Meet Joyce Anthony

Joyce A. Anthony shares her PA home wiht her teenage son, good friend, and mimi-zoo. Homeschooling mother, photographer, generalogist, animal advocate and psychologist are all roles that she fills in addition to freelance writer and editor. Joyce is the author of Storm, a spiritual fantasy and two books to be released in 2009: Spirit of the Stallion and Shattered Rainbow. She answers questions as an "expert" on bipolar disorder at AllExperts.com and is currently working on two additional blogs --- one for bipolar disorder and one for Asperger's Syndrome.



I asked her a few questions about her writing life, so we could get to know her better.

1.What is a typical writing day like for you? Approximately how many words do you try to write in a day? What is your workspace like?

Nancy, there is absolutely nothing "typical" in my house! :-) The truth is, I fit my writing in whenever I can. I have tried to set up a routine, but organizing just does not work for me. My computer desk is in the living room and it interruptions are constant. I work best in what many people consider chaos.


2.What do you enjoy most about writing?

I love everything about writing--the ability to share things I know is important, but I think my favorite part is writing something that I know will incite some strong emotion in the reader--hopefully one strong enough to make them want to DO something.



3.How do you advertise your books? Blog? Website? Magazine advertisement? What works best for you?

I am just starting to "get" promotion. I have my blog, which I try to keep updated regularly, I belong to many groups--not just writing ones, but ones that "fit" with my subject matter, I Twitter and this year I will be doing some workshops at online conferences. Basically, I've just begun to get my name out there where people recognize it.



4.What are you working on right now? Tell us a little about the plot setting and characters. How did you get the idea?

I am currently working on two projects. Spirit of the Stallion. This is a non-fiction book detailing my son's life to this point. He is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, Asperger's, sensory integration issues and OCD. We had a rough road for a time, but I'm hoping that his story will help other parents hang onto hope. The second and third parts of the book are practical advice for those involved with special needs children. Most books on the market these days don't delve into the darker areas of how to deal with things like opening the door to four officers with drawn guns, how to handle hallucinations-or even issues like two left socks. I want this book to be both encouraging and helpful.

My second project, Shattered Rainbow, follows the life of a woman from the age of three through her early forties. During those years, she faces sexual, physical and emotional abuse; deals daily with her own and her family's mental health issues, alcoholism, suicide attempts and more. It details how she overcame the adversities to emerge with some semblance of sanity. Again, this is meant to be a book to inspire hope.

(My "motto" is tentatively starting to be: Writing rainbows of hope--one book at a time.")



5.What is the best tip you can give someone who wants to be an author?

Believe in yourself and what you write! There will always be those who try to discourage you, but you need to keep writing, keep sharing-and keep growing.