For this weeks interview we welcome spotlight Author JoAnna S. Morris, I was excited to receive JoAnna's answers as she is a completely new author to me, so I'm really happy she won the spotlight so I could discover a new author!
Q: For those who are new to JoAnna S. Morris, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your books?
JoAnna: I am the author of YA Dystopian Fantasy series - Echo Among Stars, Silence Among Stars and Fire Among Stars. I was born in California and raised from the age of 6 in Oklahoma. Oklahoma is nice, beautiful in fact, but my bones ache for the salty waves and sand between my toes. I don't get to go back near as much as I'd like. *sigh* I've been writing in one form or another since I could hold a pencil but I finally gathered the courage to share my work with others about two years ago when I began work on Echo. I have two head-strong, fun-loving children ages 18 and 11 and this September marks 17 years of being married to my high school sweet heart. I enjoy music, movies, reading, writing, music (JT!) and painting. HA! That pretty much sums me up.
Q: At what point in your life did you know you wanted to be a writer?
JoAnna: I have always wanted to write. I would write screenplays as a young teen. I still have them packed away in storage somewhere. I'm pretty sure they're cringe-worthy, I should probably burn them. 
In any case, writing a book has been on my bucket list since before I knew what a bucket list was. I always told myself that I could die a happy woman if I saw Jewel, Bette Midler, JT in concert and published a book. Now that I have accomplished that I should probably update that list. *gulp*
Q: Do you need peace and quiet to write or do you need a playlist to keep you going? If you do would you share it with us?
JoAnna: I have to listen to music while I write. I usually create a play list for each book that i'm working on. It serves as a constant inspiration. For example, here is the playlist for my most recent release Fire Among Stars. Holocene - Bon Iver, Skinny Love - Bon Iver, All the Stars - Ed Sheeran, Oblivion - The Indians, Without Words - Ray Montague, Not About Angels - Birdy, No-one Ever Loved You - Lyyki Li, Sweetheart, What have you done to me - Keaton Henson, Always in My Head - Coldplay, Dreams - Beck, Flume - Bon Iver, 10,000 Emerald Pools - Borns, Blood Bank - Bon Iver, Staring at the Stars - Passenger, The Funeral - Band of Horses, Magic - Coldplay, No one's Gonna Love You - Band of Horses, Where is my Mind - Pixies, Lampshades on Fire - Modest Mouse, Black Sun - Death Cab for Cutie, Dead Inside - Muse, Change your Mind - The Killers, Lover, Please Stay - Nothing but Thieves and Beating Heart - Ellie Goulding.
Q: Are your characters always a complete work of fiction? Or is there an element of someone you know to get the ball rolling?
JoAnna: Typically my characters are fiction, however sometimes there are characters that have tiny bits and pieces of someone that i know of have known. It's inevitable, I think.
Q: What are your experiences of being an Indie Author? Do you find that social media is a help or a distraction to your writing?
JoAnna: Social Media is absolutely a crucial tool for an Indie Author, there is no doubt. Most of us have to rely on some form of social media to get visibility.
Q: What are you currently working on, or is it a secret?
JoAnna: My current SIP is a standalone YA Contemporary. I don't want to say too much but think John Green meets Rainbow Rowell. It's a very personal story to me and I can't wait to get it out into the readers hands!
Q: I see from your page that you have recently taken part in a book signing. How does it feel to be a signing author?!
JoAnna: Being a signing author is pretty surreal. I still can't believe anyone would want my signature.
Q: If you could be any character you have written, who would you choose?
JoAnna: If I could be any character that I've written it would probably be Ainsley. She is just to fun and carefree - I think it would be entertaining to spend a day in her shoes.
Q: What are you currently reading?
JoAnna: I'm currently reading Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. So far I'm intrigued and the writing style is beautiful.
Q: Fictional Dinner Party. Give me 5 fictional characters or authors who you would have as dinner companions.
JoAnna: Oh my gracious, this is a hard question. I'd be the one to stand just so I could have an extra space. I think I'd like to sit with JK Rowling, Alice Hoffman, William Shakespeare, Stephen King and Gertrude Chandler Warner Chandler.
Thank you so so much JoAnna, for taking the time to answer our questions!
If you want to check out JoAnna's books the first book in the Star's series Echo Among Stars is available here http://amzn.to/2a8j5ga
