New Blood at COTT!

Clash of the Titles is excited to announcethat we're adding a brand newstaff member to our leadership board. :-)

Everybody…we’d like to introduce you to Joanna DavidsonPolitano!

Welcome, Joanna!

Bio:
With a journalism degree from Trinity International University, Joannaserved as a medical writer in the pharmaceutical industry before branchinginto freelance work. She then accepted a writing and editing position witha Christian publishing company in Chicago, and currently serves as theeditor for their Junior High Sunday school publication. She lives with herdaughter and husband in Indiana, where she writes novels based on truestories.

Joanna is a current Double Genesis Semi-Finalist in the Historicalcategory! Asked about her writing journey, this is what Joanna had tosay:

"I’ve been writing since I could read, but I can pinpoint the exact momentI began novel writing. It was when my grandma shocked me with the story ofour family’s past. How could this have happened in our traditional,predictable, church-going family? At the time, I worked for apharmaceutical company writing package insert material, but this familystory drew me to my computer every night for a year, rattling around in myhead until I’d written out the whole novel. I simply couldn’t stop thinkingabout it. I eventually moved to a job at a Christian nonfiction publisher,but I still spent hours absorbing the stories of the shut-in elderly, ornursing home residents who had lived through eras in our history I couldonly read about in books.

Fascinated by World War II love stories, family secrets, and amazingstories of God’s sovereignty, I kept returning for more. But I was not justinterested in finding book ideas. Honestly, what drove me to write thesenovels was more than a simple love for story—it was a tenderness I felt forpeople overlooked by everyone else. These fascinating stories came fromnursing home residents who had no visitors, or people confined to theirhome by age or illness. They’d been brushed aside by everyone—even thefamilies they’d raised.

After introductions and polite small talk, I delved into the question thattransformed these visits into unforgettable experiences—“what’s yourstory?” Their faces lit as they told me stories so rich in detail andreal-life experiences it beat out any movie or book.

So yes, I write novels. But really, I hear people’s stories and then writethem down to be remembered long after the story teller is gone. When Godcalled me into this life of novel writing, He didn’t promise publication orto impact thousands with the words I wrote. He simply wanted me to see theforgotten people He loved, and to appreciate their lives."

Doesn’t that make you want to know their stories too? Joanna also talkedto us about her sweet family and what’s going on in her writing lifecurrently:

"My husband has been my biggest supporter in the whole process. Mainlybecause he’s blunt enough to tell me exactly what’s great and what’s not,and because he pushes me to finish what I start. We currently live in ourhouse in the woods with our new baby daughter Elena and will be celebratingour two-year anniversary next month. I have no doubt he’s a blessing fromGod.

I’m currently working on a novel about a finishing school teacher whoteaches her students about men rather than elocution. When she realizes herstudents are headed for the controlling, male-dominated marriages thatcharacterized the times, Orla sets out to teach these girls the truth abouthow to understand men and how they think. Armed with knowledge, they have achance at choosing the right man—although not always the wealthiest, as theschool boasts—and surviving marriage happily as part of an equal team. Butthis local expert on men is hiding her own complicated, broken love life tokeep her job.

I can’t wait to dive into COTT. With all the contests out there, I love theuniqueness of having readers judge the work. After all, they’re our realaudience! I hope to help further the mission statement of glorifying Godand to make COTT even more helpful to those who love Christian fiction—boththe readers and the writers."

We are so blessed and excited to have you on board, Joanna!

You can leave a message welcoming Joanna in the comments below. And feel free to check out her website at  Joannadavidson.com ;