We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Joni Franks. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Joni below.

Joni, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you walk us through some of the key steps that allowed you move beyond an idea and actually launch?

In 2016 I found myself at a crossroads. It was time for something new. For the first time in my life, I had the time and the opportunity to think about what I wanted to do to make a difference for others in the world and find fulfillment for myself. I didn’t intentionally set out to be a published author, but I did my find myself hand-writing a story about my dog, Sagebrush, and our real-life Colorado adventures together. When the story was complete, I thought it would be nice to have one copy of a coffee table book for my family. I looked into the publishing world and decided to self-publish my first book, Corky Tails: Tales of a Tailless Dog Named Sagebrush.
When I experienced the acceptance and praise for my first book through my friends and the local community, I decided to continue writing, and turn Corky Tails, Tales of a Tailless Dog Named Sagebrush into a book series.
The first book in the Corky Tails book series, was based on my experience as a woman in ranching and attitudes that face woman in this line of work. I chose equality for that book theme and added in a bullying awareness theme when Sagebrush, the tailless puppy, was born without a tail, and was bullied and labeled as having no worth, due to her lack of a tail. Together the young woman rancher and the little dog disproved the disbelievers. The young woman thrived as a rancher and Sagebrush became a fine herding dog, despite her lack of a tail.
I recognized many timely themes in the news that would make excellent storylines for the new generation and families in general. Going forward with the book series, I chose timely themes like deforestation, wildfire prevention, homelessness, dark sky preservation and environmental conservation as the central storylines.
The success of Corky Tails has given me the courage to begin a companion book series for an older audience. I wanted to write a book about overcoming a broken heart and finding one’s destiny. The Crooked Forest, Legacy of the Holey Stone was born, and I am thrilled to report that it has been a great success!
The Crooked Forest, Cloud Crazed is the sequel. The overall theme of this book addresses the struggle of finding forgiveness, not only for those we feel hurt by but for ourselves as well.
I feel privileged to call myself a successful multi-genre author. Often times we find ourselves stereotyped as only being able to succeed in one field when in reality the sky is the limit!
Fast forward to present, I have twelve published books and have received over forty literary awards for my writing and my art.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am exceptionally proud of the illustrations in my books. As an indie author, I retain creative control of the artwork and the storylines of my books. The images in all of my twelve published works are my own creative design. I have a clear vision of how the characters in my books look, where the illustrations are placed and what scenes are most worthy of an illustration. It has been a great privilege to receive acclaim not only for my books but also for my artwork. I have a clear vision of how the characters in my books look and how they are to be portrayed.
In 2022 I received a bronze medal for illustrations in an adult book from Colorado Independent Publishers Association.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

There are many authors and many books being published year after year. There are two ways I think I might differ from other authors. I believe that the number of awards I have earned has helped me to stand out, build popularity, a reputation and a brand.
It is also important to never give up on your ultimate goal. I have published twelve books in six and a half years, and some might consider that as being prolific.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The success of my books has been the most rewarding experience of my life. I am making a difference in the world, changing the world one heart at a time through my published works. It makes me happy to bring my chosen themes and my messages and problem-solving techniques to my readers. It is extremely rewarding to see smiles on the faces of my fans when they enjoy my books.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jonifranks.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/corkytails1/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/corkytails1/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joni-franks-721973183/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rlii0PDz0Z4

Image Credits
Joni Franks