Born and raised in New Jersey in an absolutely colorful family, I came west as soon as I finished college.
I live, work and write in Northern California. I am a parent and licensed therapist as well as a writer. These many roles give me plenty of material!
Writing for many years, I’ve been very fortunate as a writer. I have had the pleasure of being included in excellent anthologies, seen my words come to life on stage, sat around the fire with a group of talented and kind writers at Squaw, been hosted for complimentary week at Santa Barbara Writer’s conference, and received encouragement from across the country as my stories have been published by highly regarded websites and literary magazines.  The Bay Area is a vibrant place for writers, and I reap the benefits – whether I am reading in a small setting or being mentored by one of the wonderful local writers.
I love living a literary life, among so many inspiring writers.

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When is the book available? And where should readers find it?

The book is out in pre-sale now, at the publisher’s site, on sale and with free shipping:

http://widopublishing.com/the-vines-we-planted-by-joanell-serra/

It is also on Amazon as a Kindle release April 17 and print release May 8.

https://www.amazon.com/Vines-We-Planted-Joanell-Serra-ebook/dp/B07BK8MW97/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523902199&sr=8-1&keywords=the+vines+we+planted

It is also on shelves at bookstores near Sonoma, and can be ordered at any Independent bookstore.

In The Vines We Planted, one of the challenges for a main character is immigration concerns. What made you decide to include that?

Living in California, issues with immigration are really challenging for much of our community.  In describing Gloria’s circumstances, I wanted to show the reality my friends, clients and colleagues face – being undocumented, even if they’ve been here since childhood, means almost constant fear. There are few avenues to “legalize”, but returning to a country they barely know, where there is no economic opportunity to even provide food for their children, is unrealistic. For now at least, they are caught in a very difficult bind. Rather than lecture, I wanted to show the absurd situations that arise. One of the characters is fighting for the “right” to work, while the child of her father, a citizen, chooses not to.

How long did it take to write this novel?

Years! I wish I could tell you it was easy, but it was a long labor of love. Initially short stories, I eventually realized the need for this to be a novel and went back to the drawing board. With a lot of help from editors and beta readers, I eventually shaped it into a novel, in which I hope the stories blend seamlessly.

What’s next? Any chance of a sequel?

The next book is about 50% done, but I’m again taking my time to make it as rich and engaging as possible. Many of the characters from The Vines We Planted re-emerge, and we are back at the winery! However the protagonists are both new to the readers, as is are some of the extreme circumstances they face, inspired by the real live events here in Sonoma this fall.

You live and work in Sonoma, where the book is set. Do you ever feel art and life getting blurred?

I really do. I do my “research’ for the book by visiting some of my favorite wineries. Lately I’ve heard a few life stories that sound so much like my characters’ I have to remind myself I wrote the book over a year ago – I’m not using these folks as material! But I find life and art are like that – more of a kaleidoscope than separate worlds.

How can readers find out more about you and your writing?

Please check out my author site, follow my author blog about all things writing, Sonoma, and life, and “like” my Facebook, Goodreads, or Instagram feed [links above]. I love to hear from readers and of course really appreciate readers’ honest reviews.