Joan's earliest memories of writing go back to the fourth grade. An avid reader of "The Happy Hollisters" mystery series, she penned her first two short stories, "The Mystery of the Missing Bread" and "The Snake That Had Legs." Not best-sellers by any means; but, her teacher loved them, as did her classmates, sparking her interest in writing. When she was in sixth grade, her mother gifted her with a five-year diary which started a life-long love of journaling (which continues to this day). Joan's work has been published both online and in print, for her non-fiction and fiction stories. For two years she wrote for a local newspaper interviewing and writing feature stores. Along with writing romance and mysteries for adults, she also enjoys writing middle-grade adventure stories for kids. Joan lives in Bakersfield, California with her family, along with four rescue pets: two energetic Australian Shepherd mixes (Madison and Jackie), a claustrophobic Maine Coon mix (Molly), and a tuxedo cat (Stormie) who believes she is the real head of the household. Joan welcomes contact from her readers. Find her at: joanraymondwriting.com where you can sign up for her newsletter (and be notified of new releases), read her blog, and find her on social media.