Joni Scott, author, enjoyed a scientific career before accidentally becoming an author. She has a Masters Science degree from Sydney University and worked as a biochemist in hospitals and industry. After becoming a mother, Joni home-schooled her own children which was not a popular choice at the time. She enjoyed teaching so much that she started a tutoring business for high school and university students which has run successfully for many years.
Interests
Apart from supporting her family, Joni Scott, author, looks after her Maltese Lhasa dog and numerous ponds of goldfish. Her dog featured as a canine character, Mix in her book, The Last Hotel. She loves animals especially small ones like guinea pigs and rabbits.
Travel has been a constant source of joy throughout her life. As a 20 something she completed the Katmandu to London journey, then worked in London for some years. With travel comes the awareness of history.
Joni’s interest in history led her to start a history blog on her website, joniscottauthor.com. and to contributing here on whisperingencouragement.com with articles on Women in History.
Joni Scott Author An Accidental Novelist
Bored during a rainy beach holiday in 2019, Joni tried her hand at writing fiction. Inspired by her sister’s family research, she started an elaboration of her sister’s findings. This initially was an attempt to fill the gaps and silences of her grandparent’s lives, using fiction.
However, once she started, she couldn’t stop. Writing became an obsession, so compelling that the little story expanded to 60,000 words. Joni presented the ‘story’ to her sister, Heady as a gift. Heady loved it and sent the manuscript to 8 publishers. Three made offers and the result is a historical novel, Whispers through Time.
Life Throws Challenges
Part way through writing the sequel, Joni contracted CRPS and lost the use of her right hand and arm. Australia offered no cure, so she opted for the promise of one in a clinic in Italy. In 2020, her trip to Italy for treatment, resulted in lockdown. This experience inspired her second novel, The Last Hotel which she wrote with her left hand.
Joni is mostly better and continues writing in a strange tippy tap way despite this unexpected physical challenge. Her short stories have won awards and another novel, Time, Heal my Heart is due for release this year.
Joni is one of twenty five Australian authors represented by The Author Academy Bookstore https://authoracademybookstore.com.au
Joni and Wendy met through their publisher. They became friends and support each other’s writing. Joni’s interest in history and desire to encourage other women combines in her weekly contributions to whisperingencouragement.com.
