Meet Author Joanne Sloan

I am honored to introduce you to my sweet friend, Joanne Sloan.

I met Joanne through the Southern Christian Writers Conference (SCWC) that she and her dear husband, David, founded.

(My interview with David and review of his book,

She writes a monthly column in The Alabama Baptist called “Heroes of the Faith.”

(Click here to read her full bio and my review of The Widow’s Tea Challenge.)

Joanne is always eager to know how you’re doing and what writing projects you have in the works.

During breaks at the SCWC, I often see one or two writers talking to Joanne, “picking his brain,” and receiving encouragement from her. She is always ready to answer questions and listen to people’s concerns and stories and is a wonderful encourager.

SJC: What words of advice would you give to a beginning writer?

JS: Write something every day. If you begin by writing 250 words a day, writing will become a habit.

Set goals and deadlines. Example of a goal: Send out five e-queries each week to magazines.

Be realistic. You will have rejections. The more queries you send out, the more rejections you will receive. 

Be patient. Remember some of the most famous writers got hundreds of rejections. Dr. Seuss got 27 rejections on his first book. He was walking home to burn the manuscript, And To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, when he ran into a friend who had that day become a children’s editor. His company bought the book. The rest is history. 

Be professional. Learn about writing from conferences, books, and magazines on writings, and your own success. Edit your work carefully before submitting it. If you need help, find an editing service.

SJC: What do you hope your readers take away from this The Widows’ Tea Challenge?

JS: The Widows’ Tea Challenge is a novel about four widows who meet once a month for tea and fellowship. At their first meeting of the year, the oldest member challenges the others to do something they have always wanted to do.

The widows take on a challenge and with faith and perseverance amid sorrows and adversities achieve their dreams.

I chose widows because I grew up with numerous widows. I have learned from them from childhood through adulthood.

My novel is for all women. I hope many readers will take up a challenge to do something they have always wanted to do. It may be they want to travel, take up quilting, or organize their home.

I have heard from several readers who decided to take on a challenge. It was a heartwarming experience to hear from them. I hope other women encourage these readers, as my widows have, to realize their aspirations.

SJC: Why is it important for Christian writers to be involved with Christian writers’ groups?

JS: It is important for Christian writers to be involved with local Christian writers’ clubs and with Christian writers’ conferences.

Many writers need to learn valuable information about how to write poetry, devotionals, articles, non-fiction books, or novels.

Some writers need inspiration and motivation. I’ve witnessed some people get so motivated that they started writing and publishing soon after going to one conference.

Some of us have been fortunate to have been exposed to writing and have received much encouragement. Some people don’t have those privileges. Wives or husbands don’t encourage them. In fact, I’ve heard writers say they have no support. They are alone unless they belong to a writers’ club or attend a writing conference.

Being with other writers at a conference helps writers network. They learn from other writers who have experience with magazines that need freelance material and what online magazines to contact. They share what has worked for them—self-publish or go through a publishing company.

SJC: What books or authors have influenced your writing?

JS: In elementary school, I read every biography we had on our bookshelves. Whether it was Florence Nightingale or George Washington Carver, I fell in love with reading about other people’s lives. For almost eight years, I have written about my heroes and heroines in a monthly column in The Alabama Baptist called “Heroes of the Faith.”

I like the classics. I rarely read modern novels except for suggestions from others about good books. American writers I enjoy include Willa Cather, Flannery O’Connor, Eudora Welty, Ernest Hemingway, and John Steinbeck.

I’ve probably read more British authors than American ones. Jane Austen is one of my favorites. Her dialogue is superb in Pride and Prejudice, which I have read several times. The first classic I read as a young teenager was Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre.

I have devoured the novels of Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, George Eliot (pen name of Mary Ann Evans), J.R.R. Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis, among others.

I assume everything I have read has collectively influenced my writing.

SJC: What three words best describe you?

JS: Three words that best describe me are curious, thorough, and joyful.

I am curious. I especially am curious about people—their lives, their loves, and their activities. Being curious has helped me in my writing. It has helped me come up with ideas, pursue avenues for writing an article or a book, and start writing fiction. Being curious has gotten me into a lot of work. For example, one morning over 20 years ago during my quiet time, I thought about writing 365 devotions focused upon the life of missionaries. That day I called New Hope Publishers (now part of Iron Stream Media) about the idea. They immediately said they wanted a proposal. They liked my proposal, and my daughter Cheryl Wray and I started writing. She took 183 contemporary missionaries. I took 183 historical missionaries. The writing took us a year. No wonder. I had 183 missionaries to research and write a devotional about, and Cheryl had to find and interview 183 and write a devotional. It was a formidable task.

I am thorough. When I write my “Heroes of the Faith” column in The Alabama Baptist, I have to thoroughly research. When I find discrepancies in information about a person, I have to continue to research. It may consist of finding the names of parents, locating an important date, etc. It is important for me to get the column correct.

I am joyful. My favorite words in the Bible are joy and rejoice. I am happy to start the day with “This is the day the Lord has made. Let me rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). The Apostle Paul’s rejoicing in Philippians, my favorite book in the Bible, inspires me.

service.

Here’s my review of The Widow’s Challenge.