Hat Trick! Persistence PAYS!

My story,

Last book in Legacy of Honor Series

Collection of short stories by Joan Leotta

Picture Book
by Joan Leotta

will be published in Indiana Voice–but that is not part of my personal Hat Trick for this summer. This summer, three BOOKS of mine have or will come out–in both real paper form (or hardback!) and in e-form. (two)

The last of my Legacy of Honor series, tracking the generations of an Italian American family serving our country in four wars, Secrets of the Heart is out.

Simply a Smile, a collection of my short stories (many award winners) is now available as well!

Both of these are on AMAZON.COM

(http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_11?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=joan+leotta&sprefix=joan+leotta%2Caps%2C366)

cut and paste the above link to find them.

In August, the last of my three summer loves, will be out

WHOOSH! available now for pre-order from TheaQ.com, is a picture book that shows the joys of a close father daughter bond, displayed on a father daughter sledding day in heavy snow.

This publisher was very receptive to my idea–for years I was approaching publishers who wanted trendy, quirky with this tale and was rebuffed. Finally, TheaQ in Minnesota understood my vision and liked the book! They chose a very talented illustrator and I can;t wait to see the hard cover version of the book!

Joan

Here is the bio for the Indiana Magazine

Joan Leotta has been playing with words on page and stage since childhood. In addition to her work as an award-winning journalist, short story writer, author, poet and essayist, Joan performs folklore and one-woman shows on historic figures. Her four books of historical fiction (Legacy of Honor series) are available from Desert Breeze Publishing and on Amazon.com along with her newly released collection of short stories, Simply a Smile, (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_11?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=joan+leotta&sprefix=joan+leotta%2Caps%2C366). Her first picture book, Whoosh! (about a father and young daughter’s day out sledding) can be pre-ordered from TheaQ.com and will be released August 2015.After a lifetime in snowier climes, Joan now lives in Calabash, NC where she walks the beach with husband Joe. She collects shells, pressed pennies and memories. www.joanleotta.wordpress.com and https://www.facebook.com/pages/Joan-Leotta-Author-and-Story-Performer/188479350973

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_11?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=joan+leotta&sprefix=joan+leotta%2Caps%2C366

Traveling Tales

Travel is a great inspiration for writing but ideas for great poems, essays, and stories do not always come immediately. Yes, I wrote the signature story for Simply a Smile (to be released this month by Cane Hollow Press) in one night after seeing the Chinese Soldier exhibit at the High Gallery. But, consider my latest published essay–Two Cups of Coffee–in Easter Iowa review’s current issue. That story is about an incident that happened forty years ago. I do have a notebook full of ideas and my trip journal to help me move the muse along about my May trip to Turkey with my daughter, but so far all I have written on that trip–for publication–is an article on food.

Sometimes a travel location becomes a site for action in a book that is not related so much to the place as to the characters and plot. My also-this month release, Secretes of the Heart features Ft Fisher in Wilmington NC (a great place to visit) and my beloved Rome. Our family spent Christmas there this past year and I double checked all of the places where my characters would walk, eat, etc while we roamed Rome.

Last book in Legacy of Honor Series

Packing a suitcase has been a writing inspiration for me since childhood when I would take trips with my Grandmother and of course, every family vacation.  I keep notes, take pictures, and purchase silly little souvenirs–all become mnemonic devices for the creation of word-built works at a later date. So, don;t worry if you feel overwhelmed by the beauty and excitement of your latest trip. The writing side of the trip may not happen for a while–but if you are a lover of words, you will begin to find the source of tales in the stories you tell about the good time you had.

Travel is wonderful–for the soul and for the pen

Collection of short stories by Joan Leotta