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writer : joanholcomb@yadtel.net
Joan Holcomb
Waiting for Redemption
2945 Nesting Goose Road, Yadkinville, NC 27055
illustration
Joan R. Holcomb, author Chattel, Historical Novel Hunt House Murder, Southern Gothic

TWO COMPLETED NOVELS READY FOR REPRESENTATION

(1) CHATTEL: Historical Romance (110,000 words) by Joan Reavis Holcomb

"God help a man who cannot forgive himself."

Chattel, a historical novel of 110,000 is set in the South from 1822-1827 and contains an account of the Charleston, SC, Denmark Vesey Insurrection never before fictionalized. In this well researched story, Isaac Jarratt, set to give up the slave trade, impulsively buys an Ibo shaman and her son at auction, never imagining her Voodoo incantations might one day help him find the happiness he thought was lost to him forever. Chattel is similar in vain to Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain with scenes reminiscent of Slave Dancer and Middle Passage.

(2) HUNT HOUSE MURDER: Southern Gothic Romance (77,000 words) by Joan Reavis Holcomb

Hunt House Murder set in 1901-1902 chronicles a heart-wrenching love story with paranormal twists and dark hilarity. A local soothsayer and tenacious ghosts add to the mystery as young Tessa Hunt searches for the truth about her father’s death, discovers her first love, and escapes the clutches of her mother’s egomania and demonic schemes—until she discovers the one dark secret that will forever alter her life. Today, the major characters in Hunt House Murder lie side-by-side or head-to-toe in a common graveyard in North Carolina.

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Hunt House Murder won honors for Best First Chapter at the 2010 SC Writers Conference. Chattel, a historical novel set in the South in 1822-1827 won accolades for Best First Chapter at this year’s SC Conference. One of my narrative poems took First Place in Poetry in the Carrie McCray Literary Awards in 2010. I have a degree in English and the Humanities from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and have studied at NC School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I have National Board Certification in Gifted Education/English Language Arts. I am a member of several writing organizations, including being a charter member of Winston-Salem Writers.

years experience: 15

This writer is looking for an agent
SKILLS
Fiction writing
GENRES & SPECIALTIES
General fiction, Mystery, Romance, Historical fiction, Women's, Paranormal
SPECIALIZED TRAINING, WORK EXPERIENCE, HONORS
At the 2010 South Carolina Writers Conference, HUNT HOUSE MURDER took honors for "Outstanding First Chapter" of a novel. Joan's poem "Tobacco Settin' / Spring 1950" took first place in lyric poetry at the 2010 conference. OUR STATE MAGAZINE: DOWN HOME IN NORTH CAROLINA published her personal narrative, "The Green Grasses of Summer." CHATTEL, a historical novel, won accolades for "Best First Chapter" at the 2012 SC Writers Conference.

A writing consultant for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction in Raleigh, Joan has written state tests and curriculum guides for standard and honors high school English. A degree in English and the humanaities, Joan has National Board Certification in English/Language Arts and scored first in the nation on her portfolio. She has also worked in the classroom with Dr. Maya Angelou, Wake Forest University Professor. Joan is a member of Winston-Salem Writers, North Carolina Writers Network, South Carolina Writers, and her regional and state historical societies.

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