Jo Writes Books

Where do Ideas Come From?

My biggest fear whenever I thought about writing that book I always wanted to write was–what if I never have an idea for a story. The thing is, stories are EVERYWHERE. They’re in a snippet of overheard dialogue, a piece of a song, a strange look between two people, silence, outside, inside, a branch off…
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In Support of Indie Bookstores

A good friend of mine is an independent bookstore owner. What does that mean? It means she runs a small shop in a small town and researches and studies and reads to find the books that will best suit her community. Incredible, right? (Hares & Hatters in Idaho) In a fascinating convo with her, she…
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A Brief Tour of What I Write

I swear I’ll be brief. When I write historical, prepare yourself for books that can be shared with even your most conservative-reader friends. Very little swearing. No on-page sex, and generally sweet stories. I do this under Jo Perry. When I write young adult fiction, I write what I remember from those years. These books…
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The Convo That Began my Author Career

Funny story: In college I started out as an English major, but the university I attended “strongly recommended” taking creative writing, and I honestly thought that I had no story ideas… I wrote my first book when my husband was a baby attorney with a tiny paycheck and hefty student loans.. We were feeling the…
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