Joan Fallon was born in Dumfries, in Scotland, the only child of a Scottish mother and an Irish father, but spent most of her formative life in the south of England. She left school at sixteen, instantly regretted it and spent the next fifteen years catching up on her education. She earned her teaching certificate and became a primary school teacher in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, but continued with her studies at the Open University, then a fairly new institution. Despite having a full time job, a husband and two young children she obtained an honours degree in History and Literature.
The sudden death of her son, when he was only seventeen, prompted her to make a career change and she took a post-graduate diploma in Management Studies. For a number of years she worked for Missenden Abbey Management Centre (then part of Brunel University) as Principal Lecturer in Leadership and Behavioural Studies, before successfully launching her own management and development company. Among her clients were the Foreign Office and the Environment Agency.
She then decided to settle in Spain, where she completed an Open University course in Creative Writing and began to devote herself to writing fiction.
If she had to name a writer who had influenced her work she would be hard pressed to answer - her reading taste is eclectic and ranges from Turgenev and Stendhal to William Boyd and Hilary Mantel. A natural storyteller, her novels, almost invariably, centre on a strong female character and explore the emotions and relationships of her protagonist. Many of her books are set in periods of recent history, such as the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War, and are meticulously researched. Lately she has been researching further back in time, to the period of the Moorish occupation of Spain, particularly the 10th and 11th centuries.
Joan has also written “Daughters of Spain”, a non-fiction book based on authentic interviews with a number of Spanish women of all ages and from all walks of life; this was first published by in 2009 and a revised edition came out in 2014.
Joan now lives in the south of Spain, where she has become passionate about both the language and history of her adopted home. This passion is reflected in the books she writes.
The sudden death of her son, when he was only seventeen, prompted her to make a career change and she took a post-graduate diploma in Management Studies. For a number of years she worked for Missenden Abbey Management Centre (then part of Brunel University) as Principal Lecturer in Leadership and Behavioural Studies, before successfully launching her own management and development company. Among her clients were the Foreign Office and the Environment Agency.
She then decided to settle in Spain, where she completed an Open University course in Creative Writing and began to devote herself to writing fiction.
If she had to name a writer who had influenced her work she would be hard pressed to answer - her reading taste is eclectic and ranges from Turgenev and Stendhal to William Boyd and Hilary Mantel. A natural storyteller, her novels, almost invariably, centre on a strong female character and explore the emotions and relationships of her protagonist. Many of her books are set in periods of recent history, such as the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War, and are meticulously researched. Lately she has been researching further back in time, to the period of the Moorish occupation of Spain, particularly the 10th and 11th centuries.
Joan has also written “Daughters of Spain”, a non-fiction book based on authentic interviews with a number of Spanish women of all ages and from all walks of life; this was first published by in 2009 and a revised edition came out in 2014.
Joan now lives in the south of Spain, where she has become passionate about both the language and history of her adopted home. This passion is reflected in the books she writes.
Joan is a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors and The Society of Authors
Here is her Affiliate link if you are interested in joining the Alliance of Independent Authors. |
INGRAM SPARK AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Click above to watch my interview at the first Indie Book Fair in Chorleywood, England in November 2014, with one of the sponsors, INGRAM SPARK. |
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She is also listed on www.ascribeme.com a website for independent authors who have a recommendation from either a traditionally published author, a literary agent, a literary consultant or a professional editor working primarily with fiction. In short, a website where you can find quality books.
@joan_fallon @notesonspain |