Today I am extremely excited to present to you debut author, Joanna Davidson Politano. Joanna is an amazing writer with such a heart for God. Her writing transports you to another time and makes you forget the stresses of contemporary life. From the first time I read her work before it was ever contracted, she became my favorite author. Now that I have a physical copy of her book in my hands, I realize she is even better than I remembered!
And because I want to share her wonderful writing with you, one lucky entrant will win a copy of Lady Jane Disappears. Check out the details below.
Without further ado, allow me to introduce, Joanna.
Joanna is a work-from-home mom of one super cute little girl and one handsome little dude. She is married to her hero Vince, who is her love and polar opposite. She writes, he tears it up with the red pen. She breaks cars and other mechanical things, he puts them back together. He’s nailed the “speak the truth” thing, and she brings the “in love” part. But the real spark to her marriage is that he does not like chocolate and she… like it a normal amount. They love and live from their little house in the woods near Lake Michigan, which is undergoing a constant renovation.
WC: Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy, crazy life to answer these questions. I am so excited for your debut release date! Too bad we can’t have a debutante ball to celebrate.
You have a beautiful, wonderful, young family. How do you manage to get writing done while chasing around a one year old and a four year old?
JDP: Two words: Nap time! I put important things first (God time, children), and somehow all the needed writing time materializes because God can do things like that. I live by the principal that children are never a distraction from the important work—they are the important work. When I’m living (and “momming”) well, I write well. So I guess it’s really about these two words: TRUST GOD!
WC: When writing a story, what is the most important thing to you? The plot, the characters, the journey, or something else altogether?
JDP: I enjoy the characters, especially their dialogue, but the entire process of writing is invaluable to my entire life. It’s the way God gets my attention, teaches me the nuances of his truths, and keeps me very dependent on him. There’s no room for self-reliance when you’re a slow writer who’s also trying to be a mom—and you have deadlines to meet.
WC: Writing historical fiction is a research heavy genre. What made you choose the Victorian era?
JDP: I chose this era because some of my favorite writers lived and wrote in those years. It’s a time of industrial change and interesting political shifts… and beautiful gowns and flowery writing.
WC: Your voice is amazingly refreshing! Like taking a stroll through a Victorian garden. What author’s inspired your writing?
JDP: Thank you so much! I think my conversations 
with God is where my writing voice originated. As far as writers, I’d say Daphne Du Maurier for atmosphere, Charles Dickens for characters, Martha Grimes for witty lines, and Mary Higgins Clark for tension. I could never hope to rival them, but I sure enjoy reading and dissecting their work!
Lady Jane Disappears is your debut novel. How does it feel to have something you wrote in other people’s hands?
A little like a voluntary invasion of privacy! I never intended this novel to be published—it was my practice novel in which I meant to explore all the elements of a book I truly enjoyed so I could find my own niche. Somehow the freedom of writing for practice loosened the most authentic storytelling in me, and it worked better than when I tried hard. Go figure.
It’s hard to release private thoughts and personal artwork into the world and open it up for critique, but I love being authentic and open, too. Hopefully something I say strikes a chord with someone else, and I believe it might, only because God put me on this path, gave me things to write about, and then facilitated the publication of those words. Hopefully he has a reason for it besides the exercise of me baring my heart.
WC: What has God taught you along this journey?
JDP: I can’t do anything—anything—without him. He can give and he can take away. Writing, mothering, or even breathing is all done by his say-so and can be taken away just as quickly. I’ve truly learned to trust-fall into God every single day. I’ve learned about writing, deadlines, marketing… but mostly I’ve learned how to have an intimate hand-in-hand relationship with God.
WC: What inspired you to write Lady Jane Disappears?
JDP: You know, it’s a funny story. As a kid, I had this way of meting out justice—I wrote kids in my class into anonymous stories that ended up getting passed around the class. How fun, I thought, if an overlooked girl did the same thing in a Victorian household? What sort of wonderful chaos would that create in a straight-laced era full of covered-up sins and thin facades? So I wrote about a serial novelist who writes everyone around her into her novels and publishes them under a pen name. Oh, the trouble she caused!
WC: Give us a high and a low. What was the best/easiest thing about writing Lady Jane Disappears? The worst/hardest part?
JDP: Honestly, I loved all of it. Because it was a “practice” novel, I simply enjoyed putting it on paper and it flowed quite easily. I included every element I love in a novel, not pausing to care about what should or shouldn’t go into a book. It was also published pretty easily (after many MANY failed attempts with previous stories—don’t get me wrong, I was no overnight success). I think the best part was writing the ending—oh, how I love endings! The lowest… wondering what to write next that would be as much fun!
WC: Last question and it is just a fun one that my husband asks when he interviews people. Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck or 100 duck-sized 
horses? Any particular reason why?
JDP: One horse-sized duck! I could never explain to 100 horses of any size why I was trying to fight them, because you could never get that many to listen at once.
WC: Thank you so much for taking the time to participate in this interview and for writing such an amazing book. I absolutely cannot wait for others to read it.
Connect with Joanna: Facebook https://jdpstories.com/ Newsletter
What about you, my reader friends? Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck or 100 duck sized-horses? Why?
Comment below and then enter the drawing through the rafflecopter link below for a chance to win your own copy of Lady Jane Disappears. (After having trouble reaching the winner in my last interview, I think this might be the easiest way to contact a winner.) Then come back next week to find out the winner and read my review on her official release day, October 3rd! *Open to residents of the 48 Contiguous United States* comments close at 11:59 PM, Oct. 2nd.
Absolutely loved this interview! My oh my, what a hoot of a question… I think I’d rather fight a horse-sized duck because I’ve trained horses and this can’t be too bad to deal with. 😉 100 would just be too many at once.
I’m thrilled about Joanna’s book!! I’ve been anticipating it’s arrival and would enjoy reading it.
Unless your duck-horse is named Cali, right Cathryn?
What a great interview of a new-to-me author and the book sounds so interesting. I have it on my TBR list already. Can’t wait to read it. Thanks for the giveaway and good luck everyone.
You will love it. She is amazing!
I would rather fight a horse-sized duck. 100 duck-sized horses are way to many.
I think I must be the odd ball, I’d rather the 100 duck-sized horses. Imagine how cute they would be, and I would be bigger than them. But I am short and the thought of a duck bigger than me is intimidating. 😅
Wonderful Interview! I just started reading Lady Jayne Disappears, and I’m loving it!
Fantastic, isn’t it? There are just so many layers. ❤️
Yes, and I love the book quotes at the beginning of each chapter. I use little sticky flags to mark quotes (or other things I want to find later), and I’ve already used 9 flags for chapters 1-4!
I did the same thing last night. I read to distract from my nausea from a migraine so I didn’t count how many, but there are a lot!
I just so happen to have the book next to me… or I would not have known how many either 🙂
The author influencing this author also appeal to me! I would rather fight one creature that 100, even if it was a giant sized duck! I cannot wait to read this book!
You will love it! Definitely a favorite of mine!
Wow great interview. I’d rather fight a duck that was as big as a horse. Only one thing to deal with! I’ve noticed this book and am eager to read it. Thanks for the chance!
Thanks! I would definitely check it out no matter the outcome of the raffle. 🙂
Love the cover! Looking forward to reading Lady Jayne 🙂
You will love it!
One horse-sized duck. I could at least keep it corralled and give it something to make it sleep while I find a nice lake for it to swim in. 🙂
This books sounds sooo good! I am looking forward to reading it. The cover is mysterious and creative also. Love it.
Oh I like your thinking.
Hmmm…quite a question! I think mid go with 100 duck sized horses. They sound so cute! Can’t wait to read Joanna’s book.
A fellow 100 duck sized horse person! We are a rare breed.
Probably the duck–one would have to watch out for that bill (powered by a very quick, strong neck), but they have fairly delicate legs, so the strategy would be to disable the legs before finishing it off. I think I’d be overpowered by 100 duck-size horses purely due to sheer numbers.
Good logic!
What a funny question! I’ll go with the horse sized duck because I only have to focus on one creature.
Seems to be the general consensus. 🙂
What a fun interview! I would rather fight one horse-sized duck because I can imagine one horse-sized duck better than 100 duck-sized horses and just having the opponent more clear in my mind will help be battle that said opponent!
Thanks for the giveaway!
Well, I guess my answer would be a one horse-sized duck! Thank you.
Wow. I guess I would say one horse-sized duck. Thanks.
Probably 100 duck-sized horses… Smaller, less intimidating, and my trusty sidekick (my dog Ginger) could help me chase them away if they were a little closer to her 57 lb size…
Love the dog’s help!!
What a question! I think I would go with most of the others and say one horse sized duck.
I would have to choose the duck, although if it were as big as Mira it could probably eat me like I was a June bug. It’s been my experience that the smaller the horse, the harder they are to reason with, so no herd of tiny fairy horses for me. Nice interview though. Sounds like an interesting book!
Having met Mira, I agree! 😅
I would just love to see all those tiny, cute horses! The big duck would be too scary for me.
I am with you!
I don’t know, probably neither one!
Oh I am so intrigued and I cannot wait to read “Lady Jayne Dissappears”! Thank you for the interview Crystal and Joanna. I absolutely loved how Joanna says “I can’t do anything without God”. Reversing the verse “all things are possible through Christ” to NOTHING is possible without God. Really made me pause.
I would say I would choose to fight one horse sized duck, because my son Wyatt would have a fit if I tried to harm any horse, duck sized or no.
Thank you, Crystal, again for the interview and whetting my appetite to snatch this book up at my soonest possibility.
One horse sized duck. In a 1-on-1 fight I’m less distracted from my objective.
One horse-sized duck because it can’t gang up on me!