Homesick Bilingual Writer, Playful Loner, Author of The Price of Illusion.
WHAT’S YOUR MOTTO?
Bury your dead, pay your taxes, forgive, and good will ensue.
WHAT’S ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND?
Two felt tip pens (red and purple), one fountain pen, two highlighters (yellow and green), one mascara wand, Icelandic silica oil, rose incense cubes, gaba supplements named 200 mg of Zen, Flonase, glass of water, alarm clock, cellphone, Patricia Bosworth’s memoir The Men In My Life.
WHAT GIVES YOU GOOSE BUMPS?
Kindness.
WHAT IS YOUR BAD DAY BACKUP PLAN?
Go back to bed.
WHAT ARE YOU GRATEFUL FOR?
Almost everything.
HOW DO YOU DEFINE SUCCESS?
Things coming into focus and feeling right.
BEST ADVICE YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?
If things aren’t going your way, do something for someone else.
BEST ADVICE YOU’VE EVER GIVEN?
Go with your heart.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW THAT YOU ARE EXCITED ABOUT?
The memoir is done and about to come out after six years of labor. That’s exciting.
HOW DO YOU PRESS PAUSE?
I’m always halfway to pause. The one I have trouble with is fast forward.
WHAT DID YOUR 8-YEAR-OLD SELF LOVE DOING?
Talking to statues.
IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE MAGIC POWER WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Rewrite the past for different outcomes.
WHAT MAKES YOU FORGET TO EAT?
Writing. Which is a pain, because I love to eat.
WHAT THREE THINGS WOULD YOU GRAB IN A FIRE?
My lava necklace, my laptop, and… What else is there?
WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING YOU’VE EVER DONE – YOUR GREATEST CHALLENGE?
Writing The Price of Illusion.
FAVORITE WORD?
Realize– Isn’t it a great word? It means coming to your senses, seeing the truth about something, or making something real—oops, that’s the French word réaliser, which also means to direct a movie. I realize that being bilingual gives me many more meanings to play with, most of which do not translate. (Which is why I’m a loner.)
FAVORITE WORK OF ART?
Joachim Patinir’s “Crossing of the River Styx”, because Charon is a pink giant taking a soul from a world in flames across gentle blue gray water. The painting is tiny, and I have loved it since I first saw it at age 17.
FAVORITE BOOK?
Too many to name. But in times of crisis I always go back to T.S. Eliot.
To learn more about Joan pick up a copy of her Memoir The Price of Illusion and follow her on:
