Author Introduction - Welcome Author JoAnn Carterl to the Desert Breeze Family

STEPH: JoAnn, welcome to Desert Breeze. Tell us a little about yourself. Where did you grow up?

JOANN: Thank you for the warm welcome and for inviting me to join you today. I'm a native Jersey girl who grew up in the Pine Barrens, not far from Fort Dix. I worked as an LPN until our second son was born.

STEPH: Who were some of your favorite authors growing up?

JOANN: Janette Oke and Frank Peretti

STEPH: What genre do you write?

JOANN: I write mostly inspirational fiction—contemporary romance, romantic suspense, historical romance and general women's fiction. I also have one children's fiction, a few short stories, and some non-fiction articles.

STEPH; You have an upcoming release with Desert Breeze. Can you tell us when, the title, and let us know what it's about?

JOANN: Yes, I'm so excited about this Historical Fiction series. The first story is called, The Floating Palace. This will be released on my husband's birthday—July 15, 2011.

Here's the blurb~
ELLIE DUNKLING’S life long dream has been to work on one of Lake Champlain ’s steamboats, the Ticonderoga . There’s only one problem. Men, not women, are hired to work on steamboats. Ellie however is determined to change that. After all, it is 1923 and far from the dark-ages.

Captain PHILIP LAWHORN is a man’s man. When Champlain Transportation Inc. informs him that a woman has been hired to work on his ship as stewardess, he’s anything but pleased. First of all, he doesn’t appreciate the fact that someone’s been hired as part of his twenty-eight member crew without his knowledge. Secondly, how is he supposed to handle this company mandated sure to be disaster?

STEPH: Do you have an ebook reader? If so, which one?

JOANN: Oh, I wish! Unfortunately, I'm still in the dark ages. I download books to my computer and read them from there. I'm still saving up my pennies though. Perhaps one day I'll be able to purchase one. J

STEPH: Do you have any other books that are available?

JOANN: Yes. Teacher's Plans, By the Book, Sweet Rest, Smuggler of the Heart, Daniella, and a few "free read" stories are available as well. (There's more information about this on my website.)

STEPH: . Can you tell us a little about the state you live in?

JOANN: Although I grew up in NJ and lived there most of my life, about nine years ago, our family moved to Vermont. We love the beauty of this place and are really enjoying our time here, ministering in a small town called Jericho.

So lets see, what is interesting about VT? It is the home and birthplace of our 30th president, Calvin Coolidge. We have lots of dairy farmers (Cabot Cheese) and great coffee (Green Mountain.) The Ethan Allen homestead is right here and this is where Snowflake Bently discovered in the late 1800's through photography that there are no two snowflakes alike. We have beautiful fat Maple trees that produce yummy syrup. And how could I almost forget to mention skiing? If you enjoy winter sports, this is a great place to be.

STEPH:. Just for fun: pick your favorite: Monet, Picasso, or Renoir?

JOANN: Hmm—I think I'll go with Picasso.

STEPH: . Are you doing NaNoWriMo this year? Have you done it in the past?

JOANN: Funny you should ask this question. I was just thinking about NaNo WriMo. I'd love to try, but it always happens in November. The long Thanksgiving Break, when the boys are home, would set me too far behind schedule. So, instead I just plot along at my regular pace. Perhaps once they are all out of school, I'll give it a shot.

STEPH: . Where can we find you on the web?

JOANN: http://home.comcast.net/~jo.glenncarter/site
Thanks for having me here today!