My newest feature is Throwback Thursday, where I showcase the very first book or story ever written by some talented authors. Today I'm happy to have Joan Leotta, author of A Bowl of Rice. She's here to share a throwback to her very first fiction.Throwback Thursday with Joan Leotta
So, the very first piece of fiction I ever
wrote, was probably the crayon scribbling I put onto a piece of construction paper, folded and then "read" to my mother. Next came the brother and
sister adventure stories. Inspired by the Bobbsey Twins, these works that
featured two sets of twins were just a few words on paper but mostly they were scripts--which I
forced my younger cousins to act out. No wonder my cousin Ernie would escape
into the woods leaving me with just one set of twins and a spare! They all
still talk about it!
Plots took us under the forsythia, on parades
into neighboring yards, sent some of them up trees and in the house, under the
bed , hiding behind doors, in closest and under desks. In school, I wrote the plays for holiday skits
and acted in them.
Short stories and poems appeared in school publications
and county-wide publications for the Pittsburgh and Allegheny county schools.
But my first published work for pay was a poem--and the teacher who was promoting
the submission process didn’t even ask me to submit. She told my friend to send
in her work. I asked my friend for the address and I was accepted. I wrote for
work, then got a start in journalism and began to act again as a story
performer when I had my children. I soon began writing stories and skits for
them. After working for many years at non-fiction with some poetry, I began to
write short stories again when we moved to North Carolina.
A Bowl of Rice
by Joan Leotta
BuyLink-Amazon
Anna
Maria seems to have the habit of selecting men who love her as long as she is
doing what they want! Breaking up with one such man to serve her country as a
nurse in Vietnam, she finds another much the same over there. Fortunately her
friendship with Kathy, another nurse seems to offer the good advice she needs.
When Kathy is captured by the Viet Cong while on a mercy mission to a local
orphanage, Anna Maria tags along as triage care for the rescuers. George, who has been wounded by the VietCong
draws a map for the rescuers--is it also a map to Anna Maria's heart? A true
map by a man who will love her for herself?
About the Author
Since
childhood, I've been writing and performing. Born in Pittsburgh, PA, I lived
most of my life in the Washington DC suburb of Fairfax, VA and now I live in
Calabash, NC with husband Joe. Our daughter, Jennie, still lives in the DC
area. My award-winning poetry, short stories, books and articles and
photography have been published in many journals, magazines and newspapers. My
folklore shows and one-woman shows on historic figures, have been enjoyed by
many at venues up and down the east coast. You can learn more about my specific
work at www.joanleotta.wordpress.com.
Creativity
is an explosion of expression and a way to share my love or interest in something
or someone with others, what I see and how I see it. My best images, in photography, poetry, or other writing,
“speak” my thoughts but leave enough creative space, room for thought and to
allow the viewers to interact with the photos. My hope is that from the work of
my imagination, the imaginations of my
audience/readers will flourish.
Favorite
subjects are ordinary objects and people—I want to share with others the beauty
that I find in the ordinary. Shy faces, rounded sides of an ordinary object,
the forgotten nook or cranny of a large place—these are the subjects that draw
me.
Creating
on paper with pen, with light through a
camera or onstage in performance, my artistic goal is always the same—to show
the beauty of the ordinary and lift up my audience—encouraging others through pen and performance.
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and Blog
Thanks for sharing your Throwback, Joan!
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