Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Interview with Mystery Author JoAnn Arnold


JoAnn and her husband, Brent, have 4 amazing sons, who all live out-of-state with their families—so the Arnolds do a lot of traveling to visit 15 grandchildren. Her first book, Miracles for Michael, was the product of a Christmas Musical she had written for her Community Theatre. After that, writing became a passion. She has written a fantasy Prince Etcheon and the Secret of the Ancient and three mysteries: Journey of the Promise, Pages from the Past, and The Silent Patriots.

Welcome back to my blog, JoAnn. Please tell us about your mystery novel, Pages from the Past.

After the sudden death of her husband, John, Betsy Braden struggles to find meaning in her life. With some help from her mother and a lovable golden retriever named Dorado, she slowly works her way through her loss. When Dorado digs up John’s watch in the woods, Betsy discovers that her husband’s death was not an accident. Next John’s notebook, written in his personal shorthand, is found in one of his jackets. Then six more notebooks are found in his safe. Suddenly Betsy and her family are drawn into a mysterious plot of science and technology. Along the way Betsy learns just how important freedom and liberty truly are.

Two of my favorite heroes in this book are Elmira, an 80-year-old woman, who knows more that she lets on, and the Golden Retriever, Durado—a brilliant sleuth.

This book sounds fun. Where did you get your inspiration for this novel?

I was reading about the Constitution, one day when something that was mentioned really struck me. After the Constitution was signed, men were called to become the “Watchers” of the Constitution. They were to protect what was written and make sure it was never defiled or trampled on. I thought to myself, if there were watchers then, perhaps there are watchers, today. That became the theme for this book.

Your idea sounds intriguing. What kind of research did you do for this book?

I bought a book that gave the history of the Constitution and those who brought it to life. Then I had my son, who designs computer chips, give me some details of how a chip can do what I wanted it to do in this story.

Thank you, JoAnn. I bet it was so interesting to learn about our Constitution and what brought it to life. It is the foundation of our freedom.

19 comments:

Louise said...

Oooh, sounds like my kind of book! Must add it to my list. In the meantime, I hope to win it first :)

LouisePledge at yahoo dot com

JoAnn Arnold said...

Just read your review. Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your blog, today. I will spread the word.

Lisa And Randy said...

This sounds like a book that I would love to read. Hoping to win it, but it will definitely be on my list.
leeben1990 at gmail dot com

Faith F. said...

This sounds very good! mickeydog (at) myfairpoint (dot) net

Unknown said...

This book's plot sounds very interesting. I can't imagine the emotional turmoil of a wife investigating the true cause of her husband's death. Would love to read it!

londonbridget47@aim.com

Kim Cresswell said...

Pages from the Past sounds fantastic. My kind of book!
Thanks for the great giveway. :)
kimcresswell75 at gmail dot com

Library Lady said...

I would love to win JoAnn's book, "Pages from the Past".
If I win I would give it to my church library.
Thanks!
Janet E.
von1janet(at)gmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

Looks like a great read. Would love to win

skkorman said...

Thanks for the interview; the book sounds intriguing—thanks for the opportunity to win a copy—I LOVE mysteries!

skkorman AT bellsouth DOT net

Nancy said...

Interesting question about the watchers in the interview. I believe there are. Thanks for a chance to win this.

Monja Blue said...

I like canine characters. Thanks for a chance to win this intriguing book!

bn100 said...

Nice inspiration for the book

bn100candg at hotmail dot com

Meghan said...

I never knew about the watchers. That's cool. Was it over the physical document or the ideals it represents?
I love Spring. It's when the cold and ice of winter melts away and flowers begin to bloom. The grass becomes green again. The birds chirp in the trees. And the weather warms, which is probably the very best part! So far, I have experienced many April showers. I can't wait for their inevitable consequence: flowers!
Thanks for the giveaway and Happy Spring!
mestith at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

I like the fact that it is about a lady and he dog Dorado ant at that age 80's sometimes all we have is our pets.. Thank you for offering this intriguing sounding book.

Alie said...

This sounds like a really great book. It's definitely on my TBR list!

Holly Letson said...

Sounds interesting.

bookaholicholly at gmail dot com

RILEKAT said...

Great concept for a book and it is based on American History. Sounds like a good read.
rilekat2 at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

This sounds right up my alley, here's hoping to win!

Linda Weaver Clarke said...

Congratulations, Bridget Roche and Janet E! You are the winners for this wonderful book. I know you'll enjoy it very much.