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Meet the Author: Joan Medlicott
Joan Medlicott, born on St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands, has lived all over the world. Due to all her traveling, it took her 10 years to earn her BA in History, but she was determined to accomplish this goal. Later, she earned a Master’s Degree in counseling. Over the years she has worked as the Director of the Division of Beautification for the Virgin Islands Government and as a Volunteer Coordinator at a Senior Center. Luckily for her many fans, after co-authoring a non-fiction book in 1992, Joan was bitten by the writing bug and has chosen to follow a third career path as a novelist.
Q&A with Joan Medlicott
Q: Your Ladies of Covington series is beloved by readers. Are you planning to write any more books in the series?
A: Yes, there is a long ladies’ novel schedule to be published in 2008, and I am working on yet another.
Q: Do you have any plans to write another series?
A: No. Not at this time.
Q: On your website, you mention that the idea for the Ladies of Covington series came to you while in the bathtub and that you continue to get ideas from the tub when you are stuck. Do you also get ideas for your non-Ladies books while in the tub?
A: I get fewer ideas in the tub these days. Sometimes the ideas come in the early morning or while I am driving.
Q: Are Grace, Amelia, or Hannah based on anybody you know? Are any of them you?
A: The ladies came to me full blown you might say. They are not based on individuals that I know, although Hannah’s tall angular build resembles my beloved mother-in-law. None are me although Hannah is a gardener, which I am and Amelia is a photographer, which I am, but I assure you, I am not a cook. I am a good listener, like Grace, but I don’t enjoy cooking at all.
Q: You have lived in many different places across the world. Where is your favorite place to be?
A: I love St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands with all my heart and miss the great beauty of the island, but it is seriously overpopulated now and crime ridden, and all of my family of origin have moved or passed away. My friends have moved away. I pray that heaven is St. Thomas as it was years ago, and that is where I go when I die. I also miss warm weather every day of the year and the colors of the tropics.
Q: What kinds of books do you read for enjoyment?
A: These days I listen to books on tape. I live a half-hour from Asheville and go there several times a week. I enjoy listening to books on tape and I do not listen to or read anything violent or suspense filled. Historical novels appeal to me and good dramas.
Q: Besides reading and writing, what are some of the other passions in your life?
A: Gardening and I still do photography on a more limited basis. I enjoy watching the decorating shows on HGTV and the old sitcoms in the evening. Writing has become both a hobby and a vocation.
Interview Date: July 2008
Profile and questions compiled by Cassandra H., Mint Hill Library
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