books
shine brightly Joanna Knowles, 40 is a local author who published her debut novel, Female Fireflies, in Autumn 2019. Born and bred in Bournemouth, Joanna has always felt inspired to write. Even from a young age, she could be found writing stories in the classroom and often had her head in a book. Her passion remained and she has continued writing throughout her life. While her children were young, she completed an BA (Hons) in English Literature through the Open University; often juggling classic literature with baby bottles and is now in the throes of a master’s degree in Creative Writing. Joanna believes that; ‘My inspiration can come from anything and everything. A change in seasons, a passing thought, a dream or even a childhood memory that resurfaces when I’m least expecting it. A vintage necklace, a rusty gate,
46
a lighthouse. Anything. There is a potential story everywhere.’ She was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease back in 2015, but rather than view her diagnosis negatively, she turned it around and began blogging about it; resulting in a successful blog that saw her writing being published both online and in magazines, both in the UK and in Europe. Her blog reached out to all in a humorous yet honest account of coping with an autoimmune disease and the feedback encouraged her to continue with her passion to write and finish her first novel. Taking seven years to finish, Female Fireflies was longlisted for the BPA First Novel Award in 2018 and gave Joanna the confidence boost to self-publish and hopes readers will be inspired by its tagline: ‘A heart-warming journey of heartache and betrayal showing the true strength and endurance of four ordinary women who, when together,
< BACK TO CONTENTS >
shine like the true fireflies they are.’ Joanna feels passionate about the link between reading and writing, feeling they go hand in hand and hopes one day to have the opportunity to visit local schools and encourage and inspire children to pick up a pen or book and consume them. She states that, ‘the excitement of reading and writing can weaken as children see both habits as chores. I want to bring back that enthusiasm and encourage all children to write and read anything that they are interested in. Reading gives the child an opportunity to jump into an imaginary world of excitement, it opens up their minds to the impossible, and it encourages them to view life as an opportunity to do good.’ Joanna has now completed two novels and is in the throes of writing her third and hopes to one day write a children’s novel.
