appreciate the comment!
Thank you for sharing so much with us. I don’t think I ever had that much energy. Although looking back, I wonder how I did as much as I did. At 63, I can’t do nearly as much as I once did. Looking forward to more of her books.
I know, right, Nancy! JoAnn makes me tired just thinking about all she’s done, lol!! Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by!!
Nancy, I’m at the point where I wonder how I ever had that much energy! 🙂 I feel like I’m lagging a bit these days, but the Lord keeps me going. 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to read the interview and leaving the comment! I hope you’ll have the opportunity to explore my books (I have a few and, Lord willing, more to come). Blessings!
Thanks, great interview! 😊
Thanks, Crystal! I appreciate your reading the interview and leaving a comment! Blessings. 🙂
Thank you for dropping by!
This was a great article! JoAnn is a wonderful writer and her stories keep me spellbound until the end. She’s also a dear friend!
Please don’t enter my name in the drawing – I’ve read all of her books!
Awww, thanks Edwina! I appreciate your reading the interview and commenting! Your friendship and faithful readership means the world to me, and one of these days, I’ll get another hug in person!
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Edwina! Thank you for sharing!!
Thank you Paula for interviewing JoAnn,one of my favorite authors.
JoAnn,I always learn something new about you.
Go Cowboys,get watch them tomorrow.
Alas our handsome QB won’t be there.
Blessings to you both.
Hey Linda! Where are you watching the Cowboys? At their training camp (or is it time for their first preseason game)? I need to catch up! Sorry about the QB, but it’ll be fun, anyway! Thanks for coming to the blog and leaving a comment. Hugs to you and say hi to America’s Team for me! 🙂
Linda, I just looked it up! Wow, it’s really that time of year ALREADY? Hope our guys get ‘er done! Blessings and enjoy the football game! 🙂
Hey, Linda! It is always a pleasure to hear from you! I did not know that you are a fellow football fan!! Yay for tomorrow! I am so happy football season is starting back up!!
Go Giants!!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences. I haven’t read your books yet, but do have your book “The Christmas Challenge”.
Hi Penny! Thanks for reading the interview and leaving a comment. I hope you will enjoy The Christmas Challenge whenever you can read it. I’ve written seven Christmas books (and counting)! They’re fun to write. Blessings and happy reading! 🙂
Hi, Penny! Thanks for sharing, I know you will love Joann’s books!
Thank you sharing the interview. I have not read any of JoAnn’s books yet, but am looking forward to doing so.
Hi, Teresa! I hope you do get a chance to read Joann’s books, they are wonderful! Thank you for visiting with us!
Hi Teresa, and thanks so much for taking the time to read the interview and leaving a comment. I love meeting potential new readers, and I hope you’ll be able to read one of my books soon! Blessings.
I really enjoyed your interview with JoAnn. Made me tired just thinking about all she has done;) And I always appreciate opportunities for free gifts! Blessings to you both.
Thank you, Jill, JoAnn has made us all tired seeing how she managed so much! I appreciate you stopping by to share with us!
Thank you for reading the interview and for the comment, Jill! I hope you’ll have the opportunity to read one of my books in the near future. 🙂
How awesome to see your interview here, JoAnn! And thank you for your generous giveaway!
Thanks, Alexa! I loved seeing your interview, too. 🙂 I’m so glad I’ve been introduced to Paula and this blog! She’s a tireless encourager of Christian fiction and its authors, as you know. Praying for you and your writing, my friend. Blessings!
Thank you both so much for all your support! I appreciate it more than words can say!
Wow, very interesting interview. Maybe you should write your autobiography. Thanks for the chance to win.
That sounds like an awesome idea, Terry! JoAnn has had an amazing journey!
Thank you, Terry! 🙂 My love story my husband is very loosely chronicled in my debut novel, Awakening. It’s really more the hero and heroine are based on us (again, very loosely). My mother always said I should write our actual love story since it’s one where you could clearly see the hand of God at work! Maybe one of these days, I will. But you know what? Readers would probably think it’s unrealistic, LOL. I appreciate your reading the interview and thanks for leaving the comment! Blessings! 🙂
Hi JoAnn and Paula. I enjoyed the Lewis Legacy series but after checking, I realized several have been written that I haven’t read. I read through 5 and now 9 have been written? How did that happen? Oh, if only you had a newsletter! Just kidding! I have such a backlog of books to read and yet I read a lot. I guess I’ll put these on my short list and hope to get to them soon.
Hahaha, Sherri, that was funny! I know what you mean though, I didn’t know there were so many either! Maybe you will get the chance to win one here!! Good luck and thank you so much for participating!
Hi Sherri! Yes, indeed, there are 9 in the series PLUS Prelude, the prequel to the series (the love story of Sarah Jordan and Sam Lewis, Sr., Sam’s parents). Can’t forget that one. The parents are in Book 6 and featured quite prominently in Books 7 and 8 since those are the stories of Caty Lewis and Commander Will Lewis (Sam’s younger siblings). The final two books in the series will release by mid 2019 (with a surprise coming up in the next few weeks).
Sam and/or a few TeamWork members also show up in others of my books, too. 😉
I honestly have such a strong Facebook presence (my personal page plus Author JoAnn Durgin), that I’ve never felt the strong need for a newsletter. As I wrote in the blog, readers are inundated with enough “stuff.” Only a handful of readers have ever asked me for a newsletter. Frankly, I’d rather be writing. You can always check my website for the latest releases, as well (shown on the right side of the Home page). Thanks for reading the interview, and I hope you’ll be able to read another one of my books soon! Blessings!
I have enjoyed the interview, thank you. I haven’t read any of JoAnn’s books but look forward to doing so.
Thank you for reading the interview and leaving a comment, Deanne! I hope you’ll have the opportunity to read one of my books soon. Blessings!
I hope you get the chance to read some of her books soon!
Huge thank you to JoAnn Durgin once again for this amazing giveaway!
I am thrilled to announce the THREE winner of JoAnn Durgin’s books!!
They are: Jill R, Teresa M and Nancy L!!
JoAnn will be emailing you soon to get your choice of ebook!!
Thank you all – I hope you will continue to visit our blog for more giveaways always going on!!
The three winners have all be contacted! Thank you to everyone for entering the giveaway. I hope to see you again soon! In the meantime, blessings to each of you and happy reading! 🙂