Joanne Harris – international best selling author

She wrote of one of my one most favorite things  – Chocolate, the darker the better… – the book  ‘Chocolat’ will forever have Joanne Harris remembered as the author who inspired the Oscar nominated film starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp.

Just as the book was about so much more than chocolate, Joanne Harris is so much more than just one story. She has achieved the thing most writers and first time best selling authors could only dream of; she has produced book after book on best sellers lists world wide. Joanne Harris is now published in 40 countries around the world, has won international awards and in turn has been a judge of the Orange prize.  She is a wife, a mother and a bass playing Honorary Fellow of her old college of Cambridge University. French is her native tongue, her steady English voice belies.

So how did I come to speak to an internationally best selling author when I live on an island in the Med?

Joanne is a regular presence on Twitter. We both work in sheds and there is a quite a shed world out there I have come to find out! She in her rather lovely stone built shed in her garden in England, in the style of a weavers shed ((having trained in textiles and  hand weave, I greatly appreciate this design) – with maximum light  to combat the effect of SAD which Joanne openly acknowledges. Joanne tweet from her shed and so do I, as do many in the shed community, and she graciously answered a tweet.

She has embraced social media and has even written a novel on the subject – the more fearful side of it – but if you follow her on twitter, amongst her travels to book festivals and the promotion of books, Joanne Harris gives glimpses into her creative world. She has tweeted during her recent book tour for ‘Peaches’, ‘Runemarks’ and a second edition of short stories ‘A CAT, A HAT AND A PIECE OF STRING’ – and you will get an insight like no other of an author in action, if you are fortunate enough to catch it. Joanne often tells stories on twitter too. I love it, an audiovisual sensory treat  – descriptions so vivid you can almost feel the atmosphere the words inhabit.

I talk to Joanne about her life as an author, of the fears many have of social media, the world of self-publishing, and the process of editing your book. There are many wise words spoken by her considered steady voice. Thank you Joanne Harris for sharing your great depth of experience.

How has social media impacted your creative life? Please feel free to leave your comments below: