Frequently Asked Questions

1. What kind of perm do you have? Uh, a really permanent one. My hair is naturally curly. I once saw a Peanuts cartoon where the little girl poofs her tresses and says, "Naturally curly hair is a sign of genetic superiority." I sure hope so!
2. When and how did you get started writing? I made my first "book" when I was a little kid. I put a cover on it and filled it with silly poems like, "I love pickles because they tickles." (I think my skills have improved since then. Certainly you can't fault me for lack of ambition.)
3. What would you say is the theme that runs through all your books? I believe you can't keep a good person down...for long. I like that image of the Weebles, remember? Weebles wobble but they don't fall down. One of my favorite things to remind myself is, "Lift up your chin, stick out that chest, pull up your big girl panties and try again!"
4. How many books have you written? Thirteen: Using Stories and Humor: Grab Your Audience; Scrapbook Storytelling; One Minute Journaling; Quick & Easy Pages; Storytelling with Rubber Stamps; The Scrapbooker's Journaling Companion; Adventures in Journaling; I'm Too Blessed to be Depressed; Bless This Mess; Leaving a Legacy: How to Write a Letter That Will Change Someone's Life (not available yet); Paper, Scissors, Dead (Fall 2008); Scraplifted (July 2009), and a young adult novel being shopped around in New York.
5. Do you have a favorite movie? More than one: The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Jane Eyre (all versions), The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Bell Book and Candle, The Four Friends, Cross Creek, and Michael (the one with John Travolta as an angel).
6. Favorite book? Again, more than one, but these really come to mind: Jane Eyre, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Cross Creek, The Prince of Tides, Writing to Learn, and Lives of the Monster Dogs.
7. In your book, Kiki owns a Great Dane. Do you own a Great Dane? No, but I did in college. Actually, at one point I had thirteen of them. I love them, really I do. And I'd love to have a Harlequin. But right now I own two Bichons-one a purebred and the other a rescue dog who's part Bichon and part poodle.
8. You set Paper, Scissors, Dead in St. Louis. Why? I'm intrigued by the idea that a place can be a "character" in a book. I love the St. Louis area, and I consider it to be under-publicized. I felt I could "do my part" to let people know about it by setting my books here.
9. Are you really a scrapbooker? Uh, yeah...I mean, check out my books on the subject. Or go to my other website www.scrapbookstorytelling.com and click on the Archives section. You'll see pages I've done.
10. Did you really start a scrapbooking contest in England? Yes, I did. The Best of British Scrapbooking is an annual contest. ScrapBook Inspirations magazine and I run it. I judge the entries. It's super-and it has launched many talented designers' careers. Go to www.scrapbookinspirationsmagazine.co.uk for more information.
11. Is it true your husband is a poker player? Yes, he's a semi-professional poker player. They call him "the Piano Man," and he owns the Steinway Piano Gallery in St. Louis.
12. Do you play the piano? No, I'm the audience. It's an important job.
13. How many kids do you have? One, Michael, a senior in high school. He plays guitar and I'm his biggest fan. I scream for him at concerts. His friends think it's pretty funny.
14. Where did you grow up? In Vincennes, Indiana, the hometown of Red Skelton, the famous comedian.
15. Where have you traveled? Australia, China, Korea, Japan, Egypt, Austria, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, England, Scotland, Wales, Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, St. Thomas, Aruba, Canada, Mexico, Belize, Haiti, and Jamaica. I think that's covered it! (Of course, I've also spoken in 20-some of the 50 states, so naturally I've traveled throughout the United States.)
16. What's your favorite place in the world? Oh, boy. I can honestly say I've loved every place I've been. I would be very happy living in England or Australia. However, I am an American, through and through, and I love this country. Americans are different-we have an unbridled optimism and a can-do spirit that sets us apart. With all our problems and flaws, this is still the most wonderful country on earth to me.
17. Why did you make the change from writing non-fiction to fiction? I love telling stories and entertaining people. Besides, isn't that a common dream: to write the great American novel? I don't know that I can do that...but if I can give someone a little mental vacation from their cares, I've done enough.
18. Why mysteries? Mysteries matter. The issues are life and death, and you know that right will prevail. Plus, to make the transition from non-fiction to fiction I wanted a fairly predictable format with a structure I could master (or try to).
19. When you were a motivational speaker what did you talk about? I tried to empower people. I also liked to make them laugh. I like that a lot. Minnie Pearl once said, "Laughter is God's hand on the shoulder of a weary world." Isn't that divine?
20. Who do you like to read? That list would go on and on. I read a couple of books a week, so at any given time I'm admiring the skills of a variety of authors.
21. Do you belong to a critique group? Yes, I call us the "Sunrise Writers" because we meet in a little restaurant called the Sunrise Cafe. My partners are Judy Moresi and Donna Ross. I respect and admire both of them, and we have a very useful synergy. Meeting with them has vastly improved my work.
22. Do you exercise? As much as I can. This is such a sedentary job, and it is so easy to just stare at a screen and not move. I've done Jazzercise since I first saw it at the Knoxville (TN) World's Fair in 1982. I try to make it to spinning twice a week, and I lift weights once or twice a week. I love yoga, but I haven't found the right class for me lately. I love dancing. In fact, I really dance with abandon which is how I got the idea for the scene in the second Kiki Lowenstein book, Scraplifted.
23. How did Kiki Lowenstein get her name? Kiki was the name of my mother's cat. I love the sound of it. I chose Lowenstein because of the book The Prince of Tides. That's the name of his therapist, as you'll remember. I really contented to that scene where Nick Nolte is driving his convertible over the big bridge in Charleston, SC, and he keeps repeating, "Lowenstein, Lowenstein, Lowenstein." He's paying homage to his therapist. I've spent so much time in therapy that I should get an honorary degree, so I felt an attachment to Lowenstein. Plus, Lowensteins was the name of a store in Vincennes where I grew up.
24. What's a typical day like for you? I get up around 7:30 or 8, sometimes earlier. I drink coffee from Kaldi's or my husband makes me a latte to have with my breakfast. Then I head downstairs to my office with the dogs trailing along behind. I write until exercise time or lunch. I write some more, and if I really can't stand myself, I shower. When my son comes home from school, I feed him. (He's always hungry these days because he's growing.) I start dinner. I go back to writing. When my husband comes home, I get dinner on the table. After dinner, I watch tv-The Closer, Saving Grace, House, and Bones. If those aren't on, I go downstairs and write. Or I write after I watch tv. While I watch, I crochet.
25. How many days a week do you write? Everyday. Sometimes I'll skip a Saturday. Sometimes I don't get to work on fiction because I'm working on magazine articles, marketing stuff, or Sisters in Crime stuff.
26. How do you handle writer's block? I don't believe in it. At least not for myself. Some days the words flow. Other days all I write is crap. But you can edit junk and you can't edit nothing, so if junk is all I have, I write junk and edit it until it's acceptable.
27. What's your educational background? I graduated magna cum laude from Ball State University with a degree in journalism and a minor in psychology. I worked my way through college and was employed full-time my senior year. I paid for all but the first year of my education. I briefly attended graduate school in communications at University of Illinois.
28. How often do you rewrite or rework your books? As many times as I can. I rewrote the opening to one at least eight times.
29. How long does it take you to write a book? Depends on the book. Anywhere from one month to do a rough draft and three months to edit to seven years and counting for another.
30. How can I contact you? You can email me at joannaslan@aol.com Just be sure to put "visited your website" in the subject line.
31. Where can I learn more about writing? Go to the Resource area and click on Tips for Authors, or go to tipsforauthors.blogspot.com