Joanne Kukanza Easley Interview Published on: 09, Oct 2020

Playing with the boys outside in the vacant lots. We hunted for snakes, bugs, and other treasures.

There is a huge variety in the landscape. It’s not all flat and dusty.

After a divorce, I had to support myself, but it was too late to go to medical school, so I chose nursing.

I got the idea from a writing prompt. A vision of a young teenage girl standing on the side of the road with her thumb out, hitchhiking away from her troubled home inspired me. I had to know more.

The biggest challenge was to get Jane’s voice right for each age. She deliberately lost her Texas dialect as she got older, and her dialogue and inner thoughts had to reflect that.

Sweet Jane is named for one of my favorite songs. I prefer the original Velvet Underground version of Sweet Jane. Other characters are named for people I’ve known, a sort of homage to them. I also research popular names in each time period I write about.

Great question! My life story would be literary women’s fiction with tragedy, joy, and lots of dogs.

Authors need to actively engage in promoting their book. A social media presence is important. It takes time but is worth the effort.

I didn’t expect to be named but was delighted that I was.

Dixie had to be surrendered by her owner because of illness. She was shuttled from the pound to a rescue group and then to the San Antonio Humane Society. We saw her picture online and wanted a third dog, so we brought our other rescues Hank and Harriet to meet her and make sure they’d get along. As soon as we entered the small dog room, Dixie announced her presence and demanded that we take her home. She was diagnosed with a mast cell tumor just four months after we adopted her. The surgery was successful, and she’s been fine for over a year. Dixie is a delight and well-loved.

I am published by a small press, but the suggestions are the same for all authors: put in the effort with getting reviews, join online groups for readers, and make frequent, interesting posts on social media. I highly recommend using Allauthor.com for their excellent tools for creating beautiful images.

I didn’t find it hard on me at all. My work made me grateful for my own good fortune and allowed me to help others less fortunate.

I love watching the wildlife. There are whitetail does who have fawns each spring right in my yard. They know me, and I look forward to their visits. We have cottontail my dogs love to chase if the bunnies are bold enough to come inside the backyard fence. Jackrabbits, armadillos, roadrunners, fox, wild turkey, and the escaped exotics from game ranches add to my enjoyment of living where I do.

Lauren Eaton is Jane’s AA sponsor in SWEET JANE. My critique group and beta readers really enjoyed this character. Lauren was a bit mysterious and never did tell Jane her story, so it’s up to me to do it. This book starts in 1940 and requires a lot of historical research.

It was exciting to advance in the contest, and although I didn’t win, it was a good experience.