Juanita Rose Violini

Interview with Juanita Rose Violini the author of Almanac of the Infamous, the Incredible and the Ignored.

Tell us about yourself first.

When did you start writing?

At the age of six years, I wrote my first after returning to our small town from the big city. It was a story about an escalator. Who knew such wonders existed!

I wrote it in a music notation book and had a hard time squeezing my letters into those skinny lines.

What genres have you written?

Mysteries are my favorite genre though I have written some poetry and some fantasy short stories. I love drawing as much as I love writing.

Is Almanac of the Infamous, the Incredible and the Ignored your first book?

It’s the first book that’s found a publisher.

Tell us about your book. What is it about?

365 days of impossible occurrences, fantastic treasures, and incredible true tales will amaze, confound, and remind us just how mysterious this world really is. A magical daily read.

Years of research resulted in an unsolved mystery or unexplained phenomena for each day of the year. Ninety percent of the days have a mystery that happened on that exact day. All situations are pre 1999. Some of the mind boggling events that have occurred include:

· Prison guards and convicts witnessing a man vanish before their eyes.

· A cursed kimono causing three-quarters of Tokyo to go up in flames.

· Winners at the race track being foretold in dreams.

· A man being hung for murder but the rope broke - three times!

Daily entries also include a quote and a secret power intuited from the mystery of the day. Each day also includes an line drawing illustration which I did as well - all 365!

What inspired you to write this book?

I wanted to read it but it hadn’t been written yet.

How long did it take you to write it?

Ten years, eight of them were spent doing research. That’s a little misleading though because I began the project at the same time as giving birth to my third child. The first seven years were very sporadic as far as dedicated writing time is concerned.

Who is the publisher of your book?

Weiser Books, San Francisco

Where is it on sale?

Chapters - Indigo, Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.uk and many independent bookstores.

Tell us about your other books/work.

For twenty years I wrote, directed and produced corporate murder mystery entertainment. During that time I branched out into doing home mystery parties - Cluetrail Capers and children’s parties - The Gumshoe Detective Agency. Improv scripts and instructions are available at my website www. mysteryfactory.com.

Together with my husband, Tony, I have also written one mystery novel based on the time Marilyn Monroe and Robert Mitchum were in Banff National Park (my hometown) filming ‘The River of No Return’ in 1953.

What are the major challenges that you have faced in your career?

Can’t think of any. The ‘next step’ has always been apparent and I’ve just taken it without worrying about the one after.

Has the Internet helped you in your writing career?

YES!

How?

It’s a fabulous research tool.

Often I have found conflicting information on the Internet on various topics being researched so I never take Internet information as the be all, end all. That said, it has pointed me in numerous directions to do supporting research that I never would have known existed.

What do you advise new writers to do?

Write the book they want to read.

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Thank you!