How long have you been writing?
I have been writing since I was six years old.
What inspired you to write "Arianna's Amazing Wish"?
Arianna’s Amazing Wish was inspired by my Goddaughter and her beautiful spirit and amazing imagination. The story is based on her wish to see and play in the snow. We have often played the imaginary snow game on her visits with me, but she is yet to experience it, so for her, it is still a wish.
What is the most amazing wish you've ever made?
One of the greatest wishes I have had was to be a successful writer. I have always dreamt of writing books that people love.
Did it come true?
It has partially come through. I have written books and had them published but I’m still striving to make the Bestseller list.
How do you want people to be transformed through your writing?
I want to warm the hearts of my readers and inspire them to be better versions of themselves and challenge them to go out and make a difference.
When you aren't writing, what do you do for fun?
When I am not writing, I love to watch Hallmark movies; both romance and mystery.
Have you ever had an opportunity to play in the snow, build a snowman?
Yes, I have had the opportunity once to see snow and play in the snow. It was on a group trip to Jerusalem. It was a wonderful surprise because, like my goddaughter and Arianna in Arianna’s Amazing Wish, I had always wanted to see snow. And I did help to make a snowman.
Who is your inspiration?
I didn’t have just one inspiration. My mother recited the poetry of Robert Frost and Longfellow and that birthed my love for poetry and I wanted to write poems the way they did. As I grew older and read the mystery books of Enid Blyton and Carolyn Keen, I wanted to write mysteries as they did. Then one summer, I read To Kill a Mocking Bird, so Harper Lee was added to the list. Then I read John Grisham and I wanted to be able to capture the imagination of my readers the way he does. Next came along Dee Henderson. She showed me that I add my faith to my mystery.
What advice would you give to a new author?
It has been my experience that publishing can be very expensive, even if you’re traditionally published, so my advice to a new author would be to get as much information as you can about the industry. Look for companies that publish the genre you are writing in and choose the one that is the best fit for you. Then research the company before you approach them, look and see what other people are saying about them and while you are doing this, work on saving the needed funds until you are ready to publish.
Where can people find out more about your writings?
To find out more about my writings, you can go to my website joanshannellevansbooks.com.
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You can pick up Arianna's Amazing Wish today at Wingdon Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and everywhere books are sold. 