Welcome to my author site!
Please check out my blog for my latest publications including essays and poetry.
My books, The Vines We Planted and (Her)oics, can be found at local bookstores, online etc. I always love hearing from writers. I can be reached at [email protected].
The Vines We Planted is a novel about three families in the Sonoma valley, and the ways their lives intersect over the course of a year.
“The Vines We Planted..the story of a family facing struggles and their individual crises. . . delicately and expertly woven together in a family saga set in California around Uriel’s family vineyards…The reader is kept turning the pages to the end as the intricate family history is revealed through the plot. Great characters, well developed and believable, and lovely descriptions which transport the reader to the Californian countryside. … Very visual writing and descriptions take the reader into the protagonists’ world… the plot is credible and surprising at the same time … it all blends together well and combines to make an exciting and believable novel. Five Stars!”
Jane Finch, Readers Favorite
(Her)oics Anthology is a collection of fifty women’s essays about the pandemic- it’s is available at your local bookstore, on the Regal House Publishing and the new audiobook can be found on Audible. It’s a wonderful production!
“I’m a proponent of sharing our truth. These womens’ stories are raw and real. They make me want to cry, or laugh, or call them up and say this sh** happened to me too! We’ve got this. These women really are the heroines of the pandemic: nurses, doctors, teachers, badass moms, women having a mental health crisis, healers, grandmas… I love this.”~ Jennifer Pastiloff, best-selling author of On Being Human.
“The home front has always been inhabited by women, including anyone who identifies with and enters the space of “woman” – caretakers and home keepers and compassionate community builders. This collection reminds us how the heart warriors never give up or in, which is the only reason we have a chance. Where are the purple heart medals for these legions of women. Secular Blessings on every one of their stories, every single body.”~ Lidia Yuknavitch, author of Verge – Stories
“This is a remarkable, kaleidoscopic record of a catastrophe that simultaneously struck us all. While physically isolating, we need emotional closeness and these essays are consolation for any reader who ever wondered, I can’t be the only one feeling this, can I?“~ Leigh Stein, author of Self Care
“(Her)oics is just the antidote our world needs right now. Here are the accounts of women—brave, fierce, unflinching—meeting head on the unprecedented challenges we are currently facing. Just holding this anthology in my hands gave me a sense of overwhelming hope and courage. Upon opening it, I found a polyphony of voices, each distinct and resonant, working seamlessly together to lighten up these uncertain times.”~ Alex Espinoza
Check out The Vines We Planted on Amazon or at the publisher’s website.
“I was blown away by Joanell Serra’s debut novel. The writing was beautiful and flowed so well from one narrative to the next. I found myself completely wrapped up in the lives of the families in this story.” —Running Out of Pages
Five Stars!
“..the story of a family facing struggles…delicately and expertly woven together in a saga set in California around Uriel’s family vineyards, where each relationship appears to have a bearing on others…” –Jane Finch for Readers’ Favorite
“This has been the type of read where the characters linger long after the book has been put down for the evening. Where the next day at work I get to wondering about them and have to remind myself they are characters in a book, not people I actually know. I’ve especially enjoyed reading about a region of which I’m not too familiar and drama that surprises me. The author does a beautiful job bringing the location, characters, and their situations to life. Which, to me, are the makings of a great story.”
“Great Summer Read”
–– Little Reader on the Prairie
The Vines We Planted Audio-book is now available on Audible and Amazon The Vines We Planted – on Audible.
“I’m so glad I got the audio-book – I loved the narration!”
— Lucy R.
After reading Joanell Serra’s The Vines We Planted, I was not at all surprised to learn that she is a licensed therapist. Her characters were beautifully captured; with all of them, the readers are given an in-depth view into their complexities and emotional experiences. You can’t help but root from them as they face overwhelming challenges, from potential deportation to a failing marriage to secrets that threaten to upend their entire life views. The way Serra wove together multiple stories was gripping–this is the kind of book you can easily read in one or two sittings!
Catherine Brown – Writer and Writing Professional.
Here’s a little bit about the book
In the heart of the California wine country, secrets seem to grow on the vines that Uriel Macon’s family have tended for generations.
Uriel, the winery’s young widower, steers clear of complicated relationships. He prefers the lonely comfort of his vineyard and his horses, until he is reminded of his love affair with Amanda Scanlon; a relationship that ended when she abruptly left the country years ago under a cloud of mystery.
When Amanda returns to Sonoma because of a family crisis, she tries to mend the broken relationships she left behind. In addition, she seeks the truth about her parents’ complicated history and her own parentage.
But Amanda’s unveiling of the past has devastating consequences. In the midst of California’s beautiful Sonoma Valley, the Scanlon family struggles to overcome harsh realities with dignity and grace.
Both Amanda and Uriel stretch to take care of their families, which are facing immigration issues, marital crises, and loss. While navigating these challenges, the couple must decide if they trust themselves to love again, or to finally let each other go.
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I love to hear from readers!
