About the Author
Joanna grew up in a small town in Canada along the Minnesota border. She moved away to North Dakota after high school to pursue a degree in nursing. At that time in her life, it was not the path she wanted to go. At 21 years old, Joanna had her son Bronc. She put going back to school on hold so she could raise her son. She moved back to her home town so Bronc could grow up the same way she did, close to family. As the years slipped away, Joanna still had no idea what she wanted to be when she grew up. After ten years, Joanna finally decided to take a leap and go back to college to pursue a nursing degree. She has lots of work to do these upcoming semesters. She is both extremely nervous and excited at the same time.
Joanna has battled depression and anxiety for 12+ years but doesn't like to let it define her. She only recently decided to open up and talk more openly about it to help others. She has spent many years trying to find her place and discover who she was. She was always afraid to follow any dreams she had. She would easily get discouraged and would never follow through only because of the fear of rejection or was always worried about what other people would think. After losing an important family member, going into a downward spiral, and many prayers, she decided it was finally time to pick herself up and follow her dreams. Writing has always been a way for her to cope and deal with the things that troubled her in her life. She has unfinished novels waiting to be finished, and unfinished ideas that will finally be complete. Joanna is so proud of her son, her life, her decision to go back to college, her upcoming books and most recently, who she is as a person.
Bronc James
Bronc was born 7 weeks early and spent 17 days in the NICU hospital in Winnipeg Manitoba. He has grown into a smart, funny, and kind 7 year old boy. He has been a strong-willed child since the day he was born. His love for his family and cats is completely endless. He is so full of joy and lights up any room that he walks into. He spends most of his time drawing the images inside his head. He is creative in everything that he does. He has an imagination sometimes blows my mind away. Bronc has a special way of making you feel good even when you're having a bad day. Bronc will tell you he loves you a million times a day and mean it. He is my inspiration, my joy and my happiness.
My Mission
I am a huge fan of children's books! I get more excited to read the books than Bronc does. I wanted to write books that capture Bronc's personality and who he is. I have always loved writing stories from the time I was in elementary school. I am going to focus mainly on self publishing my own stories over the upcoming years and hopefully explore into helping other authors chase their dreams like me!
Meaning of OldTom
Why the name OldTom?
In 2019 our family had to say goodbye to our almost 18 year old tom cat Lightning. He was a one of a kind cat that sometimes thought he was human. When you got to spend time with him, you would think he was one as well. He had a special soul and made you feel loved so much. He was always up for a cuddle and was always there to catch many of my tears. When I was going through a dark period of my life, he saved me, literally. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be here today on this crazy adventure. He was my spirit animal and my life feels completely different without him. Lightning was my Old Tom and I will forever miss him.
Why is my book more expensive than books in stores?
The price of my books often tends to scare people away. I am starting out as a Self-published author, which means I have done all of the work including getting the books printed. I have not gone through a traditional route of paying a publisher to do the leg work.
I have gotten asked, "Why do I see children’s books for sale at retailers for $4.95?”
This is made possible because these books were likely traditionally published and printed offset, which focuses on larger print runs. The more books that are printed, the cheaper they will be. Traditional publishers print hundreds of thousands of copies in order to get the price per unit extremely low, which then allows them to sell the book for a lower price.
I do a small bulk print of my books. I started this for fun with Bronc and would love everyone to enjoy our books as much as we do! Bronc and I have corresponded with an illustrator from Italy and that is our favorite part. She has done such a wonderful job to make our stories come alive. We appreciate everyone who has enjoyed and supported us with our adventures.
