Joanne Rock - Author - ProfilesArchive

About Me

I'm a writer mom in the Adirondack region with three sons and thirty books on the shelves since my first sale. A dear friend says I'm a Type A personality masquerading through life as a Type B and she probably has a point. I'm ambitious, but don't consider myself competitive with anyone but ME! I have high expectations and take a lot of joy in a job well done. As a writer, I like thinking about what makes people tick and have fun toying with all kinds of personality profiles from the psychological to the astrological to their birth order. I'm an INFJ and a Virgo with the Moon in Leo, a Scorpio Ascendant, for what any of that is worth. In color terms, I'm a Yellow. In the world of Enneagrams, I haven't quite figured myself out yet.

After attending the University of Louisville for a graduate degree in English, I wrote my first romance novel and haven't looked back since. I write sexy contemporaries and medieval historicals, but I like to mix it up sometimes and add a dose of humor and/or suspense.
Here's the official scoop, as in the back cover bio:

Bestselling Harlequin author Joanne Rock writes sexy contemporary romances and medieval historicals that have been reprinted in twenty-three countries and translated into nineteen languages. A Golden Heart winner and three-time RITA nominated author, Joanne has been recognized with numerous industry awards including a RIO (Reviewerâ€™s International Organization) Award, a Beacon, and a Romantic Times' W.I.S.H. Award. A former college teacher and public relations coordinator, she has a Masterâ€™s in English from the University of Louisville and started writing when she became a stay-at-home mom.

www.joannerock.com
Joanne's Shelfari page

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My Interests

I'd like to meet:

*Anais Nin, the subject of my graduate thesis who inspired an interest in life writing and how we portray ourselves.

*Carl Jung to discuss the collective unconscious and his need to build The Tower at Bollingen.

*Eleanor of Aquitaine to find out what this fiesty queen was like in person.

*H.D., author of Trilogy, of which "Tribute to the Angels" is my favorite.

*A Druid from ancient times to reveal the mysteries of their culture.

*The Barefoot Contessa-- you're a hero, Ina!

*Readers, writers, poets, thinkers, medievalists, followers of Jungian psychology, history buffs, lyricists, artists, optimists, philosophers and anyone who is passionate about what they do and about discovering who they could become.

Music:

Everything from Chopin to Usher, Gretchen Wilson to Def Leppard.
I adore Sam Cooke and tons of fifties music.
Billie Holiday and Loreena McKennitt are perennial favorites, but opera and medieval music both float my boat too.

Movies:

Sense and Sensibility
A Room with a View
The Philadelphia Story
Notorious
Picnic
It Happened One Night
To Catch a Thief
Moonstruck
Bull Durham
Forrest Gump
Last of the Mohicans
Shawshank Redemption
Lord of the Rings
Steel Magnolias
All the Bourne movies

Television:

The Sopranos
The Tudors
Anything historical. Anything on the Biography Channel
I'm a long time Simpsons viewer-- I like Monty Burns

Books:

Anything by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Judith Ivory, Lisa Kleypas, Teresa Medeiros, Stephanie Bond, Lori Foster, Catherine Mann, Julie Leto or Vicki Lewis Thompson. I read a lot of romance, historical romance, and mainstream fiction. I like historical non-fiction on the Middle Ages or more ancient civilizations.

Some of my all-time favorites include:

THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD, Zora Neale Hurston

THE RED TENT, Anita Diamant

THE ALCHEMIST, Paul Coelho

THE NAME OF THE ROSE, Umberto Eco

A THOUSAND SPLENDED SUNS, Khaled Hosseni

THE TEMPLE OF MY FAMILIAR, Alice Walker

LIGHTHOUSEKEEPING, Jeanette Winterson

Visit my page at Shelfari www.shelfari.com/joannerock to see more of what I'm reading!

Heroes:

Our Armed Forces and my big sister, a pediatric intensive care nurse.

My Blog

Poetry Talk - Because I like words

I really miss poetry today. I've been thinking about this lately as friends send me poetry snippets and it makes me remember one of my first loves, from a writerly standpoint. First there ...
Posted by Joanne Rock - Author on Wed, 14 May 2008 09:54:00 PST

Giveaways today

Don't forget I'm blogging and giving away books today. Head on over to Fallen Angels Reviews blog and Fresh Fiction to enter my contests and win copies of my A KNIGHT MOST WICKED and G...
Posted by Joanne Rock - Author on Mon, 03 Mar 2008 01:27:00 PST

Around the Web... New Blogs

I'm blogging here and there this week to promote my March releases, GETTING LUCKYand A KNIGHT MOST WICKED. Stop by to read more at: Harlequin Historical Authors (Feb 28th) -- Roots of An Idea Tot...
Posted by Joanne Rock - Author on Fri, 29 Feb 2008 09:59:00 PST

Getting Started With Your Writing....

As a writer, one of the things I'm asked most often is for advice on writing. As a former college writing teacher, I actually r...
Posted by Joanne Rock - Author on Fri, 15 Feb 2008 07:43:00 PST

Holiday Cheer-- Brainstorming Under the Influence

At the risk of sounding like a lush, I have to confess that -- on occasion-- I've brainstormed after a few drinks. And boy, is it fun. Honestly, there are worse things to do after imbibing a bit...
Posted by Joanne Rock - Author on Thu, 20 Dec 2007 10:38:00 PST

Refilling the Well-- the Holiday Edition

I decorated my website and my myspace page for the holidays this week. I also decorated my house, baked a post-Thanksgiving turkey (turkey is an incredible value to feed a family, even if t...
Posted by Joanne Rock - Author on Wed, 28 Nov 2007 09:23:00 PST

Camelot Calendar Contest

I update my website on the first of every month and most months I post a contest. For October, I'm giving away a Camelot calendar (pic on my site). I choose a calendark like this for mysel...
Posted by Joanne Rock - Author on Tue, 02 Oct 2007 12:19:00 PST

Winners

I've got winner names for the Free Book Giveaway! Congratulations to: Tami Bates Robyn Lee Teresa Warner Joanne Major Eva Silkka Deby Cedars Stefanie Deplancke Robyn Weiss Tammy Cyr Lyn Moon I'...
Posted by Joanne Rock - Author on Sun, 09 Sep 2007 09:01:00 PST

Visiting at Plotmonkeys for my B’day

Come hang out with me for my birthday! I'll be blogging at Plot Monkeys this weekend-- September 8th. I'm happy to chat if anyone wants to visit, but I'll also be offering some insigh...
Posted by Joanne Rock - Author on Tue, 04 Sep 2007 05:03:00 PST

Upon Finding the Black Dagger Brotherhood

It took me a little while, but I finally found time to delve into J.R. Ward's stellar Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Wow! I devoured the books in a week and can't wait for the fifth one ...
Posted by Joanne Rock - Author on Sat, 25 Aug 2007 09:23:00 PST