Rising Star Spotlight: Joanne Jaytanie

First of all, we must ask about your name!! "Jaytanie" That is so lovely but very unique.  Do you know its origins?
Jaytanie is a Lebanese name. My adoptive dad’s family are from Lebanon near Tripoli.
You grew up in a small town in New York State - When did the reading/writing bug hit you?
Sherburne is a town smack in the middle of New York farmland and there were approximately 3,300 residents there when I was growing up. As kids our big outing was to ride our bikes into town. We weren’t allowed to go past the red light – which was the only light in town. Even so, many a time we would dash across the street to go into the drugstore for penny candy or over to the bakery. And because it was such a small town, nearly every time we crossed the street, we got ratted out.
The first book I can remember reading was Green Eggs and Ham, by Dr. Seuss. I read every one of his books many times. I loved reading. The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Little Women, Alice in Wonderland, anything I could find at the library. Falling into the author’s make-believe world and living the adventure were my favorite pastimes.
I began writing when I was eight or nine. My mom passed away when I was only eight. My dad never shared his feelings or wanted to hear yours. I found solace in being able to express my thoughts in the pages of my journal.
The writing bug hit me full force in ninth grade. I chose creative writing and looked forward to the class every day. As it turned out, I excelled in creative writing, even writing poems, which I haven’t done in years. That class served as the initial spark that triggered my love of putting stories to paper.
At what point did you decide to actually publish a book?
I started writing my first novel in 2010, with the goal of publishing and in 2013 I realized that goal.
My debut novel was “Chasing Victory.” I was halfway through my story when I realized that it was more than a standalone novel, it was the start of my first series, “The Winters Sisters.”
You write in multiple genres from mystery/thrillers to paranormal to contemporary romance.  How do you decide which and when?
In the past, I’ve written the story I want when I want to write it. But as I add more series, I’m trying to rotate through them and write one book for each in turn. However, the plan this year is to write books five and six of The Winters Sisters, which will conclude that series...

Read the entire interview in the February 2020 issue of InD'Tale magazine.

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