As well as penning suspense novels, Joan Hall Hovey's articles and short stories have appeared in such diverse publications as The Reader, Atlantic Advocate, The Toronto Star, Mystery Scene, True Confessions, Home Life magazine, Seek and various other magazines and newspapers. Her short story, Dark Reunion was selected for the Anthology, Investigating Women, published by Simon & Pierre, edited by David Skene-Melvin.

Joan Hall Hovey is also a writing instructor, and a Voice Over pro, narrating books and scripts. She lives in New Brunswick, Canada.

I was born and raised in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada's oldest incorporated city, situated on the Bay of Fundy. I married my husband, Mel, when I was 18, and we had 3 children within four years. (our son, Bill, came along 18 years later.) When the children were still small, we moved from the city to Gondola Point, (it was country then, but no more) and have lived here quite contently with various beloved pets over the years, and for the past four, with our wonderful dog, Scamp, in a modest, but comfortable home, overlooking the Kennebecasis River. Lots of lovely tall pine trees as I look out my window. People often tell me the view must be inspiring, but the truth is when I'm at my computer, my back is to it. My head is already filled with characters and scenes; I'm living in a world of the imagination.

My first story sold to True Confessions, more than 25 years ago. The second story, after being rejected numerous times, sold to Home Life magazine. It was titled God's Special Gift, and was about my grandmother, who was an artist. Her death, as a result of a house fire, when I was 15, was an enormous loss for me.

When my children grew less dependent on me, I decided to pursue my lifelong dream of writing a novel. Always an insatiable reader, with a vivid imagination and natural facility for writing, (so my teachers said) I immersed myself once more in the work of those writers who had instilled in me the desire to write -- Shirley Jackson, Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, Dickens, and contemporary authors like Ira Levin, Phyllis Whitney, Joy Fielding, Ruth Rendell, Stephen King, and so many more fine writers.

At the same time I was making notes for my own novel. Listen to the Shadows sold first time out to Zebra Books. Not that they gave me a contract right away; they said it needed to be 100 pages longer. Back to the drawing board. At last, the book was published. Nowhere to Hide came shortly on its heels. I was thrilled when Nowhere to Hide won an EPPIE AWARD in Las Vegas. Chill Waters, Night Corridor and The Abduction of Mary Rose followed. Defective. My seventh and most recent suspense tale is The Deepest Dark

Of course I started out as a story listener. Both my mom and dad were great storytellers, and I needed only to hear the words: 'I remember the time when ...' to feel that rare and exquisite pleasure in the anticipation of a new story.