Lunchtime Poll with Jodi May

September 12, 2024 Joanna Monahan

With all the back-to-school energy in the air it seems only fitting that this month’s guest is New Adult Fiction author and creator of the Hillside Academy series, Jodi May.

I am happy you are here, my friend! I have lots of questions about writing and world-building, so let’s get right into it…
You are almost 20 years into creating your 24 book series set at the fictional boarding school of Hillside Academy. How did Hillside Academy start?
With Lord of the Rings. I used to say I’d never tell people that but here we are.

Lunchtime Poll with Delise Torres

July 11, 2024 Joanna Monahan

Delise Torres grew up in Puerto Rico, watching telenovelas and re-enacting scenes with her Barbies. Once she outgrew her dolls, she turned to daydreaming, and it wasn’t until her late thirties when she finally put her own stories to paper, and her passion for writing was born.
She has a PhD in Food Science and former work experience as a quality assurance manager in the food industry. When not writing, you can find her trying to time-manage her life, singing, reading, and streaming shows and movies. She lives in Germany with her daughter and German husband. Her first novel, One Tough Cookie, came out last year from Alcove Press.

Delise and I met through a writing challenge on Instagram in 2021 and bonded over the fact that we were both Women’s Fiction writers about to start querying our first books. In 2023, our books debuted within a month of each other. Delise is a wonderful writer, marketer, and supporter of the writing community, and I’m thrilled to introduce her as this month’s guest author.

Bookish BFFs, Pt 2: Jennifer interviews Joanna

June 12, 2024 Joanna Monahan

Meet Joanna

Joanna Monahan lives in North Carolina with her husband, their two children, and one hangry cat.

Before she began writing Women’s Fiction, Joanna worked in marketing and special events. She also spent two years as a professional organizer.

When she isn’t writing, Joanna enjoys theater, baseball, and bookmarking recipes she will never make. A child of the 80s, she regrets that she no longer receives pizza coupons in exchange for reading books.

As part of our dual celebration of book birthdays (Jen’s main characters’ shared nativity on June 13, Joanna: SOMETHING BETTER turns 1 June 20th), Jen flipped the script and interviewed me!

Bookish BFFs, Pt 1: Meet Jennifer Brasington-Crowley

June 12, 2024 Joanna Monahan

When I started these lunchtime polls last year, I knew right away that my next guest would occupy the June 2024 slot. That’s because all of her major characters share a June 13 birthday. So I am thrilled to celebrate today by sharing a little bit about my bookish bestie, author of the Raven Song and Stillwaters series, Jennifer Brasington-Crowley.

Talking Tea and Writing with author Beth Weg

March 7, 2024 Joanna Monahan

One of my favorite Instagram accounts is @realbethweg. Besides being a writer, she is a tea enthusiast and has developed a dedicated following for her gorgeous social media posts.

I’m so excited to talk to Beth today about her writing and how she created one of the best author brands I’ve ever seen. Thank you, Beth, for joining me!