I’m
so excited to interview
award
winning author, Donna Jo Stone, today! If you’ve been lucky enough
to read her novelette, “A Wedding to Remember” you already know
how touching her writing is. Her debut novel “Joann”, part of the
Apron Strings series, releases this month and we get to hear more
about it today! Without further ado, here’s Donna!
Donna Jo Stone writes southern-flavored novels for the inspirational and general market. Her stories are often about people facing tough times. Not all of her books have romance but when they do, the romances are sweet. No graphic language, sex, or violence, just plenty of heart-tugging emotion with endings that leave readers with a sense of hope.
First,
let’s learn a little bit about you. Can you share a few things
about yourself that have nothing to do with writing?
When
I was a young child, I once won a gardening contest. Unfortunately,
my green thumb disappeared as I grew into adulthood, though I keep
buying plants.
My
favorite places to visit are small, interesting places along the way
to somewhere else, a habit probably developed from road trips with
the family in the old station wagon. Tiny museums, small town
libraries, and thrift shops draw me like a bee to honey. I could
spend hours poking around in such places.
I
collect teapots, and have given a few teas. I adored having tea
parties for my daughter and her friends. And my sons were always
happy to taste test the trifle and scones
That’s
fascinating! I love road trips with my family and may have to start
collecting a few things along the way, as well :) What
drew you to write?
I’ve
always loved writing and reading.
My
father was a great storyteller and would regale anyone who’d listen
with a tale or two, so I think it’s inherited. My mother loved to
read and we visited the library regularly. Books were special in our
house. My mother didn’t write novels, but she was constantly
writing letters.
I wrote my first “book” at age seven. I made a booklet with
illustrations and a green construction paper cover. In my story, when
the princess found the frog and kissed him, he didn’t turn into a
prince—she became a frog.
You
wrote your first book at seven? Your love for story is evident! How
do you come up with your story ideas?
Sometimes
I get fascinated about the history of a place and start wondering
what life would have been like. The next thing I know, a story seed
starts blooming. When I was a young child, we lived in a rural area.
I was the sort of girl who loved fairy tales and the woods were the
perfect place to dream up all sorts of characters and scenarios.
My
stories are often sparked by a photo, a song lyric, or a quote, but I
also have fun with putting my own spin on assigned stories, working
within set perimeters to create a novel.
The
idea part is usually easy. However, that does not mean the execution
is!
We’ve
all been waiting. Tell
us about your new release. Joann is part of the Apron Strings Series,
correct? Can you share a little bit about the series and where this
story fits in the series?
Joann
is book five in the Apron Strings book series, a collection of
inspirational novels connected by one cookbook, Mrs.
Canfield’s Cookery Book,
as it changes hands from woman to woman. There is one novel for each
decade from 1920 to 2020 featuring a new character. All of the
stories are set in small towns or rural communities.
My
novel is set in the 1960s. Joann lives in Pecan Grove, Louisiana, and
helps in the family store. During that period of history, women were
often forced to choose between working or getting married. There’s
a romance, and a sister story. Of course, I had to put music in a
story from the 60s.
The
Apron Strings Series is the brainchild of Jenny Knipfer. I was
thrilled to join the lineup of inspirational authors Naomi Musch, Amy
Walsh, Patti Wolf, Jessica Marie Holt, Sandra Ardoin, Lisa R.
Howeler, Dawn Klinge, Regina Walker, and Dawn Kinzer. It’s a
wonderful series, and a wonderful group of ladies.
Are
there certain themes explored in the story?
Joann
is a practical type of person, the kind who rolls up her sleeves and
tries to make things better. She’s the oldest and feels responsible
for her family, so it’s hard for her to lean on others, including
God. She has to work out the balance between her desire to be in
charge of her own destiny and her need to let someone else steer the
ship a little bit.
The
60s were a time of huge change and pivotal events. I wish I could’ve
explored more of the topics of the decade, but there were so many,
more than enough to write ten books! We can learn a lot from those
who went before and how they faced upheaval and change.
The
characters in your books always feel so real. Do
you have any favorites
?
Can
I say all of them? They are all unique. Some break your heart a
little more, due to the circumstances they face. I have a few stories
featuring teens on the autism spectrum and those get me in my
emotions. Teens are often alternately heart-tugging and humorous.
What
are you working on now?
I
have two projects I’m currently working on for release later in
2024.
When
the Wildflowers Bloom Again, a
southern, coming-of-age set in 1978 rural North Louisiana. My
character, fourteen-year-old Marigold Parker, is part of a close-knit
family. When she’s assaulted by her older male cousin and turns up
pregnant, she doesn’t know who to turn to for help. This book will
be out later in 2024.
I
believe with all my heart God helped me write When
the Wildflowers Bloom Again.
It needed the most editing (read that as total gutting and rewriting)
of anything I’ve written.
When the Wildflowers Bloom Again has
won multiple literary awards.
Also
slated for release later this year is a domestic suspense with
romance as part of the Our House series, a collaboration with a
wonderful group of inspirational fiction authors. The books are set
in different eras, some historical, some contemporary, and are of
different genres, but all share the same location, an English Village
in Suffolk. I could not resist joining this project, since my mother
was from England. She would’ve gotten a kick out of it.
My
book is set in 1983. My main character is a successful real estate
agent but her deepest wish is to reconnect with her birth mother.
Then, when she gets a letter threatening her mother (there’s a
shady business deal she knows about and the bad guys want to shut her
up) she flies to England and must find her.
When
you’re not writing, what do you enjoy doing?
I’ve
always enjoyed all sorts of handicrafts. I took up quilting about
fifteen years ago but still consider myself a beginner. I make about
one quilted jacket a year, and one quilt. My storytelling finds its
way into that as well, though. When my mother went into the hospital
and we knew it was for the last time, I began designing and sewing a
grieving quilt.
I
posted the pattern and the meaning behind the quilt here.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Xl6sM5yI2x9tx8qXf_nupn2hlWEoqAyk7osy7IqXnIA/edit?usp=sharing
This
past year I made a quilted jacket from a sweatshirt using fabrics and
scraps from my stash. I have great fun practicing free motion
quilting. Just don’t look too close at the stitching!
O ne
cookbook connects them all...
Joann
~ Book
Five in a string of heartfelt inspirational stories, featuring
different women throughout the decades from 1920 to
2020.
Twenty-four-year-old
Joann Kincaid’s life ambition is to one day run the family’s
general store in Pecan Grove, Louisiana. It’s 1965 and the times
may be a-changing, but Joann’s father is stubbornly hanging on to
old-fashioned views about what he wants for his daughter. She’s
just as determined to prove she’s a capable businesswoman.
In
the past, she entertained romantic dreams alongside her vision for
the store but discarded those notions when her high school
sweetheart, Nathan, left for college. Now he’s back to reestablish
his family’s farm—and a relationship with Joann. She still loves
him but isn’t sure she can trust him.
As the conflict in
Vietnam escalates, there’s a real possibility Nathan could be
drafted. Should Joann pursue her lifelong dream to continue her
family’s legacy? Or give Nathan a chance to prove he’ll be her
true and committed love before it’s too late for them?
.jpg)
