Meet Joan C. Curtis, Author of The Clock Strikes Midnight, The New Handshake, and other books
Dr. Joan Curtis is an award winning writer who has published 5 books and numerous stories.
Joan has been an avid reader for as long as she can remember. She reads all kinds of books, including women's fiction, mysteries, biography, and nonfiction related to her work. She does not read fantasy, horror or romance. Her passion as a reader lies closer to literary writing with a commercial bent.
"I write about characters who remind me of myself at times and my sister at times, but never fully so. My stories are told from a woman's point of view. Characters drive my writing and my reading."
Her previous published books include Hire Smart and Keep 'em, The New Handshake: Sales Meets Social Media, Managing Sticky Situations at Work and Strategic Interviewing.
Having grown up in the South with a mother from Westchester County New York, Joan has a unique take on blending the southern traditions with the eye of a northerner. She spent most of her childhood in North Carolina and now resides in Georgia.
BBB: What inspired you to become an author?
JCC: My earliest inspiration probably goes all the way back to my childhood. My mom is a voracious reader. As kids we never saw her without a book and we knew not to disturb her while she read. She ingrained in all of us the love of reading. From there it’s not a far leap to writing. I began creating stories in my garage when my sister and I performed marionette shows. I wrote the scripts. That was a long time ago. Later, I submitted a story to a national competition and it won second place and was published in Reader’s Digest. That early recognition gave me the confidence to continue the journey.
Joan has been an avid reader for as long as she can remember. She reads all kinds of books, including women's fiction, mysteries, biography, and nonfiction related to her work. She does not read fantasy, horror or romance. Her passion as a reader lies closer to literary writing with a commercial bent.
"I write about characters who remind me of myself at times and my sister at times, but never fully so. My stories are told from a woman's point of view. Characters drive my writing and my reading."
Her previous published books include Hire Smart and Keep 'em, The New Handshake: Sales Meets Social Media, Managing Sticky Situations at Work and Strategic Interviewing.
Having grown up in the South with a mother from Westchester County New York, Joan has a unique take on blending the southern traditions with the eye of a northerner. She spent most of her childhood in North Carolina and now resides in Georgia.
BBB: What inspired you to become an author?
JCC: My earliest inspiration probably goes all the way back to my childhood. My mom is a voracious reader. As kids we never saw her without a book and we knew not to disturb her while she read. She ingrained in all of us the love of reading. From there it’s not a far leap to writing. I began creating stories in my garage when my sister and I performed marionette shows. I wrote the scripts. That was a long time ago. Later, I submitted a story to a national competition and it won second place and was published in Reader’s Digest. That early recognition gave me the confidence to continue the journey.
BBB: What books have you written?
JCC: My first four books published were business books. The first one was on Strategic Interviewing for managers who hire. The second and third book dealt with communication issues which is where my career evolved. (Managing Sticky Situations at Work and The New Handshake all about social networking). The fourth book went back to interviewing with an update of my first and a lot of additions related to communication. That book was published in 2012 and title Hire Smart and Keep ‘em. All of these titles were published by Praeger Press which part of Houghton, Mifflin and Harcourt. Finally, late in 2014 I released my first fiction a mystery/suspense titled The Clock Strikes Midnight published my MuseItUp Publishing.
JCC: My first four books published were business books. The first one was on Strategic Interviewing for managers who hire. The second and third book dealt with communication issues which is where my career evolved. (Managing Sticky Situations at Work and The New Handshake all about social networking). The fourth book went back to interviewing with an update of my first and a lot of additions related to communication. That book was published in 2012 and title Hire Smart and Keep ‘em. All of these titles were published by Praeger Press which part of Houghton, Mifflin and Harcourt. Finally, late in 2014 I released my first fiction a mystery/suspense titled The Clock Strikes Midnight published my MuseItUp Publishing.
BBB: Tell us about your newest book, The Clock Strikes Midnight.
JCC: Here is the blurb which describes the book: The Clock Strikes Midnight is a race against time in a quest for revenge and atonement. This is a story about hate, love, betrayal and forgiveness.
If you found out you had only 3 months to live, what would you do? That’s the question Janie Knox faces in this fast-paced mystery full of uncertainty and tension that will surprise you until the very last page.
Hiding behind the façade of a normal life, Janie keeps her family secrets tucked inside a broken heart. Everything changes on the day she learns she’s going to die. With the clock ticking and her time running out, she rushes to finish what she couldn’t do when she was 17—destroy her mother’s killer. But she can’t do it alone.
Janie returns to her childhood home to elicit help from her sister. She faces more than she bargained for when she discovers her sister’s life in shambles. Meanwhile her mother’s convicted killer, her stepfather, recently released from prison, blackmails the sisters and plots to extract millions from the state in retribution. New revelations challenge Janie’s resolve, but she refuses to allow either time or her enemies to her stop her from uncovering the truth she’s held captive for over 20 years.
JCC: Here is the blurb which describes the book: The Clock Strikes Midnight is a race against time in a quest for revenge and atonement. This is a story about hate, love, betrayal and forgiveness.
If you found out you had only 3 months to live, what would you do? That’s the question Janie Knox faces in this fast-paced mystery full of uncertainty and tension that will surprise you until the very last page.
Hiding behind the façade of a normal life, Janie keeps her family secrets tucked inside a broken heart. Everything changes on the day she learns she’s going to die. With the clock ticking and her time running out, she rushes to finish what she couldn’t do when she was 17—destroy her mother’s killer. But she can’t do it alone.
Janie returns to her childhood home to elicit help from her sister. She faces more than she bargained for when she discovers her sister’s life in shambles. Meanwhile her mother’s convicted killer, her stepfather, recently released from prison, blackmails the sisters and plots to extract millions from the state in retribution. New revelations challenge Janie’s resolve, but she refuses to allow either time or her enemies to her stop her from uncovering the truth she’s held captive for over 20 years.
BBB: What are you currently working on?
JCC: I’m currently working on a mystery series starring a 28-year-old amateur sleuth, Jenna Scali. The first in the series, The e-Murderer will debut in the Spring of 2015 by MuseItUp Publishing. Jenna works for a psychiatrist and is a graduate student studying criminal behavior. She receives some mysterious emails that vividly describe the deaths of young women. She soon learns that these emails are linked to recents deaths in her community. Her curiosity as well as her natural desire to help people in trouble lead her on the path of the e-murderer. Curious readers can sign up on my website and get a sneak preview of The e-Murderer.
BBB: How can readers discover more about you and your work?
JCC: My website is the best place to find me http://www.joancurtis.com They can follow my blog tours, read my blog and get sneak previews of all my books.
Readers who like Twitter can find me there at www.twitter.com/joancurtis.
Those who prefer Facebook can find me on my author’s page at
http://www.facebook.com/joanccurtisauthor.
Finally people who enjoy Google+ can find me there at
https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/106286899018097763515/106286899018097763515/posts.
I’m also on YouTube where I have a book trailer for The Clock Strikes Midnight. Readers can see it at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJXui4MDFfnGVk99KbuXJMw. That trailer is on my website as well.
I’m also on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3215877.Joan_C_Curtis.
JCC: I’m currently working on a mystery series starring a 28-year-old amateur sleuth, Jenna Scali. The first in the series, The e-Murderer will debut in the Spring of 2015 by MuseItUp Publishing. Jenna works for a psychiatrist and is a graduate student studying criminal behavior. She receives some mysterious emails that vividly describe the deaths of young women. She soon learns that these emails are linked to recents deaths in her community. Her curiosity as well as her natural desire to help people in trouble lead her on the path of the e-murderer. Curious readers can sign up on my website and get a sneak preview of The e-Murderer.
BBB: How can readers discover more about you and your work?
JCC: My website is the best place to find me http://www.joancurtis.com They can follow my blog tours, read my blog and get sneak previews of all my books.
Readers who like Twitter can find me there at www.twitter.com/joancurtis.
Those who prefer Facebook can find me on my author’s page at
http://www.facebook.com/joanccurtisauthor.
Finally people who enjoy Google+ can find me there at
https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/106286899018097763515/106286899018097763515/posts.
I’m also on YouTube where I have a book trailer for The Clock Strikes Midnight. Readers can see it at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJXui4MDFfnGVk99KbuXJMw. That trailer is on my website as well.
I’m also on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3215877.Joan_C_Curtis.
