Ever since she was a little girl, Xlibris author Joszann St. John has always been a bookworm. She fondly reminisces when she traded books with her friends on her early years back in her homeland of Dominica. During her high school years, she immersed herself in the stories of Nancy Drew by Caroline Keene and numerous Caribbean authors most notably Miguel Anthony and his novel The Year in San Fernando. The urge to write had always been with her for as long as she can remember but it would be years before she eventually did something about it. Joszann is the mother of two beautiful children whom she considers wonderful motivators in her life.
With multiple books published with Xlibris, Joszann talks about her writing inspirations, self-publishing experience and future writing endeavors.
Pulling at Her Readers’ Heartstrings through Romance Novels, Poetry
“I’ve always been partial to the romance genre. Maybe I’m a romantic at heart but I do feel that love is the single most powerful emotion and the basic thread that weaves through the fabric of human existence connecting us in a myriad of ways. Over the years poetry has become an intensely personal and endearing facet of the creative process enabling me to be versatile in my writing. Women writers such as the great Dr. Maya Angelou and Dominican Jean Rhys author of ‘Wide Sargasso Sea’ have been huge influences on my writing career. The works of the English classics most notably William Shakespeare, Geoffrey Chaucer and Thomas Hardy early on in my education have fostered an appreciation for great and memorable characters. I want to credit my teachers especially during my years at St. Andrews High School for their dedication to English and Literature. My previous teachers helped instill in me the joy of writing and reading.
An avid blogger since 2009, I write on many topics including faith and spirituality. I credit my faith in God as the major sustaining influence in my life these last years. We can’t escape the harsh realities of life and I’ve had my fair share. The process of divorce and separation was a debilitating experience and I needed divine intervention to make me whole again. Wounded Bird No More, my first book of poetry, was born out of those painful experiences. We all get wounded sometime, but we can’t stay that way forever we must heal and move on .Pain I think is a necessary emotion because it is a great indicator that something needs to change. It is an impetus to remove that which is hurting; our healing begins when we surrender ourselves completely to the process.
Readers can follow me on my blog, Twitter, and Facebook.”
Mother as Key Inspiration
“My mother Bernadine is one of the strongest, most courageous women I’ve ever known. From our early years as children, she instilled in us the joy of learning and reading. My mother was usually busy providing for her growing family, and she would often say ‘I don’t have the time to read but children you read.’ When I was younger she would often buy books of colporteurs, booksellers who came to the village. Her many challenges and triumphs have shaped the woman I am today and for that I want to acknowledge her presence in my life.”
Writing in Full Swing
In only a span of three years, Joszann has already self-published four books with the leading Indiana-based publishing company.
“I’ve released four titles to date with Xlibris Publishing. They include two books of poetry ‘Wounded Bird No More’ and ‘I Want to Give My Love to Thee’ released in 2010. A novel ‘McKenna of Dreams and Substance’ also published in 2010 and a children’s story ‘Carla Saves Her Village’ in 2011. ‘Sonnets In Waking Moments’ currently in production, is my second novel and fifth publication.
After completing ‘McKenna of Dreams and Substance’ I felt the urge to write another novel. The novel is my favorite writing genre because it challenges me to explore my characters. I’m partial to women issues and their plight always tug on my heart strings. Maybe I’m a bit biased because I’m a woman. Throughout my life’s journey I’ve come across women from all walks of life and many cultural traditions. Females I have found like to share their stories, and women’s tales are always passionate in nature. At times our lives are fraught with angst, of living, loving, hurting, children, lack, and of course, our men. It is these stories that I’m drawn to, the poetry in all of us. I’ve come from a long tradition of women who’ve encountered many of the issues I feature in my work.
I got the idea for telling the story of Jane, a woman down on her luck and going through immense difficulties .I wanted to feature the story of women other than black women this time around. Maybe because I’m a product of both colonial and developed society I weave elements of both into my work. Anyways, I was floating around ideas of different time periods as a foundation for the story. I did not want to work in the contemporary era so it just came to me that I should work on the 1930’s Depression and the subsequent WWII. I didn’t settle on Jane though. My heroine is Anna Agnelli an Italian immigrant to Canada during the 1900’s and her daughter Viola. Other major characters include Ralph, Frank, Jimmy, Louise and Mark Ackerly. This book has been my most challenging work to date. Many times during the writing process I wanted to shelve the whole idea. But I kept returning each time to the manuscript; the urge to finish was greater than the desire to quit. My first novel took about three months to wrap; ‘Sonnets In Waking Moments’ was completed over the course of two years.
Self-Publishing with Xlibris
“The Xlibris family has been exceptionally accommodating to me throughout the years. They have been able to deliver on the vision I have expressed concerning all my projects. Self publishing can be a liberating and empowering experience. The author gets to have the major say in how his work will ultimately be presented. I think if one has the motivation to begin and complete a project that’s half of the job done already. The self published author must come to the table with his vision or in the process of shaping that vision. Many of us worry if we can accomplish our dreams of becoming an author, sure you can. During the process many people will aid you as your dreams and goals take flight. My absolute favorite part though is holding the completed book in my hands and sharing it with my readers.”
Message to Readers
“Life experiences run the gamut of good and bad ones so I tried to capture the poignancy of living especially during turbulent times. Even now the world is experiencing turmoil on many levels. Periods of boom and bust have characterised all human existence. I recently lost my sister Joan and I think some of my writing was a catharsis of that period in my life. Death and the loss one experiences forces you to come to grips with your own mortality. To be successful in life I believe one must love someone other than themselves. It is this search for acceptance that fuels our deepest passions. ‘Sonnets in Waking Moments is also a love story. The love between mother and child, love between neighbours and love between a man and a woman. The message I would like to convey to my readers is that there is an enduring quality about life, we fall down and get up again.”
Advice to Would-Be Writers
“Write down the vision, hold onto it, defend it and see it through to the end. Sometimes friends and family will not share in your exuberance; they might say you’re wasting your time. Get a real job some might tell you. Many times others don’t understand the urge to do what we do. Writers are unique individuals, there’s something bigger than you inside of you pushing you to express yourself. Someone is waiting on your words because writers are loaded with treasure. I would like to let people know that writing is a real job. Follow your dreams, you aspiring writer if you dare, dreams birth purpose and destiny. There will be times of frustration undoubtedly, but chip away continually at your project. ‘We eat by taking one bite at a time.'”
Future Writing Plans
“I would like to take some time to really focus my efforts on marketing my book to a bigger audience this time around. I enjoy writing immensely and nothing gives me greater joy other than my two children, but I have been going nonstop for the past four years. Some things in my life have suffered because of my dedication to my craft and so I want to address them hopefully this year. So no I haven’t thought ahead to a sequel but there is plenty of material for one if the need should arise. I’m excited to see how readers receive this new novel.”
Testing the Waters in Book Marketing
“In the past local libraries, some publications and radio shows have been extremely generous to me when I’ve approached them. I’ve lived in Toronto Canada for the past number of years as I’ve built my writing portfolio. Recently I changed addresses as I moved to New York City, my parents and sister live here. With this new release anything is possible; the sky’s the limit so they say. I hope to enlist some of the former avenues that have been kind to me before and hope to gain some new contacts. I’m not sure how the New York literary scene will receive my work but I’m excited to find out.”
The Xlibris Blog is grateful to Xlibris author Joszann St. John for sharing her insights and choosing Xlibris Publishing to share her craft to the world.
See more featured Xlibris authors at the Xlibris Indie Author Roundup. Know how to create your bestseller with writing, editing and marketing tips at the Xlibris Writer’s Workshop.