Events and Questions

She loves meeting readers and has met with numerous book clubs in the Seattle area and on Whidbey Island. She is happy to meet in person with book clubs if they meet in the Seattle vicinity, and can meet at other locations if Zoom is available.  She is also available for book readings and signings at bookstores or other venues.

WINNER: 2023 NANCY PEARL WRITERS CONTEST 

SILVER STAR WINNER: READERS' FAVORITES

1. How was growing up in the 50s different than growing up today? Was it easier or harder?

2. How did the 1950s-60s women’s roles affect Joan’s life, and how did she handle it? What factors helped Joan to have experiences most women of those early years did not have? Have sexism or racism ever impacted your career or life choices? 

3. In her early years, Joan and her father argued over women’s roles. How did marrying and moving to the Philippines elevate the conflict to a new level? What finally resolved it?

4. For most families in the conservative Midwest Sixties, even moving out of state was unusual. Moving to Asia was so distant, her family could not imagine ever seeing her again. What factors played into Joan’s choice to leave the States anyhow? 

5. With little forethought, Joan rejected two excellent job offers and left the Philippines for the relatively small and isolated island of Guam, even though she expected it to be only a short-term move. How would her life have been different if she had chosen the “safe” path and taken one of the offers? Have there been times in your life when a single decision changed everything? When did you make a “safe” decision in your life that you now wish that you had decided differently and taken a risk?

6. In different or difficult cultural situations, Joan’s attitude was “Don’t compare. Immerse yourself in whatever situation you find yourself, and be content with it.” How did that attitude affect her life? What are the downsides to such a decision? 

7. Children were prized in the Philippines, yet Fe asked Joan to either trade or gift her both of her children because “You can always make another one.” And that was not an uncommon practice if families had too many children. What ramifications could that have on the children? On the family as a whole? Do you think the impact would be less in a culture like the Philippines, where that practice was more common, than here in the States?

8. Joan’s interest in the supernatural began at an early age, with the seances and Ouija board, and progressed through various experiences to the Filipino faith healer. How do you feel about the Ouija board and faith healer experiences? Do you feel they were genuine? 

9. After Guam’s Super-typhoon Pamela, poison toads invaded the family’s enclosed carport. Did the toad’s actions make you rethink your ideas of animal intelligence? What species might you be underestimating today?

10. At age 12, Joan decided to “be on God's side” while sitting in a choke cherry tree. Then He seemed to disappear until she was in her early thirties. Do you think He was involved in her life during that time or not? Why do you think that?